We hope that your experience of our services was a positive one, but we appreciate that sometimes, things do not go to plan.  Whether your experience was positive or negative, we would like to hear from you.  You can talk to us about any concerns you may have, provide comments, raise a complaint or pay a compliment to a member of our staff.

You can do this directly by talking to a member of staff at the time of the event or by contacting our Complaints Team.  The Complaints Team will provide advice and/or information about local NHS services and will pass on your compliments to the member of staff or team.

If you have a concern or are not satisfied with any aspect of your healthcare, you can either raise your concerns directly with the person, service or organisation that provided your care, or to NHS North East Essex which commissions the services.  Our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) will discuss these options with you and help you decide on the best option for you.  PALS can be contacted on 0800 328 5620.

If you do wish to make a complaint, it is always best to do so at the time of the incident.  The earlier the complaint is made, the fresher the events are in the memory of everyone involved.  Also, the longer you leave it, the more difficult it is for us to investigate your concerns.

If you would prefer to put your concerns in writing, then please address your letter to:

The Complaints Team
NHS North East Essex
Colchester Primary Care Centre
Turner Road
Colchester
Essex CO4 5JR

Email: complaints@northeastessex.nhs.uk

You will be contacted by a member of the team within three working days either by post, or if you provided us with a telephone number, by telephone.  The aim of the new complaints process is for it to be as flexible and easy as possible.  With that in mind, we will discuss with you how you want your complaint to be handled and agree a plan with you.

If you are making a complaint on behalf of another person, other than your own child if under the age of 16, you will be sent a consent form with the acknowledgement letter.  This signed consent indicates the patient's agreement that their personal information can be shared with you.  Please note that we cannot disclose confidential information about a patient to a third party without the patient's written consent.