Can I Help You? Guidance for handling and learning from feedback, comments, concerns or complaints about NHS health care services.

This guidance is for the NHS and their health service providers to assist them in handling and responding to feedback, comments, concerns and complaints raised in relation to health care in accordance with the Patient Rights (Scotland)Act 2011.


Footnotes

1. Relevant NHS body/Relevant NHS bodies subsequently used throughout the guidance as collective reference to NHS Boards, Special Health Boards, and NHS National Services Scotland (also known as the Common Services Agency).

2. Primary Care Service providers include General Practitioners, General Dental Practitioners, Opticians, Community Pharmacists and Ophthalmic medical practitioners (all are included in references to health service providers throughout the guidance.)

3. Scottish Government. Better Health Better Care [online] 2007 [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/12/11103453/0

4. http://www.bettertogetherscotland.com

5. Scottish Government. Quality Strategy [online] 2010 [cited 2012 March} available from : http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/05/10102307/0

6. Craigforth. Making it Better [online] 2009 [cited 2012 March] available from; http://www.scottishhealthcouncil.org/publications/research_reports.aspx#Craigforth2009

7. Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2011/5/contents/enacted

8. UK Government. Equality Act 2010 [online] [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents

9. UK Government. Human Rights Act 1998 [online] [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/42/contents

10. European Court of Human Rights. European convention on Human Rights [online] 1950 [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.echr.coe.int/NR/rdonlyres/D5CC24A7-DC13-4318-B457-5C9014916D7A/0/ENG_CONV.pdf

11. The Patient Rights (Complaints Procedure and Consequential Provisions) (Scotland) Regulations 2012: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2012/36/pdfs/ssi_20120036_en.pdf

12. Scottish Government. Preventing and Dealing with Bullying and Harassment in NHSScotland Pin policy [online] 2011 [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/364460/0123832.pdf

13. Scottish Government. Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 [online] [cited March 2012] available from: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2010/8/contents

14. SPSO Statement of complaints handling principles [online] 2011 [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.valuingcomplaints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/statement.pdf

15. HRIS. Making a complaint about the NHS [online] 2011 [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.hris.org.uk/index.aspx?o=1025

16. Scottish Government. Its OK to ask [online] 2008 [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/03/13094805/0

17. SPSO. Model Complaints Handling Procedure [online] 2011 [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.valuingcomplaints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Guidance-on-a-Model-Complaints-Handling-Procedure.pdf

18. UK Government. Freedom of Information Act 2002 [online] [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/contents

19. http://www.scswis.com

20. http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org

21. http://www.dentalcomplaints.org.uk

22. Area Professional Committee means an area medical committee, area dental committee, area nursing and midwifery committee, area pharmaceutical committee or area optical committee all within the meaning of section 9 of the 1978 Act

23. http://www.knowledge.scot.nhs.uk/ncpas.aspx

24. SPSO. Our guidance on apology [online] 2011 [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.spso.org.uk/files/2011_March_SPSO%20Guidance%20on%20Apology.pdf

25. ISD. NHS complaints definition document [online] 2012 [cited march 2012] available from: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Quality-Improvement/NHS-Complaints-Statistics/Statistics/

26. Scottish Government. Records management NHS code of practice (Scotland) [online] 2012 [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/01/10143104/0

27. Scottish Government. Preventing and Dealing with bullying and harassment in NHS Scotland PIN policy [online] 2011 [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/364460/0123832.pdf

28. Year means a period of 12 months ending with 31 March

29. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2003/13/contents).

30. http://www.siaa.org.uk

31. UK Government. Data Protection Act 1998 [online] [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/29/contents

32. Scottish Government. NHSScotland Caldicott Guardians: Principles into Practice [online] 2011 [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/01/31115153/12

33. Scottish Government. The use of personal health information in NHSScotland to support patient care [online] 2003 [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/HDL2003_37.pdf

34. Information Commissioner's Office. Access to information in complaint files [online] 2011 [cited2012 March] available from http://www.ico.gov.uk/~/media/documents/library/Data_Protection/Practical_application/access_to_information_held_in_complaint_files.ashx

35. UK Government. Access to health records Act 1990 [online] [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/23/contents

36. HRIS. Confidentiality your rights [online] 2009 [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.hris.org.uk/patient-information/information-for-young-people/

37. Scottish Government. Adults with incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 [online] [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2000/4/contents

38. UK Government. Data Protection Act 1998 [online] [cited 2012 March] available from: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/29/contents

39. www.scottishhealthcouncil.org

Contact

Email: Joanna Swanson

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