Procedure for raising Concerns, making Complaints or offering Suggestions and Feedback about the work of NHS QIS and the Scottish Health Council (SHC)
Background
Both NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHSQIS) and the Scottish Health Council (which is formally constituted as a Sub-Committee of the NHS QIS Board, but with its own identity) aim to be open and transparent in all their business activities and to deal with matters fairly and in line with the Board s policies and procedures. However it is recognised that no organisation can achieve perfection and there may be occasions when the organisation, its Board/Council members, staff, reviewers or advisers fail to meet the legitimate expectations of those with whom they interact as part of their ongoing work. This document outlines the procedure for resolving complaints made by individuals or organisations who are dissatisfied by some aspect of their involvement with NHSQIS/SHC.
The Complaints Procedure does not cover:
- Disagreements with NHSQIS standards, peer reviews or advice on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of health technologies which should be raised during the consultation process. However, concerns or complaints about the way in which the standards/advice have been developed (the processes) may be raised using this procedure.
- Matters raised by or relating to NHS QIS staff which are properly dealt with via established grievance, disciplinary or whistleblowing procedures.
- Matters relating to the care and treatment of individual patients by the NHS in Scotland. These matters should be taken up in the first instance with the NHS body concerned and if dissatisfaction remains with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. Where NHS QIS is contacted about these matters, advice relating to appropriate contacts will be offered and the details will be recorded as part of the Report, Evaluate, Act and Learn (REAL) system which is currently being developed within NHS QIS. The purpose of REAL is to enable the Board of NHS QIS to receive information about areas which are causing concern to the public and those working within the NHS in Scotland to assist the Board in fufilling their role in ensuring the safety of all those who use the NHS in Scotland and to inform the future work plans of NHS QIS. REAL will also foster a safe culture which will allow NHS Scotland staff to raise concerns in a no blame climate.
- Requests for information made under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 which are covered by a separate review procedure.
Concerns, Suggestions and Feedback
Concerns about the work of NHS QIS and SHC or suggestions for improvement, which the person raising them does not wish to make the subject of a formal complaint, may be raised at anytime in writing, by telephone or by e-mail to the appropriate address below. All concerns received will be acknowledged, noted and the person raising the concern will, if they wish, be advised of the outcome. It is recognised that failure to act on a concern raised may give rise to a formal complaint.
The staff of NHSQIS and SHC, in common with all NHS staff, welcome positive feedback when their work contributes to improving the quality of NHS services. All feedback received will be passed to the member of staff concerned and acknowledged.
Complaints NHS QIS
Anyone wishing to make a formal complaint about the way in which NHS QIS has conducted its business with them may do so by contacting the nominated complaints officer:
Adrian Masson
Head of Corporate Secretariat
NHS Quality Improvement Scotland
Elliott House
8 10 Hillside Crescent
Edinburgh
EH7 5EA
Telephone 0131 623 4300
Textphone 0131 623 4383
e-mail adrian.masson@nhs.net
Head of Corporate Secretariat
NHS Quality Improvement Scotland
Elliott House
8 10 Hillside Crescent
Edinburgh
EH7 5EA
Telephone 0131 623 4300
Textphone 0131 623 4383
e-mail adrian.masson@nhs.net
Complaints - SHC
Anyone wishing to make a formal complaint about the way in which the Scottish Health Council has conducted its business with them may do so by contacting the nominated complaints officer:
Rosemary Hill
Development Manager
Scottish Health Council
National Office
Delta House
50 West Nile Street
Glasgow
G1 2NP
Telephone 0141 225 6876
Textphone 0141 225 6316
e-mail Rosemary.Hill@scottishhealthcouncil.org
Development Manager
Scottish Health Council
National Office
Delta House
50 West Nile Street
Glasgow
G1 2NP
Telephone 0141 225 6876
Textphone 0141 225 6316
e-mail Rosemary.Hill@scottishhealthcouncil.org
Where a formal complaint covered by this procedure is received by telephone, it will be recorded in writing and sent to the complainer in order that they can confirm that NHS QIS/SHC are aware of all aspects of their complaint.
NHS QIS/SHC will make arrangements for anyone who requires impartial advice to make a complaint under this procedure to receive it from a local, Independent Advice and Support Service operated by Citizen s Advice Scotland. Contact details of these services are available from local Citizens Advice Bureaux or from Adrian Masson or Rosemary Hill.
All complaints received will be acknowledged in writing or by e-mail within three working days. Following acknowledgment, each complaint will be thoroughly investigated and a report on the complaint and the results of the investigation will be prepared for the Chief Executive of NHS QIS or Director of SHC as appropriate who will consider the report and respond to the complainer. The aim is to provide a full response to all complaints within 20 working days of receipt. Where this is not possible the complainer will be advised as soon as it becomes clear that this timescale cannot be met. An update will be sent to the complainer on the 20th day and at 20 day intervals thereafter.
Following the investigation and response from the Chief Executive of NHS QIS or Director of SHC, if the complainer remains dissatisfied, they may ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman to consider the complaint further.
The ombudsman may be contacted at:
Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
4 Melville Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7NS
Tel 0870 011 5378
e-mail enquiries@scottishombudsman.org.uk
4 Melville Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7NS
Tel 0870 011 5378
e-mail enquiries@scottishombudsman.org.uk
Monitoring of complaints
NHSQIS and SHC recognise that complaints can provide useful pointers for improvement in the conduct of their business. The organisations will therefore monitor the nature of all complaints received and the outcome, this will help to ensure that appropriate lessons are learned and where possible mistakes are not repeated. The total number of complaints received, the number of complaints upheld or upheld in part and the action taken will be recorded and made available to the NHSQIS Board and to the Scottish Executive Health Department on a quarterly basis.
Details of all concerns, complaints, suggestions and commendations will be published in the Annual Report of NHS QIS
Staff Training
All staff dealing with concerns, complaints, suggestions and commendations within NHSQIS and SHC will be provided with appropriate training which will form part of induction and continuing education.