We are committed to providing you the highest quality service by ensuring you are satisfied with your care, hospital environment, and our attitude towards you.
Whether you are a patient, visitor, relative, or carer, we welcome your comments and suggestions to improve our services.
Please be assured that making a complaint, or providing feedback, will not adversely affect your care or treatment, and no mention of it will be held within your clinical record.
Please note that our team cannot assist with issues relating to your GP, and these should be addressed with your GP practice.
Throughout our hospital you will find PALS leaflets that provide information on how to give us general feedback about your experience of the Trust, whether positive or negative.
How we can help
If you have a concern or question, please raise it with the ward or department at your earliest opportunity. This provide us the opportunity to promptly address any issues you have.
In the first instance, please ask to speak to a senior member of staff, such as the nurse in charge. If your concern is about medical treatment, please ask a nurse to arrange for you to speak to a doctor.
Concerns about appointments can be raised with the clinic or ward receptionist. If they cannot help, they will know who to refer you to.
If your issue is not resolved, then PALS will listen to your concerns and identify the best way to resolve these.
PALS will offer impartial advice and information and, if appropriate, advise you how to progress your complaint.
PALS is located on the ground floor of St Mary's Hospital.
Making a complaint
Ideally, raise your complaint within 6 months, but no more than a year after the event, or issue, occurred.
Please contact our service by emailing: iownt.
Alternatively, to make a complaint to our Chief Executive, please write to:
Penny Emerit, Chief Executive Officer
Isle of Wight NHS Trust
Newport, Isle of Wight
PO30 5TG
Within 3 working days of your complaint, you will receive an acknowledgement and may be invited to discuss your concerns, by telephone, with a member of our team.
Early resolution is encouraged, however, if a full investigation is needed then it may take longer, for example, if the issue raised is complex or we need to speak to several staff members. Please be assured, we will agree timescales and keep you informed of delays.
You may wish to contact an independent advocate such as South West Advocacy Network (SWAN) to assist you with making your complaint.
If your complaint includes other agencies, such as social services, or your GP, the complaint letter will be sent to them, with your consent.
If you are not satisfied with our response, we invite you to discuss the issues that remain. We will gladly re-investigate any outstanding issues and respond to you as soon as possible.
You will be offered a meeting to resolve your concerns. SWAN Advocacy can accompany you to this meeting.
If you are still dissatisfied you can refer your complaint online to the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), or at their address below:
Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
London
SW1P 4QP
Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
Telephone: 0345 015 4033
