By law a person who wants to make a complaint about an NHS provided service is entitled to have an advocate to assist them. Such assistance is free and available to everyone regardless of your income.
Since April 2013 Advocacy services have been commissioned on a Local level either by your County Council or City Council (depending on where you live).
Advocates can provide practical support and assistance in making a complaint. If you need help with such things as drafting a letter, need guidance on the complaints procedure, or want someone to attend a Local Resolution meeting then you may wish to contact your local Advocacy service. Please note however that Advocacy services do differ as what they will assist with.
Also it is worth remembering that Advocates do not offer medical or legal advice, this is not their role. Rather they are there to explore what options you might have with regard to your complaint and offer you practical assistance and support in making it.
If you do not know who your local advocacy service is then you might wish to contact your local Healthwatch or Hospital complaints department and they should be able to point you in the right direction.
No comments:
Post a Comment