How To Make an NHS Complaint in County Durham

Poor care, a missed diagnosis, a cancelled appointment or dismissive treatment can leave you unsure where to turn. If you need an NHS complaint County Durham route, the first step is to identify the organisation responsible and raise the issue with it directly.

You can complain verbally, by email or in writing. Most complaints should be made within 12 months, and the organisation should acknowledge yours within three working days. The process is free, and you can ask someone to support you. Start by choosing the right route.

NHS complaint County Durham: choose the right organisation

The NHS organisation that provided your care usually handles the complaint. This is known as local resolution. It gives the provider a chance to review what happened, speak to staff and put matters right.

In County Durham, the relevant organisation could be:

• County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, if your concern relates to hospital treatment, an outpatient appointment, maternity care or another Trust service.
• Your GP surgery, if the issue concerns a consultation, referral, prescription or practice staff.
• A dentist, optician, pharmacy, community provider or mental health service, if that organisation delivered your care.
• The local integrated care board, if your complaint relates to commissioning or you choose to complain to the commissioner instead.

You normally complain to either the provider or the commissioner, not both at the same time. Complaining to both can lead to duplication and confusion about who is responsible for investigating the matter. NHS England’s complaints guidance explains the two routes and the information you should receive.

For urgent medical concerns, use the correct clinical route first. Call 999 for a life-threatening emergency, attend A&E when necessary, or contact NHS 111 for urgent advice. A complaint won’t arrange immediate treatment or replace a clinical assessment.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service, usually called PALS, can help you understand a hospital’s services, raise a concern informally or find the right contact. PALS isn’t a substitute for a formal complaint, but it may help when you want an early explanation or need support before writing.

How to complain to County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

If your concern involves a hospital or service run by County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, contact its Patient Experience Team. The Trust accepts complaints verbally or in writing.

The published contact details are:

• Telephone: 0800 783 5774
• Email: complaints@cddft.nhs.uk
• Post: Patient Experience Team, Darlington Memorial Hospital, Hollyhurst Road, Darlington, County Durham, DL3 6HX

You don’t need to use legal language. Explain what happened in plain English, identify the service involved and say what you want the Trust to investigate. You can begin by telephone if speaking feels easier. Ask for a written record of what you reported and check that it accurately reflects your concerns.

A written complaint gives you a clear record and makes it easier to set out several incidents. Keep it focused, especially if the problem involved more than one appointment or department. Separate facts from assumptions, and identify dates wherever you can.

The Trust may offer a meeting, a written response or both. Its published information states that complaints found to be fully or partly justified can lead to an action plan. You can ask how the Trust will check that agreed actions have been completed.

If you need a general local contact route, the North East and North Cumbria complaints page explains how concerns can be made by phone, email or letter.

Complaining about a GP or another NHS service

For a GP surgery complaint, contact the practice manager or the surgery’s complaints lead. The practice website should provide its complaints policy and contact details. You can also ask at reception for the practice’s formal procedure.

A complaint about a pharmacy, dentist, optician, community nurse or mental health provider should usually go to that provider first. Use the organisation’s website, appointment letters or reception desk to find the correct complaints contact.

If you prefer to complain to the commissioner, or the issue concerns an NHS service commissioned in County Durham, the relevant body is the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board. The published contact listing gives the complaints team telephone number as 0191 374 4218 and the email address as nencicb.complaints@nhs.net. The local NHS complaints contact information also explains the available formats, including verbal complaints.

Don’t send the same complaint to the provider and the ICB at the same time. Choose the route that best matches the issue, then explain why you selected it. If the organisation says another body should investigate, ask it to confirm that position in writing and tell you where to send the complaint.

A disagreement about a referral isn’t always a complaint about poor care. For example, you may need information about NHS eligibility, provider choice or referral rules. The County Durham NHS patient rights and referrals guide may help you understand that issue before deciding whether a formal complaint is appropriate.

What to include in your NHS complaint

A strong complaint gives the investigator a clear route through the events. Include your full name, contact details, date of birth or NHS number if requested, and the patient’s consent if you’re complaining on someone else’s behalf.

Then explain:

1. What happened, in date order, and where it happened.
2. Which service, department or staff member was involved, if known.
3. How the incident affected your treatment, health, communication or care.
4. What you were told at the time, including any promised follow-up.
5. What questions you want answered and what outcome you would consider appropriate.

You might ask the organisation to explain why an appointment was cancelled, whether a referral was sent, how a delay occurred or what it will do to prevent a repeat. Avoid demanding a particular disciplinary outcome. The organisation can investigate conduct and clinical decisions, but it may not be able to share confidential staff information.

Attach copies of relevant letters, appointment messages, photographs or records. Keep the originals. A simple timeline can help when the complaint covers several contacts with the NHS.

You could open with wording such as:

I am asking you to investigate the care I received on [date] at [service]. I am concerned about [short description]. Please explain what happened, what information was available to staff and what action will follow.

If you have a disability, communication need or language requirement, say so at the start. Ask for information in an accessible format, an interpreter or a meeting with reasonable adjustments. You can also ask a friend, relative, advocate or solicitor to help. When someone complains for another adult, the NHS may need written consent before discussing confidential medical information.

Timescales, responses and what happens next

NHS complaints should normally be made within 12 months of the event or the date you first became aware of it. An organisation can accept a late complaint when there is a good reason for the delay and a fair investigation remains possible. Explain the reason in your letter if you are outside the usual time limit.

The organisation should acknowledge your complaint within three working days. It should then discuss the issues covered, explain how it will investigate them and provide an expected response date. Complex cases can take longer, particularly when records, several services or serious clinical concerns are involved. You should receive an update if the timescale changes.

A final response should address the points raised, explain the findings and identify any apology, learning or action. Read it against your original complaint rather than judging it only by its length. If an important question remains unanswered, write back with a short list of the outstanding points.

You can request a meeting with the complaints team or ask for clarification in writing. Keep copies of every email and letter, and note the dates of telephone calls. A calm follow-up is more effective when it identifies a precise omission, such as a missing answer about a referral or an unexplained delay.

If local resolution doesn’t resolve the matter, you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, known as the PHSO. The Ombudsman normally expects you to complain to the NHS organisation first. It can review whether the complaint was handled properly and whether the response was reasonable, although it doesn’t replace the NHS investigation or act as a criminal court.

The Care Quality Commission can receive information about concerns, but it doesn’t normally investigate individual complaints or secure a personal remedy. If you believe poor care caused avoidable injury, a complaint and a clinical negligence claim are separate matters. Consider getting independent legal advice about any potential claim.

NHS accountability and local public services

Making a complaint gives the NHS a record of what happened. That record can lead to changes in training, communication, appointment systems or clinical practice. It also gives you a route to challenge an answer that doesn’t address the facts.

Reform UK’s published NHS policy says the service should remain free at the point of use and that more money should reach frontline care rather than administration. That policy position is separate from the formal complaints process, which remains controlled by the NHS organisation involved. You can read Reform UK’s NHS and public service policies alongside the practical complaint routes above.

Regardless of your political views, you have the right to question NHS care and ask for a proper response. Keep the complaint factual, send it to the right organisation and record each stage.

Conclusion

An NHS complaint in County Durham usually starts with the organisation that provided your care. County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust handles complaints about its services, while the North East and North Cumbria ICB may handle commissioner-related concerns.

Set out the facts, include dates and explain the answer you want. Submit the complaint within the usual 12-month period, keep a full record and ask for clarification if the final response misses an important point. A clear complaint gives you the best chance of receiving an honest explanation and meaningful action.