Complaints, Compliments and other patient feedback are handled by a central Complaints & pals team who are based at the hospital

Dear West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust,
1. How are complaints, compliments and feedback handled at the Trust? This data might be obtained by means such as email, phone, letter, piece of paper in a hospital reception etc. etc. Is there a central place where this data is collated?
Complaints, Compliments and other patient feedback are handled by a central Complaints & PALS team who are based at the hospital
2. Does your Trust employ dedicated staff for this purpose? If so how many?
We have 3.5 (WTE) staff in Complaints/PALS  and 1 WTE person who manages patient feedback such as the friends and family test (FFT)
3. Is this data handled on site or is it subcontracted/held-off site?
The data is handled on site by  Trust using software from a company called Datix
4. Are complaints and feedback collated and then reported to authorised people, such as the Trusts board or senior managers?
Yes, complaints and patient feedback is collated and reported back to our Divisions, and the Trust Board
5. Who is in charge of complaints and feedback, if anyone?
Joe Johnson, the Trust’s  Associate Director for Patient & Public Involvement is the named lead for managing complaints received by the Trust
6. Is there a standard procedure to follow if complaints and feedback data is obtained?
Yes we have a local written policy for the management of formal complaints and PALS Concerns (which meets with NHS national guidance)
7. What are the operational costs to the Trust for complaints and feedback, excluding redress (staff costs, computer and software costs, storage costs, legal costs, search costs, report compilation costs, maintenance and any other considerations)?
The expenditure for the PALS & Complaints team for last year by staff costs and non-pay staff costs is as follows
Pay costs in 2013/14 - £151,916

Non pay costs    - £7051
It is important to bear in mind that our operational (Divisional) staff spend a great of time investigating, responding to complaints and attending local resolutions meetings. These costs would be next to impossible to estimate and are not included in the above.

8. Could you please supply your most recent annual complaint volume figures and the preceding 3 year volumes please?

Last year’s Annual Complaints Report is attached and it includes information on WMUH complaint volumes going back to 2004

9. Do you capture and measure concern data separately?
Yes, we do now capture PALS Concerns via Datix Web based approach (since April 2013)
Yours faithfully,
Nicola Aylett