Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which NHS organisation is responsible for ensuring NHS complaints are handled effectively; and what the process is for handling complaints where multiple NHS organisations are involved.

Under the National Health Service complaints procedure, complaints can be made either to the provider or the commissioner of the service in question. It is for the NHS body receiving the complaint to ensure the complaint is handled effectively at a local level. Where a complaint relates to primary care services, NHS England and NHS Improvement (as the service commissioner) may have a role to support complaints handling.

If a complainant is not satisfied with the outcome or handling of a complaint at local level, they can refer their complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

Where a complaint concerns multiple bodies, NHS organisations, local authorities, primary care providers or independent sector providers have a duty to cooperate, as ‘responsible bodies’, to ensure there is agreement on how the complaint should be taken forward.