Our hospital complaint process

At Nuffield Health, we’re continuing to build a healthier nation by aiming to provide the best possible service.

If you need to raise a concern or make a formal complaint – whether it's about your experience at one of our hospitals, medical centres or during a health assessment – please follow the steps below, so we can put things right.

We regularly review all your feedback to improve your experience with us.

How we handle your hospital complaint

To submit a gym complaint, please use our gym complaint form.

Please note that complaints and concerns can only be considered either within 12 months of an event occurring, or within 12 months of you becoming aware of the event that is the subject of the complaint.

To protect customer confidentiality, we can only discuss a complaint with the person who received the service, unless we have their consent to share information with someone acting on their behalf. If you are submitting a complaint about another person's experience, we will contact you after receiving your complaint to explain how the customer can provide their consent. Once consent has been received and verified, we will be able to progress the complaint and provide updates or a response to the nominated representative.

Stage 0: Informal local resolution

This is the first stage of the complaints process and is designed to resolve concerns quickly and efficiently. In many cases, a formal investigation may not be necessary.

You can raise a complaint with a member of staff at the location you are receiving treatment, or submit it through our online feedback form. We will aim to acknowledge and resolve your concern within two working days wherever possible.

• Stage 1: Formal Local Resolution

  If you feel your concerns have not been fully resolved, your complaint can be escalated for a more detailed investigation by the most senior manager at the site where your treatment took place. Following the investigation, you will receive a formal response in writing, typically within 20 working days.
  
  Where appropriate, we may also offer a face-to-face meeting to better understand your concerns and work towards a mutually acceptable resolution. If you are unable to attend a meeting, alternative communication methods, including telephone or written correspondence, can be arranged.

• Stage 2: Organisational review

  If you remain dissatisfied after Stage 1, you can request a Stage 2 review. Our Customer Relations Team will carry out an independent review of how your complaint was handled at Stages 0 and 1, ensuring the process was followed in line with Nuffield Health policy.
  
  This review does not involve reinvestigating the original issues or considering new concerns. If new issues are raised, these will be referred back to Stage 1 for further investigation.

• Stage 3: External adjudication

  We will do everything we can to resolve your complaint through Stages 0, 1 or 2. However, if you remain dissatisfied with the outcome, you may request an independent external adjudication. Stage 3 complaints can be considered within six months of receiving your Stage 2 review response.
  
  The Customer Relations Team will explain the external adjudication process and provide information about the appropriate organisation for your complaint.
  
  If you’re a clinical customer (non-NHS patient) you can escalate your concerns to the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS) here.
  
  If you’re an NHS patient, you can escalate your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) here.