Patient experience
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust would like your feedback.
If you wish to share your experience about your care and treatment or on behalf of a patient, please contact our patient experience team who will advise you on how best to do this.
This service is based at The James Cook University Hospital but also covers the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, our community hospital wards and community health services.
What we do
We are here to help patients, relatives and carers with:
- Compliments
- Patient surveys
- Patient stories
- Ideas on how we can improve
- Concerns
- Complaints
Please note we are unable to:
- Bring forward appointments, this is based on clinical need and you can discuss this with your GP.
- Give detailed medical information or medical diagnosis.
- Change a medical decision.
- Offer a counselling service; however, we can help to signpost you to an appropriate counselling service.
- Deal with lost property – please contact the ward or department where the property was last located.
Compliments
Getting a compliment to the clinical staff involved with your care, helps our staff know when they have got things right and helps staff morale.
Please send your compliments by email, in writing or telephone to the patient experience team using any of the contact details below.
Patient surveys
We have a number of patient surveys in the trust, these surveys provide real-time feedback. There are various ways in which you can complete these, please ask a member of staff for further information. If you would like to tell us about a recent stay or attendance, good or bad, please contact the patient experience team for advice and support.
The feedback gained from the patient experience surveys helps the staff providing the care to improve their services for patients in real-time.
Patient stories
We actively seek patient stories of their experience of care, which are shared with our staff and trust board. We are happy to support patients, relatives and carers who wish to do this.
We work hard to ensure every patient has a positive experience and receives the highest standard of care when using our hospitals and community services. However, we recognise there may be times when you are not satisfied with the service and you may wish to make comments or raise concerns.
Concerns
It is very important to us that if a patient, relative or carer has a concern about the care or treatment they are receiving it is dealt with timely.
In the first instance, please speak to the ward or department staff, or you can ask to speak to the ward manager or person in charge. It may not be possible for staff to help you at the time as the wards and departments can be very busy caring for patients. However, they will look into your comments or concern and get back to you as soon as possible.
If you do not feel comfortable speaking to staff on the ward or department you may wish to contact the patient experience team patient advice and liaison service (PALS) to discuss how you wish to do this.
Complaints
If ward or department staff have been unable to address your concern at that time you can submit this in writing for further investigation by the appropriate staff. Feedback can be received at a meeting or in a written response.
If you wish to speak to someone face to face you do not need an appointment; this is a drop in service. The patient experience office is based at The James Cook University Hospital. It is located on the ground floor at the north entrance.
Contact details
Address
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Patient Experience Team
The James Cook University Hospital
North Entrance
Marton Road
Middlesbrough
TS4 3BW
stees.patient.experience@nhs.net
Call us
- 01642 854807
- 0800 0282451 (freephone)
- Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm
If you have an urgent concern out of hours and you wish to speak to a senior member of staff, please contact the hospital switchboard on 01642 850850 who will contact the appropriate person.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make a complaint on behalf of a relative or a 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 consent to allow the trust to respond directly to you.
Will my care be affected if I make a complaint?
No, please be assured your care will not be affected as a result of making a complaint. Any information you give will be treated in confidence and with sensitivity.
Information about your complaint is kept separate from your healthcare records.
How do I make a complaint about a deceased relative or friend’s care?
You can put your concerns in writing, however we may need to gain consent from the executor of the will to allow us to investigate your concern and respond directly to you.