This depends on what has made you want to complain. In Gloucestershire, we have 3 PCTs and 3 NHS Trusts. Each is responsible for investigating complaints about their own services or staff. You can decide who to complain to, based on what you want to complain about, or where you live.

Some guidance is provided below to suggest who you should complain to, but don't worry, if you complain to the wrong place, someone will contact you and with your permission, forward your letter to the right person.

The Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Primary Care Trust covers Cheltenham, Tewkesbury town, Prestbury, Winchcombe and Bishops Cleeve.

For comments and complaints about these services write to:

The West Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust
covers Gloucester and the Forest of Dean, together with the southern area of the borough of Tewkesbury.

For comments or complaints in this area write to:

The Cotswold and Vale Primary Care Trust
covers 627 square miles, stretching east to west from Lechlade and Frampton on Severn and north to south from Chipping Campden to Wotton-under-Edge.

For comments or complaints in this area write to:

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
comprises Gloucestershire Royal, Cheltenham General and Delancey Hospitals.

For comments or complaints about these services, write to:

The Gloucestershire Partnership NHS Trust
provides care to people with mental health problems, learning disabilities and problems with substance misuse.

For comments or complaints about these services write to:

The Gloucestershire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

The Primary Care Trust will deal with your complaint according to the NHS National Complaints Procedure. The first stage of this procedure is called local resolution and has 2 elements:

Local resolution

The Primary Care Trust will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 2 working days. A full investigation will then take place and you will receive an explanation and if appropriate, an apology within 20 working days.

If you are unhappy with this response, you can request conciliation, which is a chance to meet and discuss the compliant face-to-face with an independent conciliator present. They will try to help both parties understand the other's point of view.

Local resolution can give you an EAR!

• Explanation
• Apology
• Reaction or response

If you are still unhappy, you must notify the Primary Care Trust in writing and within 28 days of completion of the local resolution process, that you wish to proceed to the 2nd stage of the complaints procedure.

Independent Review

The second stage of the NHS complaints procedure is called independent review. Your request for an independent review will be considered by a convenor. The convenor will be a non-executive director of the Primary Care Trust. They will consider everything that has already been done and decide how the complaint might be moved forward. They will not undertake any further investigations themselves.

The convenor has 3 choices:

• refer the matter back for more local resolution
• close the case because all practical steps have been taken and nothing further can be achieved
• establish a panel to hear your complaint

If a panel is established, you will be invited to attend a hearing when the panel will ask you questions and explain your complaints. The panel can then make recommendations to the Primary Care Trust.



The NHS complaints procedure does not deal with legal action or requests for compensation. If you wish to take legal action whilst you are pursuing a complaint, you must notify the Complaints Manager at once.

If you would like some support or assistance in making your complaint you can contact:

If you are unhappy with the way in which your complaint has been handled, you can write to the Ombudsman who will let you know if the complaint can be further investigated.

The PCT attempts to learn from the complaints and comments it receives and will review the outcomes of each complaint or comment to look at areas which may require review and improvement or how the findings can be applied in other related services. Where the complaint relates to a clinical issue, the PCT will consult with clinicians or the appropriate advisor to consider what immediate action is required.