Complaints, compliments and comments

Tell us what you thought about the care you received

Our Patient Experience Team listens and responds to feedback from patients, families and carers.

We work hard to make sure our patients are treated fairly and with respect, and we always welcome your thoughts on our service. 

Whether it’s to thank us following a positive experience, or you think there’s something we could have done better, your comments are all valuable to us and help us ensure we’re meeting the needs of patients.

Our ambulance crews, call operators and volunteers are always delighted to receive positive comments from patients and members of the public about the care they’ve provided. Hearing first-hand how their actions helped someone in an emergency situation is always extremely rewarding for them.

Please fill in the Compliments and Complaints form below to share your compliment with us.

When you make a complaint, our Patient Experience Team will listen carefully to make sure they fully understand the issue and what you would like to happen to put things right.

If appropriate, they will give a meaningful apology and do what they can to fix the situation themselves, or with the support of others. If they can’t help themselves, they will explain why and record any learnings to share with colleagues to improve our service for others.

Please fill in the Compliments and Complaints form below to make your complaint.

If you require support when making a complaint, details of our local Independent Advocacy Services can be found below the form.

Please note, calls with staff in our Patient Experience Team are recorded for the purpose of responding to complaints and to help protect employees from abusive or nuisance calls.

If your feedback is not a formal complaint, but you would like to raise a concern with someone who is not involved in your care, you can contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).

PALS will listen carefully to your concerns or suggestions and offer confidential advice and support. They are there to support patients, families and carers, and they will do what they can to resolve any problems on your behalf.

Click here for more information and contact details for PALs.

We will always do what we can to resolve any issues at a local level, but if you’re not satisfied with our response to your complaint, you have the right to contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. We will adhere to the principles of good administration set out by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

You may also wish to contact your local Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS). ICAS supports patients and their carers who wish to pursue a complaint about any NHS treatment or care. Information about how to contact your local ICAS can be found below.

If you have concerns regarding any of the services provided by the Trust you can contact the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on telephone number 03000 616161 or email enquiries@cqc.org.uk. Further information about the Care Quality Commission is available at www.cqc.org.uk.

Any contact with the Patient Experience Team will not adversely affect the service provided by the Trust and any person raising a concern will not be treated differently.

North East Ambulance Service HQ

Bernicia House
Newburn Riverside
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE15 8NY

Tel: 0191 430 2000

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

Letters to Freepost PALS

Tel: 0800 032 0202
Email: NorthofTynePALS@northumbria-healthcare.nhs.uk

Independent Complaints Advocacy (ICA)

Supporting individuals complaining about the NHS in Darlington, Durham, Newcastle, North Tyneside, and South Tyneside area:

Unit 312
Aidan House
Sunderland Road
Gateshead
NE8 3HU

Tel: 0808 802 3000
Website:  https://www.carersfederation.co.uk/services/independent-complaints-advocacy/locations/north-east-ica/ 

Supporting individuals complaining about the NHS in Gateshead:

Your Voice Counts,
Unit 12 Interchange Centre,
West Street,
Gateshead
NE8 1BH

Freephone: 0800 048 7856
Email: nhsadvocacy@yvc.org.uk
Website: https://www.yvc.org.uk/general-5

Supporting individuals complaining about the NHS in Northumberland:

VoiceAbility 

Tel: 0300 3031660 
Website VoiceAbility | Northumberland

Supporting individuals complaining about the NHS in Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Hartlepool:

People First

Website: https://wearepeoplefirst.co.uk
Tel: 03003 038037

Supporting individuals complaining about the NHS in Sunderland:

Voiceability

Website: https://www.voiceability.org/about-advocacy/types-of-advocacy/nhs-complaints-advocacy
Tel: 0300 303 1660

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP

Tel: 0845 015 4033
Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk   

1.  Can someone else make a complaint on my behalf?

Yes, however to protect your confidentiality we will need to ask you for your consent. We need this before we can access your records to investigate the complaint.

2.  Can I get support with writing my complaint?

Yes, you can get support from the Independent Complaints Advocacy (ICA) or Healthwatch in Northumberland.

3.  What will you do with my information?

We treat this information in the strictest confidence and process it in line with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

4.  How long do I have to make a complaint?

Within 12 months of the incident happening or once you become aware of the matter being complained about.  If there is good reason for the complaint not being raised earlier and it may still be possible to investigate.

5.  What if I am a child and I wish to make a complaint?

You have the right to make a complaint. For example, complaints must be kept confidential except in very exceptional cases if you are at risk of harm. You don’t have to put your complaint in writing, and you can talk it through with someone or get help to make a complaint if you prefer.

6.  What if my complaint involves more than one organisation?

When this happens, the main organisation involved in your care will usually take the lead in investigating the complaint and responding. They will ask other organisations involved to look into the issues relating to their organisation and provide a response.

7.  Who will investigate my complaint?

An Investigating Officer will be appointed to investigate your complaint.  Where appropriate, this person will keep you updated about the investigation progress and request any further information that may be required. 

8.  What if I am not satisfied with the response to my complaint?

If you still feel that your concerns have not been fully addressed, you can seek a review by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman who can carry out free, independent investigations into complaints about NHS services in England.

9.  How long will it take for someone to respond to my complaint?

Complaints are acknowledged, either verbally or in writing, within three working days. We will discuss the handling of your complaint with you, how and when it is responded to and what you would ideally like to see happen.

10. How can I be sure you have understood all my concerns?

When we write to you with the timeframe and method of response we have agreed with you, we will summarise the issues for investigation. If we have not been able to speak to you about your complaint, we will summarise the issues we have identified from your correspondence.

11. What if I have concerns about a registered healthcare professional’s fitness to practice?

If you believe that your complaint is about a health practitioner’s fitness to practice or poses a serious potential risk to patient safety, then you have the right to take your complaint to the relevant professional regulator:

Complaints and compliments form

If you’re a healthcare professional (HCP) and the complaint is not being made on behalf of the patient or their family, or you are reporting an incident, you will need to log this via your incident reporting system. 

For any assistance relating to HCP incident reporting, please contact the Patient Safety Team via email Patient.Safety.Team@neas.nhs.uk.

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Demographics

We want to understand how different communities and patients experience our services. It helps us improve when we know if we are offering the same quality of service to different people.

The following is section is voluntary to complete, but we would appreciate it if you could complete the below questions.

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