How does one go about writing a form letter of complaint to a hospital?

[sunburntats]

Ever done it?
Who do you address it to?
How do you know if they have got it and are actioning your complaints?
hm?

DOH! meant "FORMAL" letter of complaint!

ok, get name of the clinical services manager/director for the service you are referring to and Chief executive. send to them recorded. they should initiate the complaints procedure and respond to you in writing. google nhs trust for their names if unsure

be concise
assert it is a complaint
non emotive factual language,nothing too fancy
dates and details of your complaint
keep copies

some website help for you
www.pals.nhs.uk/cmsContentView.aspx?Itemid=944PALS PALS will assist you with a complaint too

Speak to the patient services department...as i did about my mothers care and get an official complaints form from them and write your complaint out on that.
Photocopy and send or deliver by hand to the patient services/liaison officer.

patient services are brilliant, we have used these before. good luck getting answers from the actual hospital though. they seem to be very good at passing the blame and answering around the questions you want answering

I made a formal complaint to a hospital about the care my elderly mother had whist she was on a geriatric ward,after breaking her hip. I was prepared to see heads roll,and see jobs lost believe me. i was so

Check out DoH guidance here or welsh guidance here.

Generally you should receive an acknowledgement of your complaint within a couple of days, then a letter offering some form of explanation, or outlining how the investigation is being handled within 20 days I think. (don't quote me on the 20 day thing, that might just be good practice rather than official guidance).

Most trusts have a complaints manager (most will have an actual team depending on their size) so if you're writing to the manager of the clinical service you're complaining about, copy the complaints manager in as well as the CEO if you want to make sure it's acknowlegded. - Complaints policies should be public documents, so you can get hold of your local one through your PALS, so that you know how they should be dealing with your complaint.

Thanks every one.
I wil pop into the PALS office on Monday and ask them.
Thanks for the good luck wishes, think i am going to need them allot