The trust values and respects the views of everyone who has reason to use its services and although we work hard to offer high standards of service and care, things can sometimes go wrong. Should this happen, we will do all that we can to put things right for you, and to make sure that the same thing doesn’t happen again.
We take all complaints very seriously and will investigate each matter. We will then respond to you as quickly as possible and use the complaints received to improve our services for all our service users. We view complaints positively and no patient or complainant should ever be treated unfairly because they or their family have raised concerns about care or treatment received. No record is made of a complaint within a patient’s medical notes.
Talking it through
If you have a concern about the care that you have received, it is best to try to sort it out immediately. If you are an in-patient, or visiting an in-patient, the best person to talk to is the nurse in charge or the matron of the ward. If you are an out-patient, you can ask the staff at any reception area to put you in touch with the member of staff you need to talk to.
You can also talk to the hospital’s Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS). PALS is the first contact point for your questions, concerns and suggestions about our services. The PALS team will provide support to patients, their families and visitors and will try to help sort out any concerns you may have quickly and informally before matters escalate to a formal complaint. Please ask a member of staff to direct you to the PALS office located on the ground floor, in the hospital's main reception area.
Alternatively, you can contact the PALS team:
- Telephone: 020 7472 6446/6447 or 020 7830 2577
- 24 hour answer phone: 020 7472 6445
- Text phone: 0762 4803 635
- Minicom: 020 7472 6593
- Email: rfh.pals@nhs.net
What if I am not satisfied?
Please see How to make a complaint.