Complaints

There are two ways you can make a complaint about an NHS service:

You can complain direct to the healthcare provider. This is the organisation where you received the NHS service (for example a hospital, GP surgery or dental surgery) and is usually the quickest way of resolving your complaint
You can complain to the commissioner of the service. This is the organisation that paid for the service or care you received. For Herefordshire and Worcestershire, the ICB is the commissioner of NHS services and we will contact the service to help resolve your complaint.

Please click on the boxes below to find out more.

Acute hospital services

If your complaint relates to an acute hospital please contact:

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (which runs the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, Kidderminster Hospital and Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester) at wah-tr.Complaints@nhs.net or on 0300 1231732
Wye Valley NHS Trust (which runs Hereford Hospital) at complaints@wvt.nhs.uk or on 01432 364191

NHS community services

If your complaint relates to a community service or a community hospital please contact:

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust (which is responsible for community services across Worcestershire) at WHCNHS.PALS@nhs.net
Wye Valley NHS Trust (which is responsible for community services across Herefordshire) at complaints@wvt.nhs.uk or on 01432 364191

Mental health services

If your complaint relates to a mental health service please contact:

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust (which is responsible for mental health services across Herefordshire and Worcestershire) at WHCNHS.PALS@nhs.net

Dental, GP, pharmacy and optician services (primary care services)

If your complaint relates to dental, GP, pharmacy or optician services please contact the provider directly. The contact details will be available via the NHS service finder.

If you have a complaint relating to an NHS service and you wish to complain to NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB (the commissioner of the service) you can contact us in the following ways:

By post

Write to: Patient and Stakeholder Liaison Team, NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire, Kirkham House, John Comyn Drive, Perdiswell, Worcester, WR3 7NS

By email:

Complaints about dental services: hwicb.complaints-dental@nhs.net
Complaints about opticians services: hwicb.complaints-ophthalmology@nhs.net
Complaints about pharmacy services: hwicb.complaints-pharmacy@nhs.net
Complaints about GP services: hwicb.complaints-GP@nhs.net
Complaints about all other NHS services: hw.complaints@nhs.net

By phone

Telephone 0330 053 4356 (ask to speak to the Complaints Team)

Please refer to the ICB's Complaints Handling Policy for further information regarding the complaints process.

Please note - for your concerns to be addressed, the ICB will require written consent from the person who the complaint relates to, or from a legal guardian. The reason for this request is to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 and patient confidentiality guidelines. The main purpose of the Act is to respect and protect the individual’s rights, ensuring that any information about the person concerned is not disclosed without their knowledge and written consent.

Need advice and support?

For independent advice and support, advocacy services are provided via Onside Advocacy. You can contact them as follows:

By post

Write to: Onside Independent Advocacy, Williamson House, 14 Charles Street, Worcester, WR1 2AQ

By email

Email: info@onside-advocacy.org.uk

By telephone

Telephone: 01905 27525 or 01905 28554

Not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint?

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint (whether it has been made to the provider or the commissioner), the next step in the process is to contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman which makes final decisions on complaints that have not been resolved by the NHS in England. You can contact them as follows:

By post