Easy read – how to make a complaint or leave a compliment

Click on the pink button below to go to videos and easy read documents about how to make a complaint or leave a compliment.

Videos and easy read documents

Top tips

  1. It is important to make sure your complaint is going to the right department or named person.
  2. Ask for a copy of the organisation's complaints procedure. This will include information about how the organisation should deal with your complaint.
  3. Raise your concerns about your problem as soon as you can. Delaying may mean you forget vital information.

  4. It can be useful to make notes of what happened at the time of the incident, including names of staff, who you spoke to etc., as otherwise, you might forget.

  5. Make sure to list your concerns clearly giving dates, and if possible the names of the people concerned.
  6. Make sure to state that you are making a formal complaint, whether it is under the NHS or local authority complaints procedure.

  7. If you are asking for an explanation about the problems you are raising, be clear about the information you want. Avoid asking general questions.

  8. When writing stay focused on your main problem, making sure to use straightforward respectful language.

  9. Remember to include your contact details.

  10. Try to get help with making your complaint if needed. This may mean talking to a professional or someone that can point out anything in your complaint that isn't clear.

  11. Try to be flexible. Be open to working with the organisation to solve the problem.

  12. It's equally important to praise the organisations and staff when you see good practice so that it helps motivate them to keep doing the right thing.

Tools for making a complaint

Enfield Council - Adult social care complaints

Step 1

Contact the team responsible for delivering the service you are unhappy about.

Step 2

If they are unable to resolve the issue, then you can make a formal complaint. You can do this by email, letter or telephone.

Call 0208 379 1000

Write to Statutory Complaints (Adults and Children) Manager, Enfield Council, PO Box 59, Civic Centre, Enfield, EN1 3XL

Complaints need to be made within 12 months of the matter. You should receive an acknowledgement of your complaint within 3 working days and a response to your complaint within 10 working days of the acknowledgement. If you are still not happy with the outcome you can take your complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman (0300 061 0614)

Find out more

NHS 111 & Out of Hours service complaints

If you would like to make a complaint about these services, please contact the London Central & West Unscheduled Care Collaborative:

020 8962 7654

info@lcw.nhs.uk

Chief Executive, LCWUCC, ST Charles Hospital, Exmoor Street, London, W10 6DZ

 

Complaints need to be made within 12 months of the date the problem occurred. Once you have made a complaint you should receive acknowledgment of the complaint within 3 working days, there is no set timeframe for a response as it depends on the nature of the complaint.

 

Find out more

GP, optician, dentist or pharmacy complaints

If you have a complaint about the service you have received from your GP practice, Dentist, Pharmacy or Optician, you can make a complaint directly to the service using their internal complaints procedure or you can contact:

North Central London Integrated Care Board

020 3198 9743

nclicb.complaints@nhs.net

NHS North Central London ICB, Complaints Team, 2nd Floor, Laycock PDC, Laycock Street, London, N1 1TH

Complaints need to be made within 12 months of the date the problem occurred. Once you have made a complaint you should receive acknowledgement of the complaint within 3 working days and a response within 40 working days.

If you are not happy with the outcome of your complaint or how it has been dealt with by NHS England, you can refer the matter to

The Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman

0345 015 4033

phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

Millbank Tower, 30 Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP

Complaints need to be made within 12 months of the original complaint. Once you have made a complaint you should receive acknowledgement of the complaint within 5 working days and a response within 20 working days.

Find out more

North Middlesex University Hospital Trust complaints

Step 1

Contact the Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) team:

0208 887 3172

northmid.pals@nhs.net

Step 2

If you are not happy with the outcome, then contact the complaints team to make a formal complaint:

0208 887 3858

northmid.complaints@nhs.net

Complaints & Legal Services, North Middlesex University Hospital Trust, Sterling Way, Edmonton, London N18 1QX

 

Complaints need to be made within 12 months of the date the original complaint. Once you have made a formal complaint you should receive acknowledgement of the complaint within 3 working days and a response within 30 working days.

Find out more

Royal Free - Chase Farm & Barnet Hospital complaints

Step 1

Contact the Patients Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) team:

0208 216 4924

bcfpals@nhs.net

Step 2

If you are not happy with the outcome/handling of your complaint by the PALS team, you can make a formal complaint by contacting the complaints team:

rf-tr.bcfcomplaints@nhs.net

Complaints Department, Barnet Hospital, Thames House, Wellhouse Lane, Barnet, London, EN5 3DJ

Royal Free - Hampstead complaints

Step 1

You can complete an NHS complaints registration form

rf.complaints@nhs.net

Patients Affairs Team, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, Pond Street, London, NW3 2QG

Step 2

If you are not happy with the response you receive from the complaints team, please contact The Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman.

0345 015 4033

phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

Millbank Tower, 30 Millbank, London, SW1P AQP

Complaints need to be made within 12 months of the date the problem occurred. Once you have made a complaint you should receive acknowledgment of the complaint within 3 working days and a response within 35 working days.

Find out more

Barnet, Enfield & Haringey Mental Health Trust complaints

This trust is responsible for providing a range of services across the borough, such as physiotherapy, podiatry, mental health support and speech & language services.

Please visit their website for a full range of their services. If you have a complaint about any of the services they provide please contact:

0208 702 4700

beh-tr.patient.experience@nhs.net

Barnet, Enfield & Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust, P2 (Old Audiology), St Ann's Hospital, St Ann's Road, London, N15 3TH

 

If you have a complaint about specialist services (Eating Disorders, Forensic Services, Substance Misuse & Fixed Threat Assessment Centre) call the complaints manager:

0208 702 3839

If you are not happy with the response you receive from the complaints manager, please contact The Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman

0345 015 4033

phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

Millbank Tower, 30 Millbank, London SW1P 4QP

 

Complaints need to be made within 12 months of the original complaint. Once you have made a complaint you should receive acknowledgment of the complaint within 3 working days and a response within 25 working days.

Find out more

London Ambulance Service complaints

If you are not happy with the service provided by this organisation, please contact them on:

0203 069 0240

londamb.patient.experiences@nhs.net

Units 1&2, Datapoint Business Centre, 6 South Crescent, London, E16 4TL

Complaints need to be made within 12 months of the date the problem occurred. Once you have made a complaint you should receive acknowledgment of the complaint within 3 working days and a response within 35 working days.

If you are not happy with the response you receive from the complaints manager, please contact The Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman:

0345 015 4033

phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

Millbank Tower, 30 Millbank, London SW1P 4QP

Find out more

Advocacy: Getting help with a complaint

If you need help making a complaint, you can get someone to help you. This is called advocacy.

An advocate's job is depends upon your circumstances and desired level of help. However, their purpose is to support your decisions. 

An advocate is able to:


-Pay attention to your opinions and worries 
-Assist you in examining your rights and options (without forcing you) 
-Give you knowledge to enable you to make wise decisions 
-Assist you in making appropriate contacts, or make contacts on your behalf; support and escort you to and from meetings or appointments. 
 

A service called the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy exists to support people to make a complaint against an NHS provided service. In Enfield, this service is run by an organisation called Pohwer.

0300 456 2370 

pohwer@pohwer.net.

Don't forget to give compliments too!

It’s also really important to praise services or professionals when they have done well, to role model good practice. All of the organisations detailed are very happy to receive compliments and will pass these onto the relevant service or person.

Top tips

Be clear and detail:

  • the name of both the person and/or service
  • the date you were seen and
  • what it was that they did well

This is important to help services improve!

Share your feedback

North Central London Integrated Care System complaints

Formerly the North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group (NCLCCG), this group is responsible for planning and buying health services for the residents of Enfield. It is led by clinicians and these doctors are heavily involved in ensuring the local health services are right for the local population.

If you have a complaint about the way an NHS service has been commissioned, or you have been directly affected by a commissioning decision made by them, for example, getting funding for treatment, please contact:

Email nclicb.complaints@nhs.net

Find out more

Whistleblowing

Find out information about how a staff member can report a problem in the NHS or an adult social care service

Find out more