Complaints Process

Your Feedback is Important to Us

Please Talk to Us

At One Ashford Hospital we are aware that you may feel anxious about coming into hospital, so we aim to do everything we can to make you feel as relaxed and confident as possible.  We are committed to delivering the highest possible standards in healthcare so when we do receive feedback from our patients, whether it be praise or criticism we listen carefully, review our processes and learn from your comments for the  future.

Complimenting your Care

If you have been delighted with your care, please let us know.  We will pass on your praise to individual staff members or teams.  It is always good to hear when things go particularly well for our patients so that we know when we are getting things right.  If, however you have a suggestion for how we could improve we would be delighted to hear your ideas.  This way we can continuously improve and ensure exceptional care for all patients in the future.  Raising a concern if you should have any concerns about your care, the facilities or the service that you have received please raise this with us at the earliest opportunity.  Where possible we aim to resolve any concerns at the time without delay.  The person in charge of your daily care should be able to help you in the first instance with any concerns or please ask to speak to a member of our Management team, all of whom will be happy to assist you.

If you Have a Complaint

Should you feel that you wish to make a complaint please make us aware as soon as possible. Please be assured that we will:

 

  • Take all complaints seriously
  • Handle all complaints confidentially
  • Investigate impartially
  • Give a complete and transparent response

 

We endeavour to resolve any issues or complaints directly with the complainant at the time in person, however if you should wish to put your comments in writing please include the following information where possible:

 

  • Where your treatment took place
  • The date on which you had reason to complain
  • Any names of consultants or staff involved with your care, if you know them
  • The treatment that you received
  • A clear description of your complaint
  • Details of what you would like us to do to put things right
  • Any further comments that you feel may be relevant

 

Please address any correspondence to:

The Hospital Director
One Ashford Hospital

Kennington Road
Ashford
TN24 0YS

ashford.info@onehealthcare.co.uk

 


Our Commitment to You

First Stage – Local Resolution

We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint, in writing, within 2 working days.  This letter will confirm our understanding of your complaint and will include an invitation to a face to face meeting to try to resolve matters quickly.  An investigation will be undertaken and you will receive a reply outlining our findings within 20 working days.  If for any reason the investigation takes longer than 20 working days we will write to you again to keep you updated on the status of our investigation. Some complex cases may take a longer time to investigate, should this be the case we will keep in regular contact with you and provide you with progress reports about your complaint.

Second Stage – Internal Review

If you are not satisfied with how your complaint has been managed by the Hospital Director at a local level, you can refer it to the Group Clinical Director of One Healthcare Ltd for review.  They can be contacted in writing to One Ashford Hospital, Kennington Road, Ashford, Kent TN24 0YS.

An acknowledgement will be sent within 2 days of receipt of the request for the complaint to be reviewed.  A full response describing the review and its outcome will be shared with you in writing within 20 days.  As part of the review the investigating officer may need to speak with you further to understand where your dissatisfaction lays.

Third Stage – Referral to ISCAS

Lastly, if you remain dissatisfied following the Group Clinical Director’s review, you can take your complaint to the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Services (ISCAS).  You will need to do this within six months of receiving the final response at Stage 2 and ISCAS aims to complete it’s adjudication within 3-6 months.

They will only become involved if the complaint has already been through the One Healthcare complaints process. 

Further information can be found on the ISCAS website, www.iscas.org.uk

ISCAS   The IEA can be contacted at:

Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service
70 Fleet Street
London

EC4Y 1EU

www.iscas.org.uk