About the Patient Experience Team (PET)

Our patient experience team (PET) are here to listen to your comments, concerns or compliments. The team will provide advice on how we can assist and work with the relevant staff on your behalf to resolve any issues and make sure your needs are met.

Your comments or concerns will be investigated and the team will get back to you with a response as soon as possible.

The patient experience team will:

• Listen to comments or concerns
• Receive compliments
• Try to resolve issues as quickly as possible
• Liaise with staff on your behalf
• Work in partnership with professionals to aid a quick solution

We welcome patient feedback from patients, relatives and carers such as:

• The Friends and Family Test
• Survey results

Please note we are unable to help with the following:

• Bring forward appointments – you will need to talk to your GP about this
• Give you medical information – the PET team would request this from the appropriate clinical team for you
• Change a decision made by a medical professional
• Deal with lost property – please contact the ward or department where the property was last located

Sharing your concerns

We work hard to make sure every experience is as positive as possible and that you receive the highest standard of care in our hospitals or in the community.

However, we recognise there may be times when you are not satisfied with the service you have received. We encourage you to raise these concerns and share your comments so we can improve the services we offer.

The Patient Experience Team will listen to your comments or concerns and provide advice on how we can assist and liaise with relevant staff on your behalf, to try to resolve any issues.

Your comments or concerns will then be investigated and staff will get back to you with a response as soon as possible.

For a quick resolution, please let a member of staff know as quickly as possible if there is an issue. Your care or the service you receive will not be affected should you make a complaint. Staff will do everything they can to resolve your concern.

You have the option of raising any issues you may have by speaking to the ward or department staff while you’re in hospital. You can also ask to speak to the ward matron or person in charge.

If you do not feel comfortable speaking to ward or department staff, you may prefer to contact our patient experience team.

We encourage all feedback

Good or bad, the comments you provide help your staff to review services from a patient’s perspective. This means we can make improvements and share areas of good practice.

We welcome more detailed patient stories, including:

• Your journey through our Trust
• How you felt
• How your treatment has impacted on your life
• Any good experiences
• Areas you feel we could improve

If you have a story to tell, we want to hear it.

Our patient experience team are always here to receive your comments, or you can request a patient story feedback form to complete in your own time from the comfort of your own home.

We also offer a virtual feedback service where we can book in a convenient time to video call you for a chat about your experiences.

Compliments

You may share your compliments directly with the Patient Experience Team in person, by telephone, email, post or book a virtual appointment with the contact details below.

Making a complaint

If the ward or department staff have been unable to address your concern at that time, you can submit a complaint for further investigation by the appropriate staff. All complaints will be acknowledged within three working days.

If you wish to speak to someone face to face you do not need an appointment. We operate a drop in service Monday to Friday, 9:30am – 4pm.

The patient experience office is based at the University Hospital of North Tees and can be located by turning left at the main reception, and looking for the office located near the north wing lifts, ground floor.

Following an investigation, you can get feedback in the following ways:

• Telephone call (Stage 1)
• Meeting (Stage 2)
• Written (Stage 3)

Complaints must be made within 12 months of the event, or as soon as you become aware you have a cause to complain.

Will my care be affected if I make a complaint?

Any information you give will be treated in confidence and with sensitivity by the clinical staff who are undertaking the investigation and responding to your complaint.

Can I make a complaint on behalf of a relative or friend?

Yes. Anyone can make a complaint, but if it is about the care or treatment of another person you will need to have their permission to allow the Trust to respond directly to you. 

If they are unable to give permission, or if they have died, a legally appropriate representative can make the complaint on their behalf and we will send the documents to you to complete.

How do we use your feedback?

The feedback from patients, relatives and carers is used by the Trust to investigate any areas of concern and to share areas of good practice across the Trust.

It is important that we use your experiences to build a stronger health care service for the future, for the communities and populations we serve.

‘You Said, We Did’

We should listen more to the family or advocate. Especially if the patient has a learning disability and the family have expert knowledge of the condition.

• Staff will ensure patient passports are current and avail be in hospital to help support patients and staff this will aide communication and identify any reasonable adjustments that might be needed.

We should ensure families dealing with patients at end of life are better prepared for what will come. We should not give false hope.

• Introduce training to improve communication with patients and families. Sage & Thyme is a training model to improve listening skills and how we respond to a distressed person.

Contact

If you would like to visit the office in person, you can find the team at the University Hospital of North Tees by turning left at the main reception and looking for the office behind the fish tank, to the right of the lifts.

If you have any urgent concerns out of hours and would like to speak to a senior member of staff, please call the 24 hour hospital switchboard on 01642 617617. You will be redirected to the most appropriate person for your needs.