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Raising a Concern About a Service

Raising your concerns/complaints regarding Health and Social Care (HSC) Services with RQIA

One of the most important ways for RQIA to help ensure that care services improve is by listening to the people who use the services or have family and friends who avail of these services. 

During our inspections we collect the views of service users and their families/loved ones to help inform our assessment of the care being provided.  If you have concerns/complaints about a service, we are keen to hear from you. 

The information you provide will be assessed by an RQIA inspector, and we will take appropriate steps to follow up your concerns.  This will involve some but not necessarily all of the following stages:

  • Recording your concerns to help inform our understanding of the service: -this information will be reviewed by our inspector in advance of our next planned inspection
  • Speaking further with you regarding matters of clarity
  • Speaking to the service provider for further information, and to follow up the issues you have raised
  • Speaking to the Health and Social Care Trust (HSCT) to seek their knowledge of the service and the quality of service delivery
  • Carrying out a planned or unplanned inspection of the service to review the concerns you have raised
  • Providing feedback to you (where appropriate) following our review of the matters raised

If you wish to contact us regarding a concern about a service, you can:

  • Phone: RQIA's Guidance Team (Mon-Fri 10am-4pm): 028 9536 1990, any calls received after 4pm will receive a callback within 24 hours from a member of the Guidance Team
  • Email: info@rqia.org.uk 
  • Post: The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority, First Floor James House, 2-4 Cromac Avenue, Belfast, BT7 2JA

Making a Formal Complaint About a Service

An important way for you to support and encourage services to improve is by letting them know about your concern/complaint. This will offer the service the opportunity to review the matter and respond directly to you.  All services are required to have a complaints policy, and this is the first step outlined in the Health and Social Care (HSC) regional guidance to local resolution of concerns/complaints. If you have not already done so please ensure you have logged your concern with the service directly to enable local resolution. 

The Patient and Client Council (PCC) can provide you with free and independent advice and support to help you raise your concern/complaint. The PCC can be contacted by telephone at 0800 917 0222, email:  info.pcc@hscni.net ,or by visiting their website: www.patientclientcouncil.hscni.net

If you are not satisfied with the local resolution response from the service, you can raise your concern/complaint with your local HSC trust. The trust will review your concern/complaint with the service provider and provide you with feedback from the provider to ensure the matter is satisfactorily resolved.

For more information, visit the PCC’s website at: www.patientclientcouncil.hscni.net/making-a-complaint

What can I do if I am not satisfied with the service or trust response?

If you remain dissatisfied following support from the HSC trust, you can then bring your concerns/complaint to the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO). NIPSO will undertake an independent review of your concern/complaint and also review how the service and the trust have undertaken to resolve your matters of concern.

For more information, visit NIPSO’s website: www.nipso.org.uk

For further help and advice on raising a concern or complaint about an independent service (e.g. care home or domiciliary care agency) or HSC service (e.g. hospital, mental health facility), RQIA has produced short guidance leaflets, which can be accessed by clicking the images below:

                    

Making a Complaint about RQIA

If you wish to make a complaint or provide feedback about RQIA, click here  

Making a Complaint about a Health and Social Care Service

In line with Complaints in Health and Social Care: Standards and Guidelines for Resolution and Learning, DHSSPS, April 2009, which details how all complaints about health and social care services should be handled, RQIA does not investigate complaints. However, through our regulatory activities, we have an important role in ensuring all regulated services: have an effective complaints procedure; take complaints seriously; and investigate complaints thoroughly, in line with DHSSPS complaints guidelines. Details on how to complain about a health and social care service are outlined below.


Making a Complaint about a Health and Social Care Service

If you wish to make a complaint/raise concerns, or are dissatisfied with a service, you should follow these steps in line with Complaints in Health and Social Care: Standards and Guidelines for Resolution and Learning, DHSSPS, April 2009


1. In the first instance, raise your concern with the service provider (for example, the manager of a home/service) who should attempt to resolve your concerns in line with their own complaints procedures. You may also involve the local HSC trust at this stage.


Belfast HSC Trust
Northern HSC Trust
South Eastern HSC Trust
Southern HSC Trust
Western HSC Trust

You can get practical support to help you make a complaint from the Patient and Client Council. You can speak to a patient and client support officer at freephone: 0800 917 0222, or email: complaints.pcc@hscni.net. For more information, visit the PCC’s website at: www.patientclientcouncil.hscni.net/making-a-complaint


2. If you are dissatisfied and have not yet involved the local HSC trust, you can contact your local trust to take forward your concerns.


3.
If you remain dissatisfied, you can then bring your concerns to the Northern Ireland Public Service Ombudsman at freephone: 0800 343 424 or visit the Ombudsman’s website at: https://nipso.org.uk/nipso/

How to Whistleblow

You must be a current member of staff in a health and social care organisation in order to make a whistleblowing disclosure. For further information and guidance about whistleblowing, click here.

Making a Complaint about RQIA

If you wish to make a complaint or provide feedback about RQIA, click here