Health Services around the Nations

Within our Campaign Group - we have representatives from all across the British Isles. We have found the same issues occuring not only across a plethora of disciplines within the NHS - but also these issues occur geographicially throughout all our home nations.
Whilst the message is the same across all nations, we are fully aware that each country has their own rules, and does things slightly differently.
We want patients and the NHS across the whole of the UK to benefit from our campaigning - so we have introduced some country specific pages, to highlight these differences, and how each country could accomodate this vital campaign.

England

The basis of our campaign has been undertaken with an initial focus of the processes and procedures found in England - purely based on that being the place where the campaign was founded. The main content of the website in general, is therefore applicable to England.

Wales

We have a very strong following within Wales, and as such are keen to ensure that the differences in how the NHS is run in Wales, and how Complaints are dealt with are clearly identified.

Scotland

Scotland has been identified to how some key differences on how it runs its NHS. It is vitally important, that to ensure the most benefit from our campaign is incorporated into Scottish systems, that we fully understand where these differences occur.

Northern Ireland

We are still in the process of looking into the particularities of NHS NI, in order that we can, again, ensure the maximum benefit from our campaign will be felt by those residing in Northern Ireland

Complaining to NHS Scotland

In Scotland, you can go directly to your local health board (or doctor's surgery) website to identify their individual complaints procedure, but they are all about the same in Scotland. You can also ask your local MSP to help you raise a complaint, or you can ask PASS (the Scottish equivalent of PALS) to help you with raising the complaint.

More details can be found on the Citizens Advice - PASS website here - https://pass-scotland.org.uk/making-a-complaint/

The link above tells you how you can make an official complaint to the NHS in Scotland and as you read through the official guidance, it starts to sound like the complaints department is on your side, and will investigate the issue on your behalf. From what I have experienced, it feels like all of the information that you provide, goes directly to the doctor you are complaining about, and as long as the doctor gives a plausible excuse to one or two of your complaint items, your complaint will be dismissed. I now believe that making an official complaint will only make things worse for you and the alternative is to raise your concern with the doctor in question directly. That option may not be possible for some, and this is why we need a process that is independent from the NHS right at the start of any complaint process.

Although we have provided a link to some of the official guidance, we would hate for others to end in the same place as others are just now. As there is no alternative just now, maybe it may be worthwhile for people to have their MP or MSP follow their complaint by copying them with correspondence. That way someone separate from the NHS is also following the complaint. If there was then a public note of what MPs / MSPs are following complaints, it would be difficult to deny that there is a problem.