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Compliments, complaints and feedback

We trust you will have a good experience of health and care services in Surrey Heartlands. However, if you are not happy, let us know.

Compliments

We would love to hear from you if you have a compliment to share regarding the services that you have received.

However, if you are unhappy, please let us know.

Need help making a complaint?

If you live in Surrey and are unhappy with the NHS treatment you have received, the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service can provide free, confidential and independent support to help you to make a complaint about an NHS service. It is provided by Healthwatch Surrey in partnership with SILC (Surrey Independent Living Charity).

You can contact the team via:

You can also view a tips on making a complaint leaflet:

Tips on making a complaint to the NHS in England

Please be assured that your future care and treatment will not be affected because you have made your concerns known.

Who should I complain to?

There are many different organisations that together provide health and care services across Surrey Heartlands. They are best placed to investigate issues that relate directly to their services. Please visit their websites, detailed below, to find out more.

Complaints about GPs, dentists, pharmacists, and opticians

If you would like to raise a formal complaint regarding a GP Practice, Dentist, Pharmacist or Optician, you can contact the provider directly by writing to them via their postal address or asking to speak with their Manager via telephone. Each provider’s contact details can be found via their own websites.

If you do not feel comfortable discussing your concerns with the provider directly, you can contact our complaints team. We are responsible for investigating complaints regarding these services in Surrey Heartlands. You can contact us via:

  • Telephone: 0300 561 2500
  • SMS text: 07917 087 560
  • Email: syheartlandsicb.complaints@nhs.net 
  • Post:

    Complaints team
    NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB
    Block C, 1st Floor
    Dukes Court
    Woking
    Surrey
    GU21 5BH

Complaints about hospital care (acute trusts)

If your complaint relates to hospital care, you should contact the hospital Trust directly. All local hospitals have their complaints procedures and, in most cases, a Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).

They can help you with any queries you may have about your care and can also help with complaints relating to their services. 

Ashford & St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 

Epsom & St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (Frimley Park Hospital)

Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust

St George's University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust

Complaints about emergency ambulance services (999)

Contact South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (999 ambulance service) via:

Complaints about Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services

EMED Patient Care provides Non—Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS) to eligible patients in Surrey.

Contact their Patient Experience Team:

Complaints about mental health, learning disability and drug and alcohol services (all ages)

Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides most of these services in Surrey Heartlands. Instructions for making a complaint are detailed on the Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust website.

Surrey and Borders Patient Advice and Liaison Service

Complaints about adult community health services e.g. community nursing and therapy services

For patients registered with a GP in Guildford and Waverley, contact Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust

For patients registered with a GP in Runnymede, Spelthorne, West Elmbridge or Woking, contact CSH Surrey

For patients registered with a GP in East Elmbridge, Epsom & Ewell or Mole Valley contact Surrey Downs Health and Care

For patients registered with a GP in Reigate & Banstead and Tandridge, contact First Community Health and Care

Complaints about Continuing Healthcare in Surrey

The Continuing Healthcare (CHC) service is managed by NHS Surrey Heartlands. To make a complaint, contact the NHS Surrey Heartlands CHC team on:

If you wish to appeal the outcome of a CHC assessment, please contact the Appeals Team at syheartlandsicb.chcappeals@nhs.net.

Unsure who to make a complaint to?

If you are unsure what to do or wish to make a complaint to the ICB, don't hesitate to get in touch with us using the details below:

  • Email: syheartlandsicb.complaints@nhs.net
  • Telephone: 0300 561 2500
  • SMS: 07917 087 560
  • Post:

    NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB
    Block C, 1st Floor
    Dukes Court
    Woking
    Surrey
    GU21 5BH

Please refer to our Complaints Policy to understand how your complaint will be handled.

Complaints Policy (CORP05)

Please note that Heartlands Hospital is an entirely separate organisation to Surrey Heartlands. If you wish to raise a complaint about Heartlands Hospital, managed by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, please visit their webpage for contact details.

What is the time limit for making a complaint?

You should make a complaint within 12 months of the event(s) concerned or within 12 months of becoming aware that you have something to complain about.

NHS organisations have the discretion to waive this time limit if there are good reasons why you could not complain earlier.

What happens once you have complained?

We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days. We will advise on how your complaint is going to be investigated. We offer a telephone call to everyone who wishes to complain to ensure we fully understand the issues raised and your desired outcome.

We may need to share your details with an external organisation. We will always seek your consent to do this. However, if we have serious concerns about a person's welfare, we will apply our safeguarding policy and procedures, as detailed in our Complaints Policy.

If your complaint is investigated solely by an external organisation, they will be responsible for keeping in touch with you and providing you with a formal response.

However, if your complaint involves two or more organisations or just the ICB, we will keep in touch with you. We aim to respond to complaints within 25 working days; if there is a delay, we will let you know and explain why.

Please be assured that your future care and treatment will not be affected because you have made your concerns known to us.

What happens if I am unhappy with the outcome of my complaint?

In the first instance, please contact the complaints team who handled your initial complaints investigation to let them know that you are unhappy with the responses you have received. They may be able to re-open your complaint, or offer a local resolution meeting with the staff involved to resolve your concerns in a face-to-face format.

Once the stage of local resolution has come to an end, you have the right to refer your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). The PHSO make final decisions on complaints that have not been resolved by the NHS in England and they do so fairly, without taking sides. Their service is free.

You can contact the PHSO using the following methods:

Ombudsman website   Email

  • Telephone: 0345 015 4033
    • open 8:30am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday (charged at a local rate)
  • If you use British Sign Language, visit the Ombudsman website where you can access a sign video.
  • Post:

    PHSO
    Citygate
    Mosley Street
    Manchester
    M2 3HQ

How do I access a copy of your Complaints Annual Report?

To access a copy of our Complaints Annual Report, please contact our Complaints Team, who will be happy to provide this for you.

Contact Complaints Team