Complaints and concerns
For the duration of the effects of the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, complaints across Basildon & Brentwood, Castle Point & Rochford, Southend and Thurrock will be managed centrally from NHS Thurrock CCG.
This is primarily because the NHS is currently re-deploying all possible resources to focus on the fight against Covid19 coronavirus so the most effective way to deal with complaints with limited capacity is to centralise the service.
Our usual complaint response timescales have been removed due to the current circumstances. We apologise for the pause in this service but would ask you to understand that at this challenging time we have to support our frontline staff as effectively as possible.
All complaints will be logged, but we are unable to take any action at this time in most cases. However, please be assured that we continue to act upon any issue of patient safety or safeguarding raised in a complaint.
Once the crisis is over we will contact each complainant and address any concerns through our normal processes.
If you have immediate concerns around care and treatment provided you should raise these directly with the provider of the service.
If you require any information on COVID-19, we urge you to follow the latest advice given by the Government on coronavirus which is available on line at https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus.
We appreciate your understanding and patience at this challenging time.
How do I make a complaint or tell the NHS about a concern I have about local health services?
You have the right to make a complaint if you are not satisfied with the care you received from the NHS.
In the first instance, patients are encouraged to make their complaints directly to the Primary Care Organisation itself, i.e. the GP Surgery, the Dental Practice, Pharmacy or Optometrist.
However, if the patient would prefer to make their complaint to the commissioner of the service, they can contact the NHS England contact centre as follows:
NHS Customer Centre on 0300 311 22 33 or by email:
The complaint is logged at the contact centre and the details are then forwarded directly to the Area Team for processing.
If the patient has already complained in the first instance to the organisation itself, and you have provided a response in full, the complainant cannot then bring their complaint to the NHS England Area Team. They must either come back to you to establish if more can be done to achieve local resolution, or they should be directed to the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), who they can ask to review their complaint.
If you have a complaint about a GP or dental practice, you can contact NHS England using the details below:
In post:
NHS England
PO Box 16738
Redditch, B97 9PT
By phone:
0300 311 22 33
By email:
england.contactus@nhs.net
The NHS complaints procedure
For more advice about the NHS complaints procedure, including information about your rights, who can help you with your complaint and where to start, visit NHS Choices:
www.nhs.uk/choiceintheNHS/Rightsandpledges/complaints/Pages/NHScomplaints.aspx