If you are worried or unhappy about any aspect of your care and treatment, please speak to a member of the team involved in your care as soon as possible. They want to help you and will try to resolve your concerns immediately.
If you are uncomfortable or uncertain about doing this, please ask to speak to the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). The PALS team is here to listen to you and help you resolve any problems, concerns or difficulties. You can ask a member of staff to contact the PALS team for you. or email the team ngh-tr.pals@nhs.net
Alternatively you can contact PALS by phone 01604 545784, 09.00 to 16.00 weekdays - answerphone at other times
Making a complaint
If your concerns cannot be resolved informally with the staff involved and you wish to make a complaint in writing, it is important that you let us know as soon as possible to enable us to carry out a thorough investigation.
Please address your letter to the Head of Complaints or the Chief Executive, Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust, Cliftonville, Northampton, NN1 5BD. Or you can email your letter to our complaints team ngh-tr.complaints@nhs.net
Alternatively you can contact the complaints department by telephone as follows 01604-545774 (9am - 4pm – Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays)
Give as much information as you can. Include your name and address, telephone number, any names you remember of the staff caring for you, the ward or department and the dates of your stay. If you have a range of issues you would like answered, please number them. lf you are complaining on behalf of a relative or friend, we will need a signed letter from them giving permission for us to discuss details of their care.
What happens next?
- Your complaint will be acknowledged within three days
- We will make enquiries or undertake a full investigation into your concerns; this will depend on the type of issues you raise
- You will receive a full response from us within an agreed timescale
- If we are unable to complete the investigation within the agreed timeframe, we will let you know
For further guidance on how to make a written complaint, you can download the following leaflets:
Support when making a complaint
If you require support or assistance to make a complaint about the NHS you may wish to seek advice from Total Voice (VoiceAbility), Northamptonshire, an independent advocacy service. Please see their contact information below:
Total Voice Northamptonshire Unit F17, Moulton Park Business Centre, Redhouse Road, Moulton Park Industrial Estate, Northampton NN3 6AQ
Telephone: 01604 592702
Email: tvn@voiceability.org
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
If you are not satisfied with the response from us, you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman at:
The Health Service Ombudsman, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4QP
Telephone 0345 015 4033
Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
Website www.ombudsman.org.uk