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Community and mental health services for Southampton, Portsmouth and parts of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

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You can contact a member of the Solent Patient Advice and Liaison (PALS) and Complaints Service who will be happy to assist and advise you regarding the NHS complaints process and provide you with information on how to get independent help from an Advocate if you would like help with making a complaint.

Of course, you do not have to make a formal complaint.

Should you prefer, your concerns can be handled informally by the PALS and Complaints Service. A member of the team will liaise with the relevant service on your behalf, and will arrange for a manager to contact you directly to discuss your concerns.

 

Anyone can complain about the treatment or care they have received from Solent NHS Trust. However; should you be making a complaint about someone else’s care, you will need to prove that you have their agreement to do so. We are unable to discuss a patient’s care without their permission.

You can either write to us with a signed statement confirming that they give permission for you to act on their behalf, or a member of the PALS and Complaints Service can send you a consent form which the patient can then sign and return to us.

Consent is not required if the issue is about:

  • your child’s care and they are under the age of 16
  • the care of an elderly relative who is unable to give their consent. You must however advise us of the nature of the disability which prevents them from giving their consent
  • a relative who has died, as long as you are a close relative and would have a clear interest in their care
  • If you have Power of Attorney (POA) or a legal document for a person which confirms you have explicit consent.

Things which cannot be managed through the complaints process include;

  • complaints about private medical or dental care
  • complaints which you are seeking legal action about
  • complaints about Data Protection or Freedom of Information requests
  • Staff members employed by the Trust who wish to make a complaint about another member of staff
  • Please give as much relevant information as possible, including your full name, date of birth, address and contact telephone number.
  • Aim to highlight your experience with Solent NHS Trust as soon as the issue has occurred / after the event as all complaints should be made within twelve months of the date of the incident.  

Each complaint will be carefully investigated by the Trust. Following receipt of your complaint, a Complaints Co-ordinator will contact you by either email correspondence, by letter format, or by telephone, to formally acknowledge receipt of your complaint. This will happen within three working days and you will be informed of our expected response timescale.

Your Complaints Co-ordinator will keep in touch with you to keep you up to date of our progress.

During our investigation, you may be contacted by the Investigating Officer, who may wish to speak to you about your complaint or offer you the opportunity to meet in person. You do not have to agree to this meeting, but sometimes it is the best way to resolve concerns quickly, and to your liking.

Following completion of our investigation, you will receive a written response from a member of our Executive Team. Our reply will advise you of the investigation undertaken, who investigated your complaint, and any learning or actions we are taking as a result of the feedback you have raised.

If you are not satisfied with our reply and have given us the opportunity to exhaust all investigation routes (which will involve meeting with the service directly) you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) who will consider reviewing your case.

If you have any questions about whether the Ombudsman may be able to help you the contact details are:

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP

Enquiries: 03450154033
Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

 

Getting in touch

There are a range of ways for you to get in touch with us. We are always keen to hear your thoughts, feedback, ideas, or concerns. To share your views and give feedback, you can contact us using one of the methods below;

Write to:

Solent PALS and Complaints Service
Solent NHS Trust
Trust Headquarters
Highpoint Venue
Bursledon Road
Southampton
Hampshire
SO19 8BR

Email: pals@solent.nhs.uk

Telephone: (Free phone) 0800 013 2319 - if you are unable to speak with a member of the team, please leave us a voicemail message and we will endeavour to call you back within two working days.

Opening hours:
Monday 9am-5pm
Tuesday 9am-5pm
Wednesday 9am-5pm
Thursday 9am-5pm
Friday 9am-5pm

 

Please remember when you need to talk to someone, or need urgent help;   

PALS & Complaints Feedback Form 

Please submit your feedback to us using our PALS & Complaints Feedback Form.

Please complete the feedback form providing as many details as possible about the about the episode of care and the clinicians involved.   

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

Please visit our services page for specific services and contact details. Alternatively, contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service by emailing or calling the number below. You can also give us feedback, make a complaint or share a compliment.

pals@solent.nhs.uk

0800 013 2319

*Lines are open Monday to Friday 10am – 4pm.

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act was passed on 30 November 2000. It gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities, with full access granted in January 2005.

The Act sets out exemptions to that right and places certain obligations on public authorities.

Email: InformationGovernanceTeam@solent.nhs.uk

Phone: 0300 123 3919

*Subject to any exemptions which apply, we are obliged to provide the information requested please note that requests for Personal Information is not covered under this Act and should be applied for through the Data Protection Act 1998.

Our administrative and managerial centre is based in Southampton.

While our services can be found around various NHS locations in Southampton and Portsmouth (and surrounding districts), our administrative and managerial centre is based in Southampton at:

Highpoint Venue
Bursledon Road
Southampton
SO19 8BR

If you require a printable version of how to find us including bus times, car access and bike info please download our leaflet. (Copyright of Highpoint Venue).

Central office phone: 0300 123 3390

*Lines open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

If you are a journalist with a media enquiry, please contact the Communications Team at:

communications@solent.nhs.uk

0300 123 4156 or 02381 031076

The Communications Office is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.