Contact us
To contact the review team please email ScotlandMaternityReview@citystgeorges.ac.uk.
You can also write to us if preferred at:
City St George’s, University of London
1 Myddelton Street
London EC1R 1UB
Please ensure you provide your own contact details and a brief explanation of the nature of your enquiry and we will ensure a team member responds to you.
What to do if you have concerns about your treatment or care
When a person has concerns about their treatment or care, this should be addressed at a local level through the health board directly.
Contacting NHS Boards and service providers
NHS Boards welcome information from patients outlining any difficulties they have encountered as it helps them make improvements.
The Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011 and supporting legislation, provides a specific right for people to make complaints, raise concerns, make comments and give feedback.
The Act also places a duty on NHS Boards to thoroughly investigate and respond to any concerns raised, to take improvement actions where appropriate and to share learning from the views they receive. When a person has concerns about their treatment or care, this should be addressed at a local level through the NHS complaints procedure.
If you feel the response from the NHS Board have not addressed your concerns satisfactorily, the next and final step in the NHS Complaints Procedure is to seek further independent consideration by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO). Further details on how to complain to the SPSO are available.
The SPSO is independent from the provider of healthcare and Ministers and looks into complaints about most organisations providing public services in Scotland. Their role is to give an independent and impartial decision on complaints and it also has a statutory role in improving complaints handling by organisations. Once the SPSO have completed an investigation and made a decision, they will write to the person who brought the complaint, as well as the organisation involved, and give details of that decision. This will include details of any recommendations the SPSO have made to put things right, and the deadlines by which the organisation must carry out these recommendations. There is a rigorous review process in place to ensure that recommendations have been implemented by that time.
Contacting Patient Advice and Support Service (PASS)
If you would like support with giving feedback, raising a concern or making a complaint about the NHS in Scotland, you may find it helpful to contact the Patient Advice and Support Service (PASS) in the first instance. The PASS has fully trained professional advisers who can provide help and support to:
- give feedback or comments, raise concerns or make complaints about health care provided by the NHS in Scotland
- understand your rights and responsibilities as a patient
- write letters; attend meetings and make phone calls
- access information and advice on health and community services that offer additional support with health care needs.
The PASS is free, confidential and independent and is delivered by the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB).
The service can be accessed by:
- visiting www.patientadvicescotland.org.uk
- phoning 0800 917 2127
- visiting a Citizens Advice Bureau.
Contacting the Patient Safety Commissioner
If you have followed the guidance in contacting the NHS board or independent service that provided your care and the Scottish Public Service Ombudsman (SPSO) and remain concerned, you also contact the patient safety commissioner on enquiries@patientsafetycommissioner.scot.