If you have recently been seen at one of our hospitals, you can use the Friends and Family survey to tell us anonymously what you think about the ward or service where you received your care.

You will be asked:

“How likely are you to recommend our ward/service to your friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment?”

You can rank your answer from “extremely likely” to “extremely unlikely” and also comment to explain your ranking.

We also ask you a few follow up questions related to ‘compassionate care’. You don’t have to complete these but it helps us a lot if you do.

We use your views to improve our services. The rating you give (but not your comment) is also sent to NHS England and contributes to our national ratings, so using this method is extremely important to us. We keep the comments and pass them on to the staff and managers.

Please ask your care team for a Friends and Family form on your departure, or you can click here to take the survey online.

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 (inpatient or outpatient), please firstly speak to a member of staff providing the care. This could be a nurse, ward sister or matron, a doctor, other health professional or a non-clinical member of staff. They want to help you and will try to resolve your concerns right away.

If you have tried this and it has not adequately resolved your concerns, or if you would like some help to do this, then please contact the Patient and Family Experience Team. They will listen to you and work with you to achieve a satisfactory resolution whether you are requesting information, providing feedback, raising a concern, or making a complaint.

Contact the Patient and Family Experience Team

Please send an email to rcht.patientexperience@nhs.net or leave a voicemail on 01872 252793. We will return your call in a maximum of two working days (although the majority will be returned on the same day, except on weekends and bank holidays)

Or you can drop in to the Patient and Family Experience Team office on the 1st Floor of the Tower Block, Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro (next to the Chapel and Chaplaincy Services).

We are usually open 10am to 4pm, but it’s always a good idea to call on 01872 252793 to check before you make a special journey.

Vital information to read before contacting us

If you have any queries about your current treatment (including information about appointments and waiting times) please contact the relevant department or clinic direct.

If you have questions about an appointment, or would like to change one, please call the phone number on your patient letter or call the switchboard on 01872 250000 and ask to be redirected to the relevant department or clinic.

If your concerns cannot be resolved informally with the staff involved and you wish to make a complaint, please let us know as soon as possible so we can carry out a thorough investigation. This is called local resolution.

We’ll need full details of the issues you would like us to investigate, together with your name and contact information.

We encourage you to speak openly about your concerns, which will be treated in confidence, with courtesy and sensitivity.

How to make a complaint

You can make a complaint in by email, letter, phone or by coming in person to the Patient and Family Experience Team office. Our opening hours are 10am to 4pm.

Email

rcht.patientexperience@nhs.net

Phone

You can call us on 01872 252793. Please leave a voicemail and we will return your call in a maximum of two working days (although the majority will be returned on the same day, except on weekends and bank holidays)

Drop-in

You can call into our office and speak in person to one of the team. Our office is based on the 1st Floor of the Tower Block, Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro (next to the Chapel and Chaplaincy Services).

By letter

Patient and Family Experience Team (Complaints)
Tower Block 1st Floor
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
Truro
Cornwall TR1 3LJ

We can only investigate complaints made within 12 months of the event, under the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009. If more time has passed, you should tell us the date on which you first realised there was something to be concerned about.

We assure you that any record of your complaint will be kept separately from, and not in, your health records. You will not be treated any differently or disadvantaged because you have made a complaint, nor will you be discriminated against on the grounds of religion, gender, race/ethnicity, disability, age or sexual orientation. If you are concerned that making a complaint will affect your treatment and care, please let the Patient and Family Experience Team know immediately.

Access to health records

During the investigation into your complaint, the investigating team will most likely need access to the medical details in your health records. If you have any concerns about this please contact the Patient and Family Experience Team.

Making a complaint on behalf of someone else

If you wish to make a complaint on behalf of another person, such as a relative, a friend or a person you are looking after, we will need their written consent to discuss personal health information with you (this is called ‘Disclosure’ and is covered by the Data Protection Act 1998). We cannot disclose any information to you until we receive a signed consent form and the appropriate identification. You can download the ‘Consent to make a complaint on patient behalf’ form here [opens a pdf in your browser].

If the person you are complaining on behalf of is deceased, we will need to check that you have consent to access their personal information under the Access to Health Records Act 1990. We understand that this is a distressing time and our team of friendly, helpful staff will guide you through this process. You can download the ‘Consent to make a complaint on behalf of a deceased patient’ form here [opens a pdf in your browser]. If we don’t receive consent, we may only be able to provide you with a general response.

Independent Advocacy Services

If you need support to make a complaint, there is an independent advocacy service called SEAP who can help you:
SEAP website
0330 440 9000
info@seap.org.uk

What happens when we receive your complaint?

We aim to answer every issue you raise in an open and honest manner. If we have shortfalls in our services we will apologise and let you know what we have learned from your experience, and what action we have taken to improve our service.

1. When we receive your complaint, a member of the Patient and Family Experience Team will contact you within two working days to acknowledge receipt of your concerns.
2. Within three to five working days, a Complaints Officer will be in touch to advise how we will handle your complaint.
3. We will aim to resolve your complaint within a realistic timescale and as effectively as possible. In order to do this we will need to know your desired outcome, i.e. what would resolve your complaint. We will make enquiries or undertake a full investigation into your concerns; this will depend on the type of issues you raise.
4. Following the investigation, the Chief Nurse will write to you within the anticipated timescale. The division investigating your concerns will tell you if we need more time or if there are any delays.
5. If during local resolution you remain unhappy with any aspect of our response to your complaint, please let us know immediately and we will do our best to resolve your concerns.

If you remain unhappy at the end of the local resolution process, you have the right to ask the Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman to review your complaint and the way it has been handled. You can learn more about the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) on their website. They can also be contacted at:

• phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
• 0345 015 4033
• PHSO, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4QP

What the Complaints Team cannot provide:

• Help to claim financial compensation for clinical negligence
• Disciplinary action for an NHS employee
• Legal advice
• Help with complaints about private medical treatment
• Medical advice

Further information on the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009.

Monitoring Data

The Trust has a duty to understand the profile of the patients and communities we serve, so that we can effectively identify where access to our services can be improved. This enables us to provide services that reflect the health needs of our community. Information about you, such as about your *disability or ethnicity, will help us to address any specific group needs and allow us to check that all patient groups are provided with a quality and equitable service. We may also ask you to complete a feedback form, your cooperation is therefore most appreciated.

*Under the Equality Act 2010, a disability is defined as an identified physical or mental impairment that has a permanent or long term impact on an individual’s day to day activity.

All media enquiries should be directed to the Communications Team on 01872 252934 or 01872 252477. Outside of office hours, the on-call Press Officer will deal with urgent enquiries and can be contacted through the hospital switchboard on 01872 250000. To request changes or additions to this website please contact our website team at rcht.webmaster@nhs.net