Whether it’s a complaint, concern or compliment, it helps us to know what we are doing well, learn lessons from where things have not gone so well, and prevent them from happening to anyone else.
NHS North West London (NHS NW London), the local integrated care board (ICB) is the commissioner of NHS services in Brent, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Hammersmith & Fulham, Ealing, Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea. As a commissioner of services, we:
- Assess the health and care needs of our population in North West London
- Plan the services that are required to meet the health needs of people in North West London
- Commission these services from a range of providers, such as NHS Trusts (who provide hospital, mental health and community health services), GP practices, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists, independent providers and third sector organisations
Usually, complaints about the care you have received are best handled by the provider of that care. Complaints are usually resolved faster directly with the provider as they have direct access to your medical information.
However, you are also entitled to complain NHS NW London as the commissioner of these services if you prefer. NHS NW London will still need to engage with commissioned providers to investigate your complaint, as the ICB do not have access to your medical and clinical information.
Complaining to the commissioner may mean we have to obtain your written consent in order to access your medical information and as part of our processes the healthcare provider will be given the opportunity to investigate and respond to your complaint.
Please note, if you have already complained to your healthcare provider, the commissioner will not be able to re-investigate the same concerns.
If you remain unhappy following a response to your complaint, or if you contacted the provider directly and did not receive a response within six months, you should contact either your healthcare provider or the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman (PHSO), see below for more information about the PHSO.
Anyone can raise concerns or make a complaint. You can complain about NHS services or treatment you receive or you can complain on behalf of another person.
If you make a complaint on behalf of someone else, please ask their permission before you contact us. We need to safeguard patient confidentiality and the patient’s written consent will be sought before we respond to the issues you have raised on their behalf.
Although we always try to commission responsibly so that you are provided with the best possible care, we know that sometimes things can go wrong. We try to sort out most problems easily and quickly. In the first instance you should speak to the person concerned when the problem arises. They should try to resolve your concerns for you.
If you have raised the concerns informally with the provider and your concerns have not been resolved, you may wish to make a formal complaint either to the service or to NHS NW London. If you chose to make the formal complaint to NHS NW London you can contact our complaints manager.
In the first instance we would suggest contacting the practice directly and arranging to meeting with the practice manager. This is usually the quickest way to resolve concerns.
It might be helpful for you to know that complaints about reception staff are best managed by the practice as they are the employers of the reception staff. Our advice would be to speak with or write to the practice manager as they are responsible for the day to day running of their service.
For help finding your nearest GP, dentist, pharmacist or optician, you can use the online search on the NHS UK website or call 0300 311 22 33.
The GP surgery would be the registered data controller of their patient medical records. NHS England is the registered data controller only for medical records in the instance that a patient is either deceased or not currently registered with a GP Practice.
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), complaints or concerns regarding data governance issues must be raised with the relevant data controller. GP practices are independent businesses under contract with NHS North West London to provide primary care services. A GP practice’s data governance is regulated by the Data Protection Act, as opposed to an ICB policy; therefore, NHS NW London is not responsible for data governance issues concerning individual GP practices.
Patients who have a comment or complaint about a GP, dentist, pharmacy or optician, which cannot be resolved locally with the practice manager, can contact NHS North West London using the details below:
To contact the complaints team:
E-mail: nhsnwl.complaints@nhs.net
In writing: Senior Complaints Manager, NHS North West London, 15 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JD
Telephone: 020 3350 4567 (This is an automated service. Please leave a message requesting a call back).
If you would like to raise a concern, make a complaint, or share a compliment about a hospital, mental health service, or community service, please contact the provider directly in the first instance.
Central London Community Healthcare
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (various services)
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (including Charing Cross Hospital, Hammersmith Hospital, Western Eye Hospital and St Mary's Hospital)
West London NHS Trust (various sites, some within hospitals).
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (including Central Middlesex Hospital, Ealing Hospital, Northwich Park and St Mark's Hospital)
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (including West Middlesex University Hospital)
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Hillingdon Hospital and Mount Vernon Hospital)
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is England's independent health and adult social care regulator.
You can give feedback on your experiences of care. This includes treatment by a GP, hospital or dentist. Share your feedback here.