How to make a complaint

You can ask staff for a leaflet explaining the complaints procedure. Or you could go to your local Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) for information. Either staff or PALS or the Rethink National Advice Service will give you advice on whom you should address your complaint to.

Making a complaint can be a long procedure and you may want help and support along the way. The Rethink National Advice Service can help you with your complaint and/or put you in touch with an advocate to help you. Advocates work with their clients to ensure that their client’s voice is heard. Acting at their client’s instruction, they can either speak on a client’s behalf or support the client whilst they speak for themselves. To find an advocate, contact the Advice Service by ‘phoning 020 8974 6814 (open Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm), writing to Rethink Advice, 28 Castle Street, Kingston upon Thames, SURREY KT1 1SS or emailing advice@rethink.org. Or ask your local community mental health team.

One tip is to keep good records during the complaint – if you receive or make phone calls regarding the complaint, note down the time and date, whom you spoke to and what you agreed. Without these detailed records, it can be difficult to remember what has happened when. You never know when you might need this information at your fingertips.

It helps in this situation to know the details of the guidelines from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. The guidelines on schizophrenia, which were published in 2002, say that professionals should work in partnership with service users and carers and that they should provide you with good quality information about your treatment. Although these are only guidelines and are not legally enforceable, doctors are expected to take this guidance into account when prescribing you drugs.

If you don’t get a good response locally to your complaint, you may need to send it on to the Healthcare Commission, which deals with complaints at a national level. You can contact them for advice on making a complaint about healthcare services, by ‘phoning the Complaints Helpline on 0845 601 3012, emailing: complaints@healthcarecommission.org.uk or writing to: Healthcare Commission, FREEPOST NAT 18958, Manchester M1 9XZ

Again, Rethink National Advice Service can help you with this process. Phone them on 020 8974 6814 (open Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm), write to Rethink Advice, 28 Castle Street, Kingston upon Thames, SURREY KT1 1SS or email advice@rethink.org

For more detailed information about medicines, look at Rethink’s updated ‘Only the Best’ guide, available free from The Mental Health Shop on 0845 456 0455 or by visiting their website at www.mentalhealthshop.org

 

See the diagram on page 44 in Make a fresh start (237 kb)  of the Only the Best: 6 Steps.