NHS Complaints Solicitors - Medical Negligence Compensation Claims

Prior to making a medical negligence compensation claim it is often advisable to make an NHS complaint which may reveal valuable evidence that can be used in legal proceedings for compensation. Everyone has the right to make a complaint about any aspect of NHS treatment. To make an National Health Service complaint, you must normally be a patient of the general practitioner or medical institution in question however, it is also possible to make a complaint on behalf of somebody else. In order to make an NHS complaint on behalf of another person, the hospital or doctor concerned must first agree that you are an appropriate representative.

Grounds For National Health Service Complaint

Your National Health Service complaint should be made prior to any medical negligence claim being instigated and as soon as possible after the incident that you are complaining about happened. The usual time limit for NHS complaints is six months from the date of occurrence or from the date when you first became aware of it. However, there is discretion to extend the time limit where it would not be reasonable to expect you to have made a complaint in time. Examples include patients with mental illness. Complaints can be made regarding any issues with the NHS the most common of which include complaints about :-

• attitude of medical staff
• administrative problems
• alleged negligent treatment
• quality of service
• condition of buildings
• poor information or explanations
• food and other facilities
• delays or cancellations
• visiting hours

Healthcare Commission & Health Service Ombudsman

Following receipt of either a personal NHS complaint or a formal written NHS complaint, an acknowledgement will be sent, investigation will be made often followed by an invitation to discuss the problem in person, followed by a formal written response usually within a month from receipt of the original complaint. This process is known as local resolution however if the outcome of the complaint does not satisfy the patient the matter can be taken further by application to an independent review panel appointed by the Healthcare Commission except in the case of NHS Foundation Trusts. If the patient remains unhappy after local resolution and independent review then a complaint can be made to the Health Service Ombudsman who is completely independent of the NHS and Government.

NHS Complaint Solicitor

We offer advice on NHS complaints either in person or over the phone. If you want to find out if you have a good case and how much money your claim may be worth, don't hesitate to get in touch with our experts today. Regardless of your decision, you are never under any obligation to use our service. For free advice just complete the contact form, call the helpline or email our offices and a specialist solicitor will phone you as soon as possible. If after talking to us you decide to proceed no further then you are under no obligation to do so and you will not be charged for our initial advice.

The author of the substantive medical writing on this website is Dr. Christine Traxler MD whose biography can be read here