Frequently Asked Questions - Feedback if you are a patient

Who can give us feedback?

If you're a patient, please give us feedback – we really value you helping us get the important things right. You can provide feedback via the Patient Experience Survey or by contacting the office local to where you received treatment.

What will you do with my information?

We will make a record of your details and feedback and store it securely. This will ensure we manage and use it effectively to help is improve our services.

We will keep information about you confidential, but for investigation purposes we may need to talk to other members of our organisation. If you do not want us to share any information from your patient records, please inform us.

How long will it take you to respond to my feedback?

All feedback will be acknowledged either verbally at the point of care or in writing within 3 working days. Concerns and complaints will be formally responded to by one of our directors within 20 working days.

Can I retract my feedback?

Yes, you can. If we identify a risk, then an investigation will be completed in line with our procedures, but there will be no further contact with you or your representative.

Can I feedback anonymously?

Yes. The way we handle your feedback will be different as we will not be able to contact you for additional information or share our findings. We would still investigate and use any learnings from the investigation to improve our services.

How long do I have to feedback?

We have a time limit for a feedback, which is within 12 months of the event you wish to feedback about.

However, if you feel the time limit should not apply, please speak to the person dealing with the feedback. We will extend the time limit if in our opinion there are good reasons why it could not be made any sooner and where there is still the possibility of a meaningful review of the facts of your case.

Complaints

I haven’t received a response for a complaint I sent in, what do I do?

We apologise if you have sent us a complaint or raised a concern and haven’t yet received a response. Please get in touch with the regional office where you sent your initial feedback and they will be able to help you.

What if I’m not happy about the way my complaint is handled?

If we have fully investigated your complaint and you are still not happy, you can make an appeal to our Chief Executive at our National Headquarters. Your appeal notifications need to be made within 25 working days of you receiving the Regional Director’s response.

Please send complaints to:
St John Ambulance, 27 St John’s Lane, London, EC1M 4BU

Our Chief Executive will then arrange a review of the investigation into your complaint to ensure that it was carried out in an appropriate manner. You will receive their response within a further 25 working days.

What information should I provide with my complaint?

When giving us feedback, you should provide the following information:
- Your full name and address and if you are complaining on behalf of a patient then their name and address
- The date and location of your care, treatment or transport
- As much information as possible about what, where and when it happened
- Any action you have already taken
- The result you are expecting
- What method you would prefer us to use to contact you

What if my complaint involves another organisation?

If your complaint involves another organisation, such as a care home or hospital, we may need to pass it to them or contact them to ask for more information to help us investigate your concerns. If we need to do this, we will contact you first to get your permission to share the complaint.

Can I ask someone else to complain on my behalf?

We realise that there will be occasions when it is not possible for our patients to raise a complaint themselves and so we will accept complaints from a representative. If the third party requests a response we will not share personal information with them unless they:

- have the patient’s agreement to make the complaint. This agreement will also need to confirm what medical information we can share with the patient’s chosen representative
- are a child’s parent, guardian or main carer and the child cannot make their own complaint
- have a welfare power of attorney for health and wellbeing or are a court appointed deputy for someone who cannot make decisions for themselves, and the order permits them to make a complaint about health care
- are a relative of, or have had a legally recognised relationship with the patient, who has died and are concerned about how they were treated before they died.

My care was paid for or organised by an NHS organisation. Who should I contact?

If the NHS paid for St John Ambulance to provide your transportation or treatment then you can send your complaint to the NHS. This may be an NHS Trust or the local Clinical Commissioning Group. You cannot ask both to investigate the matter. Nor should you ask St John Ambulance and the commissioner of the NHS funded services to investigate the same matter.