Feedback, suggestions or complaints

We value the feedback we receive from patients and families as an important aspect of how we can identify issues, resolve problems and improve the quality of the care Teesside Hospice provides. As part of our commitment to ensuring patients and families have a voice we ask all appropriate patients from the Inpatient Unit to complete a patient satisfaction questionnaire and we also send a survey to the family of patients who die in our care. A patient survey is also given to all Day Hospice and Lymphoedema Service patients and all clients who have accessed the Bereavement Counselling service.

The results of these surveys are collated and shared with trustees, staff, volunteers, patients and carers by a yearly report on the survey findings which can be accessed by clicking on the links below.  Posters displaying summaries of some of the reports can be seen at Teesside Hospice and all full reports can be given on request.

Although surveys are completed anonymously where concerns are raised and people identify themselves this is followed up on receipt of the completed questionnaire to resolve the issue and to learn from what has gone wrong.

[insert surveys here]

How to complain or comment about our services

Comments and feedback about your experience of our services help us to improve. We do this by listening to and learning from your comments and complaints. You can talk to any of our staff about your concern or question and they will try to resolve this for you there and then. If they are not able to do this, they may ask another member of the team to discuss your concern with you.

You can also write a letter or note and hand it to a member of staff or send it to the Chief Executive or Director of Patient Services at:

Teesside Hospice Care Foundation

1 Northgate Road

Linthorpe

Middlesbrough

Cleveland

TS5 5NW

Some people find it helpful to make a comment by using one of the ‘Suggestion Boxes’ found around the hospice. These are checked regularly and you don’t have to give your name.

Getting help to complain

Many people are not well enough to make a complaint, or may feel unsure of what to expect. You can get details of our Complaints Policy from the HR Office (01642 811067) on request. The main points are:

A senior manager will write to confirm that we have received your complaint

A manager will investigate and reply within 25 working days. If the answer is delayed, we will write to explain why and negotiate a new response date with you.

The senior management team reviews complaints. It will examine how we do things and, if we need to, make changes.

Please feel free to bring a friend or relative with you to talk about the complaint or ask them to help you write your letter.

Outside help to complain

You can get advice and help from:

The Patients Association

This is a national health care charity that highlights patients’ concerns and needs. It provides advice and news aimed at helping people to get the best out of their health care and tells you where you can get more information and advice.

Contact the Patients Association’s helpline on:

08456084455 or visit www.patients-association.org.uk

Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice provides free, confidential and independent advice from 3000 locations. Advice is available face-to-face and by phone. Some services offer home visits and some provide email advice. To find out more, visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk

Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission is the independent regulator of all health and adult social care services. Contact their national call centre or email to enquiries@cqc.org.uk if you would like to share experiences of NHS services that you, a family member or friend has received. They will not investigate individual complaints but are keen to receive information about individual’s experiences of care.

CQC National Customer Service Centre,

Citygate,

Gallowgate

Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 4PA Tel: 03000 616 161

Website: www.cqc.org.uk

Complaints about our response

We hope that our investigations will give you a full answer. If not, you have the following choices:

Write to the Chief Executive, at the address in this leaflet asking for your complaint to be reviewed again and detailing in your response what you are not satisfied with. The Chief Executive will assess the handling of the complaint and will write to you to explain any action that will be taken as a result.

If you still feel that your complaint has not been resolved the Chief Executive may arrange for a review of your complaint by a Trustee of Teesside Hospice. However, the Trustee will not undertake a re-investigation of the original complaint but will review the process and response.

If you are still dissatisfied, you can tell the Care Quality Commission about your experience – the contact details are included in this leaflet.