Who do I complain to?

Wherever possible, you should tell someone close to the cause of your complaint, for example, a doctor, nurse or receptionist. In many cases, it should be possible to sort out the problem straight away. This procedure is called local resolution. If you would prefer to talk to someone who is not involved in your care, you can telephone or write to the Complaints Officer. Whoever you ask to look into your complaint, they will do their best to sort out the problem as quickly as possible. Sometimes they need to involve other staff to establish what has happened and to decide what action to take. They will be careful to ensure that any information about you is kept confidential. You will ordinarily receive a written reply to any written complaint within four weeks. When there are good reasons why this cannot be achieved, you will be kept informed of progress.

What if I am not satisfied with the reply?

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive to your concerns, staff will try to resolve them with you. This may be through looking again at your complaint or arranging a meeting.

What if I am still not happy?

If you are still dissatisfied after the NHS complaints procedure has been exhausted, you can ask the Scottish Public Service Ombudsman to investigate your case. The Ombudsman is completely independent of both the NHS and Government. The Ombudsman is not obliged to investigate every complaint put to her, and generally she will not look into matters which have not first been through the NHS complaints procedure, or a case which is being dealt with by the courts. If you want advice on whether to ask her to investigate, you can write to or telephone her office:

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman

Freepost EH641

Edinburgh

EH3 0BR

Tel: 0800 377 7330

Text: 0790 049 4372

Fax: 0800 377 7331

email: ask@spso.org.uk

You can visit the Ombudsman's website using this link.