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
Willesborough
Ashford 
Kent

TN24 9DA

[email protected]

Our Commitment to You

First Stage – Local Resolution

All complaints must be submitted in writing within six months of the treatment date to the Hospital Director. Complaints received after this period will not be considered.

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 handled by the Hospital Director at a local level, you can refer it to Lara Kyslun- Young, the Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer for review. Should your complaint be escalated to Stage 2, an independent review of how the complaint was handled at stage 1 will be undertaken by an appropriate Phoenix Hospital Group Director.

Please email [email protected] or you can write to Lara to the following address: Lara Kyslun-Young, 9 Harley Street, London, W1G 9QY

In accordance with Stage One, you have six months from the date of the final response letter to escalate your complaint to Stage Two. 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 Independent External Adjudication

Lastly, if you remain dissatisfied following the stage 2 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 Phoenix Hospital Group complaints process.

Further information can be found on the ISCAS website.

NHS patients – our commitment to you

If you remain unhappy with how your complaint has been handled with first stage local resolution, you can contact the PHSO who may ask us to review your complaint further, agree to independently review your complaint or decide that no further action should be taken.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower, Millbank London SW1P 4QP
Telephone: 0345 0154 033
www.ombudsman.org.uk/making-complaint

Download our complaints process