Complaints, Compliments and Comments If you would like to submit a compliment or other comment that is not a complaint, you can use, more or less, the same process as is outlined below. In other words, you can tell someone, asking them to pass it on, or you can write or eMail using the details given below. You can also use our Contact Page at Contact Us Help us get it right St Raphael's Hospice aims to provide excellent specialist palliative care to its patients and excellent support to their family and other service users. We also want to provide the best possible service However sometimes things do go wrong. You may want to complain or tell us about your concerns or suggest improvements. This page tells you what to do if you have a complaint. You can download a copy of this by clicking here. Who can complain? Anyone can make a complaint. However, if you are not the patient then their written consent or proof that you are their next of kin, or have Lasting Power of Attorney for their health and welfare, will be required for us to provide specific details of care. Complaints can be made about care given to a patient who has died but for us to provide specific details of care you must be their next of kin. Can I make a complaint at any time? It is important that you make your complaint as soon as possible after the problem arises. Usually we will only investigate complaints that are made within either: 12 months of the event or 12 months of the matter coming to the notice of the complainant. If there is a good reason for a complaint not being received within 12 months, we will use our discretion about whether to investigate but this may not always be possible. The sooner you mention what is troubling you, the better the chance of getting something done for you or your family. How do I complain? You can complain verbally or in writing. Verbal Complaints We aim to resolve matters as quickly as possible so, you should complain at the time of the incident to the senior person on duty in the department concerned. Often they will be able to deal with the problem straight away as it may be due to a misunderstanding. If you do not want to do this, or it is not possible or appropriate, you can raise a written complaint. How do I write a complaint? A written complaint can be made by letter or by email. In the first instance all written complaints of a clinical or organisational nature should be directed to the Clinical Director and all complaints about fundraising or our shops should be directed to the Director of Communications and Fundraising. The postal and email addresses are: St. Raphael's Hospice London Road Cheam SUTTON SM3 9DX Telephone: 020 8099 7777 Email: [email protected] A written complaint does not need to be long or detailed, but it should include: who or what you are complaining about, including the names of staff if you know them; where and when the events of the complaint happened. If you are complaining about several matters, make it clear which are the most important ones; what, if anything, you have already done about the issues; what you would like the result of your complaint to be, (for example, an apology or an explanation, or changes to services). How long does it take you to respond? This depends on the problem. Many complaints can be resolved at the time they are made, whilst others may take a matter of days or even longer. If you complain verbally and your complaint cannot be completely resolved immediately, the details of your complaint will be recorded and it will be treated in the same way as a written complaint. Our initial response to you will be a letter of acknowledgement within 2 working days. We will then aim to respond fully within 15 days of receiving your complaint. If more time is required, we will always inform you and, if we anticipate our response to take longer than 25 working days and the reasons for this. What happens when I make a complaint? When you make a written complaint, you should receive a letter acknowledging your complaint within two working days. The person dealing with your complaint will then investigate it on your behalf to find out what happened. This may mean talking to staff who have been involved, and reviewing assessments and parts of your health records. If you do not want staff to look at these records, make sure the people dealing with your complaint know this. If you would like to talk through your complaint with those concerned, ask for a meeting. Your complaint will be dealt with in confidence and will only be discussed with those who need to know. You or your family will not be penalised and your relationship with the Hospice and the care being provided will not be adversely affected by making a complaint. What if I am dissatisfied? If you are dissatisfied with our initial response to you, please let us know so we can have an opportunity to address the areas/points with which you are still unhappy. We will escalate your complaint to the relevant member of the Executive Team and the Chief Executive will be involved. The Senior Manager will investigate your complaint further and may decide to contact you by telephone or to invite you to come in and have a discussion about the complaint face to face. In either event, we will send you a follow-up letter detailing the outcome of any discussion. If you are still dissatisfied, let us know and we will refer the matter to the Trustees of the Hospice. They will investigate the matter again on your behalf and will contact you to seek a resolution. This is the end of the Hospice's internal processes. Should you still not be satisfied and wish to take your complaint further, depending on the nature of your complaint, there are external bodies you can contact. Their details are shown overleaf under "How do I take matters further?". How do I take matters further? Clinical Complaints If the internal process has been completed and your complaint about the care or clinical services provided by the Hospice still has not have been resolved to your satisfaction, you can contact the Care Quality Commission, which is the Hospice’s regulator. CQC London Citygate Gallowgate Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4PA Tel: 03000 616161 Fax: 03000 616171 https://www.cqc.org.uk/ Fundraising Complaints If the internal process has been completed and your complaint about fundraising undertaken by the Hospice still has not have been resolved to your satisfaction, you can contact the Fundraising Regulator or, if your complaint is related to our lottery, the Gambling Commission. The Fundraising Regulator Tel: 0300 999 3407 https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/complaints The Gambling Commission Tel: 0121 230 6666 Email - https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/for-the-public/Your-rights/Complaints.aspx Manage Cookie Preferences