Trust Board papers November 2012 - Barking Havering and ...

1. Introduction
Under the Local Authority Social Services and NHS Complaints (England) Regulations
2009, all NHS bodies are required to prepare an annual report on complaints received. The
report should include the number and subject matter of all complaints received during the
year, the number upheld, the number known to have been referred to the Parliamentary
and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) and any actions taken to improve services as a
result of complaints.
This report provides a summary of complaints received by Barking, Havering & Redbridge
University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) in relation to its own services during the period 1 st
April 2011 - 31 st March 2012.
2. Overview of the Complaints Service
2.1 Barking Havering & Redbridge University Hospital NHS Trust (BHRUT) complaints service
is accessible to all patients who have used the services provided by the Trust.
Specifically these services are delivered on the two main hospital sites - King George
Hospital (KGH) and Queen’s Hospital, but also include any outreach services provided.
Every effort is made to ensure that complainants are able to access the service in a way
which meets their needs. The service operates Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm.
The Complaints Team can be contacted in the following ways:
Telephone - there is a dedicated complaints telephone number which is supported by
an answer phone facility at busy times and outside of core working hours.
Email - there is one dedicated complaints email address where enquirers can send
their complaint.
Letter - enquirers can write to the Complaints Team at either of the two main hospital
sites.
The complaints process in the Trust is for all formal complaints to be received, logged and
acknowledged by the core Complaints Team. They are then sent to the Directorates who
are responsible for liaising with the complainant, agreeing the complaint plan, agreeing
appropriate response times, undertaking a full investigation and providing a draft response.
The core Complaints Team then resume responsibility for the complaint, checking the
investigation and response before it is reviewed and signed by the Accountable Officer.
During 2011 - 2012, the core Complaints Team was resourced by:
1 WTE Band 7 Complaint Manager
1 WTE Band 6 Complaint Manager
2.92 WTE Band 4 Complaints Administrators
The service is also supported by four Band 3 Directorate Complaint Co-ordinators and adhoc
Directorate administrative support as needed.
During 2011 - 2012, the budget for complaints was £305,131.
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