The sections below provide information about how to make complaints or provide feedback about public hospitals and community healthcare services, private service providers or medical professionals.

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Understanding Complaints and Feedback…

Why is it important to provide feedback or to make complaint?

Making a complaint is important to deal with your concern about your child’s care. Providing good or bad feedback or making a complaint also helps to identify issues that are being experienced by families and patients if they experience poor service or gaps in service and can also
identify examples of good care.

The more people who share a concern, the more likely it is that it will be addressed.

How to use this page…

It can be confusing and stressful making a complaint. This page will help you understand your options, who to complain to and how to make the complaint.

1

Do you want to make an informal or formal complaint?
Some concerns can be dealt with by informing a person in charge such as a ward or clinic manager, a doctor or other person in charge.

Keep reading to learn about making a formal complaint.

2

Is the complaint about a public hospital or community service, a private service or a medical professional?
Each of these has different ways to make a complaint.

The information in the sections below will help if you are not sure.

3

Read about who to complain to and what to expect

Click below to jump to the section you need:

Public hospital service – inpatient, outpatient or emergency
Community health or social care service
Private service or medical professional

4

Learn about what to include in a complaint and who can help
What to include and who can help?

5

Find out what to do if you are not happy with the outcome

The information in the sections below will help if you are not sure.

Complaints relating to public hospitals.
Inpatient, outpatient and emergency department.

What hospital services does this include?

This includes inpatient, outpatient and emergency department care received at…

  • Public hospitals in your area

  • Children’s Health Ireland  Hospitals – Crumlin, Temple Street, Connolly, Tallaght

  • Public maternity and specialist hospitals such as rehabilitation and orthopaedic hospitals.

Steps in making a complaint and who to complain to

The sections below provide information about each stage of making a complaint.

There are some concerns which may be suitable for quick management and resolution at the hospital with a person in charge such as ward nurse, doctor, or hospital complaints officer. The person who receives the complaint will try to resolve the issue or will pass it on to the relevant person to follow up where necessary. Complaints at stage 1 are usually acknowledged immediately but should be responded to within 2 working days.

Informal complaint while your child is an inpatient in hospital

Talk to someone in charge such as the nurse ward manager or nurse in charge if your child is an inpatient – you may need to ask who the person in charge is. Many problems can be resolved quickly by talking things through, avoiding the need for a formal complaint.

It is not always easy to share your concerns. If you feel you are unable to discuss your concerns with the ward or clinical staff, you can speak to the hospital’s complaints officer or the hospital’s Patient Liaison Service if available. Call the hospital’s main contact number or visit our hospital information page for key contact information.

You can also submit an informal complaint through the hospital feedback and complaints department – details can be found on the website for each hospital.

If you have a serious or complex complaint, you can move directly to a formal stage 2 complaint.

If you are not happy with the outcome of an informal complaint or wish to proceed straight to a formal complaint, there are a few options for how to make a formal complaint. All formal complaints will be reviewed and if necessary, investigated by a complaints officer. See the “Who can help” section below for support and information when making a formal complaint.

Timeframe

The time frame for making a complaint is within 12 months of the issue or within 12 months of becoming aware of the issue.

How to make the complaint and who can help

Visit our what to include and who can help sections for useful information.

Who to make your complaint to

The next section explains who to make your complaint to in each hospital.

What to expect after making a formal complaint:

If you make a written complaint through any of the options below, you should receive acknowledgement that your complaint has been received within 5 working days.

Next steps

  • The complaints officer will look into your complaint and respond to you within 30 working days
  • The complaints officer might call or ask to meet you to hear more about your concern, or may contact you to ask for more time, if needed
  • The complaints officer must keep you updated every 20 working days if the investigation of your complaint takes longer than 30 days.

Complaint regarding services at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght or Connolly Hospitals.

This includes inpatient, outpatient, emergency department and urgent care services.

You can send your formal complaint related to services received at CHI Crumlin, Temple St, Connolly or Tallaght Hospital, to the Patient Feedback and Support Service Department at Children’s Health Ireland.

Visit the CHI Feedback and Complaints page for contact information and online complaints form.

For a formal complaint make sure to write in your complaint – I am making this complaint under Step 2 of Your Service Your Say complaints process.

Complaint regarding regional hospitals, maternity or specialist hospitals

Complain directly to the hospital

Each hospital has a feedback and complaints officer that you can submit your complaint to via email, telephone mail or by online form if available.

For a formal complaint – make sure to write in your complaint – I am making this complaint under Step 2 of Your Service Your Say complaints process.

Our hospital information section provides the contact information for feedback and complaints for most hospitals you might visit.

The hospitals in Ireland are organised into seven hospital groups. You can also find details for the hospital complaints officer on the HSE website : https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/complaints/officers/hospital/

Or

Complain to HSE Your Service Your Say

You can send your complaint to HSE Your Service Your Say. This is the HSE’s complaints and feedback service and your complaint will be directed to the relevant hospital complaint officer. You can submit your complaint via email, telephone, post, or online form.

Visit the HSE Your Service Your Say page for details and contact information.

If you are not happy with the outcome of your complaint from step 2, you can ask for an internal review by the HSE, or you can go straight to step 4 and ask for an external review directly from the Ombudsman for Children

You do not have to avail of Stage 3, Internal HSE review, and may instead decide to go directly to Stage 4 – External Review.

How to request an internal review: If you want an internal review, you must send a letter within 30 days of the initial response to your written complaint from step 2.

What happens next: A Review Officer, not involved in the complaint, is appointed and will look to review the process, findings and recommendations of the original complaint’s officers report. The review officer should issue an acknowledgment letter within 5 working days, and should issue a Review of Recommendations within 20 working days. Sometimes an extension might be requested. The Review officer may agree with the findings and recommendations, add new recommendations or recommend a new investigation.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of an internal complaints review, you may request an external, independent review – step 4

Independent, external review – Ombudsman for children or other professional regulatory bodies.

If you are not happy with the outcome from step 2 or step 3 of your complaint you might decide to refer your complaint for Independent Review to the Ombudsman for Children or to other professional or regulatory bodies. This course of action can be taken either directly following Stage 2 formal complaint or following Stage 3 of an Internal HSE Complaint Review.

You must have made a formal complaint before a step 4 independent review can be requested.

Visit the Ombudsman for Children website for details of how to make a step 4 complaint – requesting an external review.


Remember

Making a complaint about an individual medical professional is different to making
a complaint about a service.

See the section below on making a complaint about a medical professional for more information.

Complaints about a HSE community health or social care service

What community services does this include?

Community health and social care services are the broad range of HSE funded services that are provided outside of the public hospital system.
These services are delivered through the HSE and its funded agencies in local communities.

Remember: Making a complaint about an individual is different than making a complaint about a service.
See the section below on making a complaint about a medical professional for more information.

  • Primary Care Services Primary Care is all of the health or social care services that you can find in your community, outside of hospital. This includes GP services, public health nursing services and a range of health and social care services.

  • Community Health and social care services These are a wide range of services provided through primary care or other community services. It includes services such as social work, physiotherapy, audiology, phlebotomy, occupational therapy and many more.

  • Disability services A range of health and social care services that can be provided through primary care/local health offices or children’s disability network team.

  • Community mental health services Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) provided in the community by professionals such as psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists and speech & language therapists.

Steps in making a complaint and who to complain to

The sections below provide information about each stage of making a complaint.

There are some concerns which may be suitable for quick management and resolution at the hospital with a person in charge such as ward nurse, doctor, or hospital complaints officer. The person who receives the complaint will try to resolve the issue or will pass it on to the relevant person to follow up where necessary. Complaints at stage 1 are usually acknowledged immediately but should be responded to within 2 working days.

Informal complaint while your child is an inpatient in hospital

Talk to someone in charge such as the nurse ward manager or nurse in charge if your child is an inpatient – you may need to ask who the person in charge is. Many problems can be resolved quickly by talking things through, avoiding the need for a formal complaint.

It is not always easy to share your concerns. If you feel you are unable to discuss your concerns with the ward or clinical staff, you can speak to the hospital’s complaints officer or the hospital’s Patient Liaison Service if available. Call the hospital’s main contact number or visit our hospital information page for key contact information.

You can also submit an informal complaint through the hospital feedback and complaints department – details can be found on the website for each hospital.

If you have a serious or complex complaint, you can move directly to a formal stage 2 complaint.

If you are not happy with the outcome of an informal complaint or wish to proceed straight to a formal complaint, there are a few options for how to make a formal complaint. All formal complaints will be reviewed and if necessary, investigated by a complaints officer. See the “Who can help” section below for support and information when making a formal complaint.

Timeframe

The time frame for making a complaint is within 12 months of the issue or within 12 months of becoming aware of the issue.

How to make the complaint and who can help

Visit our what to include and who can help sections for useful information.

Who to make your complaint to

The next section explains who to make your complaint to in each hospital.

What to expect after making a formal complaint:

If you make a written complaint through any of the options below, you should receive acknowledgement that your complaint has been received within 5 working days.

Next steps

  • The complaints officer will look into your complaint and respond to you within 30 working days
  • The complaints officer might call or ask to meet you to hear more about your concern, or may contact you to ask for more time, if needed
  • The complaints officer must keep you updated every 20 working days if the investigation of your complaint takes longer than 30 days.

Complaint regarding services at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght or Connolly Hospitals.

This includes inpatient, outpatient, emergency department and urgent care services.

You can send your formal complaint related to services received at CHI Crumlin, Temple St, Connolly or Tallaght Hospital, to the Patient Feedback and Support Service Department at Children’s Health Ireland.

Visit the CHI Feedback and Complaints page for contact information and online complaints form.

For a formal complaint make sure to write in your complaint – I am making this complaint under Step 2 of Your Service Your Say complaints process.

Complaint regarding regional hospitals, maternity or specialist hospitals

Complain directly to the hospital

Each hospital has a feedback and complaints officer that you can submit your complaint to via email, telephone mail or by online form if available.

For a formal complaint – make sure to write in your complaint – I am making this complaint under Step 2 of Your Service Your Say complaints process.

Our hospital information section provides the contact information for feedback and complaints for most hospitals you might visit.

The hospitals in Ireland are organised into seven hospital groups. You can also find details for the hospital complaints officer on the HSE website : https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/complaints/officers/hospital/

Or

Complain to HSE Your Service Your Say

You can send your complaint to HSE Your Service Your Say. This is the HSE’s complaints and feedback service and your complaint will be directed to the relevant hospital complaint officer. You can submit your complaint via email, telephone, post, or online form.

Visit the HSE Your Service Your Say page for details and contact information.

If you are not happy with the outcome of your complaint from step 2, you can ask for an internal review by the HSE, or you can go straight to step 4 and ask for an external review directly from the Ombudsman for Children

You do not have to avail of Stage 3, Internal HSE review, and may instead decide to go directly to Stage 4 – External Review.

How to request an internal review: If you want an internal review, you must send a letter within 30 days of the initial response to your written complaint from step 2.

What happens next: A Review Officer, not involved in the complaint, is appointed and will look to review the process, findings and recommendations of the original complaint’s officers report. The review officer should issue an acknowledgment letter within 5 working days, and should issue a Review of Recommendations within 20 working days. Sometimes an extension might be requested. The Review officer may agree with the findings and recommendations, add new recommendations or recommend a new investigation.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of an internal complaints review, you may request an external, independent review – step 4

Independent, external review – Ombudsman for children or other professional regulatory bodies.

If you are not happy with the outcome from step 2 or step 3 of your complaint you might decide to refer your complaint for Independent Review to the Ombudsman for Children or to other professional or regulatory bodies. This course of action can be taken either directly following Stage 2 formal complaint or following Stage 3 of an Internal HSE Complaint Review.

You must have made a formal complaint before a step 4 independent review can be requested.

Visit the Ombudsman for Children website for details of how to make a step 4 complaint – requesting an external review.

Other types of complaints

Some community services are provided on behalf of the HSE by charities and private companies.

If you wish to make a formal or informal complaint about the services received from a charity or private service you should contact the service directly. They will investigate the complaint. You can ask for a copy of their complaints policy and process.

Complaints about the national ambulance service can be made through the HSE Your Service Your Say program explained above.

You can also submit your complaint to the National Ambulance Service complaint officer. The link below provides contact information for the complaints officer for each area.

National Ambulance Service – HSE.ie

Complaints about a medical professional or private service

Select the box below to learn about how to make a complaint about a medical professional or a private healthcare service

Complaints about a private medical professional or where you believe that a medical professional working in a public healthcare facility is guilty of professional misconduct, should be directed to the relevant governing professional body. Individuals could include professionals such as doctors, nurses, dentists, social workers and a wide range of other health professionals.

Complaints could include concerns about an individual’s fitness to practice, dishonesty, taking advantage of your age or inexperience, acting against your instructions or using insulting, racist or sexist language. The Patient Advocacy Services website provides useful information about where to complain about medical services you have received from a medical professional.

If you are making a complaint about a private health service, you can complain directly to the private service provider or contact the regulating body. You can ask the service provider for a copy of their complaints policy. You usually can’t complain to the HSE or to the Ombudsman or the Ombudsman for Children about private health services that are not funded or provided on behalf of the HSE.

The Patient Advocacy Services website provides information about how to make an external complaint.

Making the complaint

What to include in a formal complaint

  • Your name, phone number and email address
  • Name of the hospital or service provider and name of specific department or service.
  • Who was involved and dates and times of the experience
  • An accurate description of what happened
  • What you have done to resolve the issue so far
  • What you want to happen now to resolve your issue.
  • Any documentation that you feel is relevant.

  • In your written letter you should also grant permission to the HSE to access the personal confidential information of your child in order to process your complaint.

Important tips

  • Try and make the complaint as soon as possible when you will be able to remember details.
  • Stay calm and respectful – focus on the issue.
  • Clearly explain what went wrong or your concern and what you need to resolve the situation.
  • Keep notes on what happened, names of people you spoke to and dates.
  • Make it clear if you expect a response or follow up to your complaint.

  • Additional consent may be needed if your child is over 16.

Who can help you make a complaint?

If you would like independent support to make a complaint about the care you have received in a public hospital such as a children’s hospital, maternity hospital or general hospital,  you can contact the Patient Advocacy Service. The Patient Advocacy Service is an independent, free and confidential service that provides information and support to people who want to make a formal complaint through the HSE ‘Your Service, Your Say’ complaints policy about the care you have experienced in a public hospital. You can contact the Patient Advocacy Service from Monday to Friday, 10am – 4pm, on 0818 293003 or Visit the Patient Advocacy Service website for more information: www.patientadvocacyservice.ie. 

Some hospitals have staff or volunteers who provide a service called the Patient Advocacy Liaison Service (PALS). Staff/volunteers of PALS work within the hospital system, and can offer support to you in the following ways:

Not all hospitals have a PALS service. To find out if there is a PALS service available to assist you, call the main phone number of the hospital you are attending and ask if there is a Patient Advocacy and Liaison Service (PALS) available. The PALs service is not available in CHI Crumlin, Temple Street or Connolly.

The PALS service may assist you in the following ways:

  • Help to resolve difficulties that may arise in relation to Hospital services or care.
  • Assist you and provide information about services provided within the hospital.
  • Help you to resolve your issue without you having to make a formal complaint or tell you more about the complaints procedure and how to contact an independent advocacy service.
  • Depending on the hospital they may co-ordinate and manage the investigation into your complaints.

Additional advocacy supports may be available through available through various disability and illness support organisations.

Accessing your child’s health records…

As part of making a healthcare complaint or managing your child’s care, you may wish to access their medical records. You have a right to access this information under the Freedom of Information Act or Data Protection Legislation.

There are a number of ways you can request your child’s information:

  • Ask your service provider to arrange for a copy of the medical records they have for your child to be sent to you.
  • Large service providers such as hospitals may have a medical records manager or freedom of information officer where you can make an administrative request for your child’s medical records.

  • Make a request to the HSE under the Freedom of Information Act 2014.

The Citizens Information Bureau provides useful information about how to access medical records and most
hospitals have a Freedom of Information or Access Medical Information page on their website. Some of these
are detailed in the useful contact information below.

Useful resources…

RELATED RESOURCES