Contacting your local NHS service with a concern or complaint

Many enquiries and complaints can be explored and resolved quickly by discussing them directly with the person who is providing your care, or their manager (such as a GP practice, community service or hospital). This is best done at the time you became aware of the problem, so that the people responsible for providing the service can help sort out the matter for you straight away. 

You can find contact details on the website of the NHS service that is providing your care, with links to these on this page. If you are unsure who the best person is to help you, please contact the ICB Patient Experience Team and they will advise on next steps.  

Concerns about GPs, dentists, pharmacists, or opticians 

If you want to raise a concern about a GP practice, dental practice, community pharmacy or optician, you should contact the service in the first instance. They can quickly access your medical records and the staff involved and may be able to resolve the matter quickly. 

If you can’t resolve your concerns informally with the service, you can either raise a complaint directly with the GP, dentist, pharmacist or optician, or raise a complaint with the Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board, as we oversee these primary care services on behalf of patients locally. Complaints can only be investigated once, by either the provider of the service or the commissioner.

Contact the ICB Patient Experience team.

Concerns about hospital, community, mental health and ambulance services 

If you have a concern or complaint, the best option is to discuss this directly with someone from the service, such as ward manager. They can quickly access your medical records and speak to the staff involved and may be able to resolve the matter quickly. 

Most NHS services will have a Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) team. You can speak with a PALS member who will try to help you resolve issues informally with the service concerned before you need to make a complaint. 

PALS can be particularly helpful if your issue is urgent and you need action immediately, such as a problem with the treatment or care you are currently receiving. 

The contact details for the main hospitals supporting local patients are given below. Please visit their websites to find out about their complaints and feedback procedure.

Hospital services

For Lister, New QEII and Hertford County Hospitals, Mount Vernon Cancer Centre:

For Watford General Hospital, St Albans City Hospital and Hemel Hempstead Hospital:

For Princess Alexandra Hospital (Harlow):

Community healthcare for adults

If you have a concern, complaint, or compliment about a community service such as community nursing, health visiting, physiotherapy, or podiatry service, please contact the local service for your area.

For patients in east and north Hertfordshire:

For patients in south and west Hertfordshire:

For patients in west Essex (Harlow, Uttlesford or Epping Forest):

Community healthcare for children

If you have a concern, complaint or compliment about a community service for children please contact the local service for your area:

If you live in Hertfordshire:

If you live in west Essex (Harlow, Uttlesford or Epping Forest):

Mental health, learning disability and autism services

If you have a concern, complaint, or compliment about mental health, learning disability and autism services for both children and adults please contact the local service for your area:

If you live in Hertfordshire:

If you live in west Essex (Harlow, Uttlesford or Epping Forest):

Or for learning disability and autism services for a child or young person in west Essex (Harlow, Uttlesford or Epping Forest):

Ambulance service

If you have a concern, complaint or compliment about the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust:

Complaints about local neonatal and maternity services

If you have any questions or concerns about the care you are being provided with or you need to raise a safety concern, we encourage you to first speak to a doctor, nurse or manager involved in that care. If that doesn’t resolve your concerns then you can contact the hospital’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), also sometimes called Patient Experience Team.

Further information about providing feedback or making a complaint

The NHS website has further advice on how to feedback or make a complaint about an NHS service: