When something goes wrong it's tempting to make a complaint while everything is fresh in your mind. What's wrong with this you might ask? Well when something has just gone wrong your also likely to be angry or upset, you may well want the NHS service involved to know how you feel immediately, to put things right straight away. Whilst there certainly isn't anything wrong with this in principle making a complaint in haste might mean you rush over certain points that you later regret.
So before you start hammering out your email or putting your pen into overdrive take a deep breath and think about the following questions; -
1. Are you clear about what you want from your complaint, if it's damages for medical negligence then perhaps you should speak to a solicitor first. If you are clear then make sure you tell the NHS service involved what you want from the complaint, don't expect them to read minds or indeed go to that much effort to find out.
2. Would requesting the medical notes notes first help you make your complaint?
3. Would it be worth looking at the NICE guidelines, the NHS Constitution and / or the GMC Code of Practice? If you think they've done wrong then pointing out how you believe the individual or organisation you are complaining about broke the relevant guideline or best practice principle might well help your complaint.
4. Are you sure about all the times and dates that might be relevant to your complaint? Would it be worth just checking them first?
5. Do you have an idea about how to put what you are unhappy with into a easy to read, effectively made complaint?
If having thought about these questions you decide not to make the complaint straight away then it can be an idea to just scribble out any dates, names, incidents that might be relevant whilst they are fresh in your mind. Then after you've done your research, had a think about what you want from your complaint and how to put it in a letter you can come back to your notes and put it all together.
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