Changes to complaints process at the Countess of Chester Hospital

Latest information as of 1st April 2020

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and in line with advice received from NHS England and NHS Improvement, the Countess of Chester Hospital will be changing the way they deal with complaints to allow them to concentrate their efforts on front-line duties and responsiveness to COVID-19.

It is important that they still receive feedback from patients and their carers about their experiences, but please be aware that they may take a while longer to respond.

The Countess of Chester will continue to acknowledge any complaint you make to them. They will log it and prioritise those which relate to patient safety, practitioner performance or safeguarding and take immediate action where necessary. All complaints will then remain open until further notice, unless an informal resolution could be achieved, or the complainant chooses to withdraw their complaint.

Feedback can still be sent to the Patient Experience Team (PALS) by email and telephone. More details here: /pals.aspx

If you have already made a complaint to the Countess of Chester, they will review how long you have waited for a response and see whether they can reach a resolution to your satisfaction.

These changes will be in place for three months with effect from Wednesday 1 April 2020.

Please also note that of 26 March, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman stopped accepting new NHS complaints and stopped work on open cases.

Thank you for your understanding in these challenging times.