At University Hospitals Bristol and
Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) we are passionate about patient
experience - we want every one of our patients, together with their
relatives, carers and visitors, to receive the best possible
service when being treated at or visiting our hospitals.
Sometimes however, things do not go to plan, and we want to
assure you that whatever happens, we will always do our best to put
things right and, equally importantly, try to stop it from
happening again.
What does the Patient Support and Complaints Team do?
The aim of the Patient Support and Complaints team is to resolve
any concerns, queries or questions that our patients, their
families or members of the public raise with us about our
Trust.
We cover all of the Trust's hospitals: Bristol Eye Hospital,
Bristol Dental Hospital, St Michael's Hospital, Bristol Heart
Institute, Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre, Bristol Royal
Hospital for Children, South Bristol Community Hospital, Bristol
Royal Infirmary and the Central Health Clinic.
We are able to assist with problems and can liaise with staff on
your behalf. We can provide:
- non-clinical information and advice
- a contact point for patients who wish to make suggestions about
how services can be improved
- support for patients and their relatives/carers, including
signposting to other appropriate services and/or organisations
- management of complaints
We welcome any comments, suggestions or compliments you may have
and would like you to tell us what you think of our Trust's
services and what we can do to improve our services.
The Trust takes great pride in delivering exceptional service.
If your experience does not match your expectations, please tell us
about it.
Please view the UHBW Complaints Policy.
How to contact the Patient Support and Complaints Team
We have a variety of ways in which you can contact us so you can
use the method that suits you best.
| Complete an online
enquiry/concerns/compliment form.
|
| Write to us - You can
send your complaint in writing to University Hospitals
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Patient Support and Complaints
Team, A201, Welcome Centre, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Upper
Maudlin Street, Bristol, BS2 8HW |
| Telephone - You can telephone us on
0117 342 1050, where you can leave a message with our answering
service and one of our administrators will contact you within
two working days to take the details of your enquiry. In the
majority of cases, your call will be returned on the same day. Our
administrators will then pass your enquiry on to a Complaints
Officer who will be in contact with you to discuss your enquiry in
more details.
|
PLEASE NOTE THAT, DUE TO COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS, AND TO
ENSURE THE SAFETY OF OUR STAFF AND PATIENTS, WE ARE CURRENTLY
UNABLE TO OFFER A FACE-TO-FACE 'DROP-IN' SERVICE. THIS WILL
BE REGULARLY REVIEWED IN LINE WITH GOVERNMENT
GUIDANCE.
For further information about our service, please click on the
link for our Patient Support and Complaints Team leaflet which is
available in:
The Patient Support and
Complaints leaflet is also available in other languages/formats on
request.
What happens next?
If you have a concern about the
care that you are currently receiving, or wish to raise a concern
on behalf of a current patient (either an inpatient or outpatient),
we would recommend that in the first instance, you speak to a
member of staff in the hospital who is providing this care. This
could be a nurse or doctor or a non-clinical member of staff and
they should be able to resolve this directly with you or find
someone to help you. Our staff are trained to help patients resolve
their concerns there and then wherever possible and may be able to
offer you a quick and easy solution to your complaint.
If you feel that a member
of staff has not adequately resolved your concerns or you wish
to raise an issue directly with the Patient Support and Complaints
Team, they will be happy to help you.
You can contact the team via one
of the methods described above and a named Complaints
Officer will be assigned to advise you how best to proceed
with your enquiry or complaint.
We will involve you and work
with you to achieve a satisfactory resolution; whether you are
requesting information, providing feedback, raising a concern or
making a complaint.
If you are a relative or carer,
it may be necessary for us to know that the patient is happy for
you to act on their behalf, for example, if your enquiry relates to
confidential information about the patient's care or treatment. If
this is the case, you can either complete the consent form here and send it to us,
or the form can be requested by contacting the department. If you
are not sure whether a consent form will be needed, please contact
us and we will be happy to advise you.
Independent Advocacy
Services
If you would like some help with your
complaint prior to submitting it to the Patient Support and
Complaints Team, you can contact an independent complaints advocacy
service.
The Advocacy People can help you by providing
free, independent and confidential support for residents of
Bristol, Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, North Somerset and Wiltshire. You
can contact The Advocacy People directly on 0330 440 9000 or via
their website at https://www.theadvocacypeople.org.uk/
Alternatively, SWAN Advocacy provides advocacy
services in Somerset and you can contact them on 03333 447 928 or
by email as appropriate to somerset@swanadvocacy.org.uk or southglos@swanadvocacy.org.uk
POWhER Advocacy provides similar services in
Bath & North East Somerset (BANES) and Gloucestershire. Their
website is https://www.pohwer.net/ and you can contact
them on 0300 456 2370 or by email at powher@powher.net
The role of the Parliamentary
and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO)
If you feel that the Trust has
not answered your questions adequately, please contact the Patient
Support and Complaints Team so we can arrange for someone to look
again at your concerns. If, having done this, you are still unhappy
with the outcome, or you feel that the Trust has not dealt with
your concerns appropriately, you have the right to seek advice from
the PHSO.
The PHSO carries out independent
investigations into complaints made by people who are unhappy with
the treatment or service that has been provided to them through the
NHS.
Quarterly Complaints
Reports
Click here to read the Trust's complaints report for the period
April - June 2015
