Making a Formal Complaint
If we haven’t been able to resolve your concerns locally or through PALS, then you may wish to make a formal complaint. We welcome complaints as a way of learning from people’s experiences and improving our services.
The PALS & Complaints team can give you help, advice and support in making a complaint. They can put you in contact with local advocacy services who can support your through the complaints process.
Stage 1: Local Resolution
If you would like to make a complaint, you should do this as quickly as possible. Usually we will investigate complaints that are:
- made within 12 months of the event, or
- made within 12 months of you realising you were unhappy about a specific situation or event
Once we have received your complaint, we will contact you within three working days to discuss your complaint and agree a way forward on how you would like your concerns dealt with. If we are unable to contact you by telephone, we will acknowledge receipt of your letter in writing.
If you are raising concerns on behalf of someone who has received care from us, then we will need to ask their permission to share with you any confidential and personal information.
We will undertake an investigation into all of the concerns which you have raised. You will receive a full written response within an agreed timescale and we encourage complainants to attend local resolution meetings to help to resolve concerns at an early stage.
You can either write to the Chief Executive or the Complaints & PALS Manager at:
| Grant Macdonald | Complaints & PALS |
|---|---|
| Chief Executive Executive Offices Trust Headquarters Littlemore Mental Health Centre Sandford Road Oxford OX4 4XN |
Claire Price Complaints & PALS Manager The Whiteleaf Centre Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust Bierton Road Aylesbury HP20 1EG |
Or by e-mailing: PALS@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk
Need support in making a complaint?
If you feel that you need support in making your complaint, you can contact The Advocacy People, the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy (IHCA) provider across much of SE and SW England, who will be able to help you.
For complaints in Oxfordshire, POhWER can be contacted on 0300 456 2370, or for more information you can click here. You can also email them on: oxfordshireadvocacyhub@pohwer.net
A member of the PALS & Complaints team would be happy to provide you with a POhWER leaflet if you would like more information about this service.
Information: What if I am still unhappy?
If you are unhappy with the outcome of your complaint, you can ask the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) to review this matter.
The Ombudsman will only consider complaints that have already been investigated by the Trust.
You can contact the PHSO by contacting their complaints helpline on: 0345 015 4033 or visiting their website: www.ombudsman.org.uk
Page last reviewed: 2 August, 2023