Please click on the link below to access our Complaints And Comments Leaflet.
Click here to access the Complaints and Comments Leaflet
What happens if I prefer to complain directly to the commissioning organisation?
If your complaint is about primary care services such as GPs, dentists, opticians or pharmacy services, you should contact Greater Manchester ICB.
Details of how to do this can be found at the following website, under the ‘Local area feedback and complaints’ section:
https://gmintegratedcare.org.uk/have-your-say/contact-us/
Note: changes on 1 July 2023
- From 1 July 2023 the way members of the public make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner is changing. Rather than contacting NHS England, complaints will be made to directly to the local integrated care board (ICB).
- NHS England’s Customer Contact Centre will still deal with general enquiries from patients, such as ‘how do I get a GP or Dentist’. For such general enquiries, patients can still call 0300 311 22 33.
- Members of the public will still be able to make a complaint to the provider. This is NOT changing.
- Members of the public with ongoing complaints received on/after 1 July 2022 will receive a letter from NHS England informing them that the ICB is now handling their complaint with confirmation of their case handler.
- Members of the public with any ongoing complaints received before 1 July 2022 will receive a letter from NHS England informing them that their complaint is being retained by NHS England with confirmation of their case handler.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the current process for making primary care complaints and how will that change on 1 July 2023?
From 1 July 2023 the way members of the public make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner is changing. Rather than contacting NHS England, they will contact their local integrated care board (ICB). The public can still complain directly to the provider (GP, dentist etc) - this is not changing.
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Operational responsibility for the complaints function will move to ICBs on 1 July 2023.
Members of the public with ongoing complaints received on/after 1 July 2022 will receive a letter from NHS England informing them that the ICB is now handling their complaint with confirmation of their case handler.
Members of the public with any ongoing complaints received before 1 July 2022 will receive a letter from NHS England informing them that their complaint is being retained by NHS England with confirmation of their case handler.
- Where can you find information about how to make a complaint about a primary care service?
There are many organisations that will help signpost people to information about how to provide feedback or make a complaint about healthcare services. These are some of the main ones.
- Does the delegation of the primary care complaints function from NHS England to ICBs on 1 July 2023 include all primary care services?
In the main, yes. There are some specialised services, such as Health and Justice, where the care provided by a GP in a prison setting is still commissioned directly by NHS England and therefore NHS England would still manage these complaints. See Annex 1
- Where should information be available in each ICB area about how to make a complaint about a primary care service?
It should be available on the websites of the ICBs, Healthwatch, providers of primary care services, VCSE organisations, health charities and local MPs.
- Do ICBs have to publicise the change happening on 1 July 2023?
Yes, NHS England expects ICBs to communicate to the public, stakeholders and staff the changes to the way people can make a complaint about primary care services.
- Will the staff currently handling a complaint manage them through to the end or will another member of staff pick them up as part of the new arrangements?
Staff from the NHS England regional complaints teams are being transferred to ICBs to support the delegation of the complaints function. The transfer of complaints staff from NHS England regions to ICBs will differ from region to region but complainants should be reassured that the information about their complaint will transfer to the ICB and they will not need to repeat their complaint or reshare any information already provided.
Members of the public with ongoing complaints received by NHS England on/after 1 July 2022 will receive a letter from NHS England informing them that the ICB is now handling their complaint with confirmation of their case handler.
Members of the public with any ongoing complaints received before 1 July 2022 will receive a letter from NHS England informing them that their complaint is being retained by NHS England with confirmation of their case handler.
- What do ICB comms directors need to know about media handling concerning the transfer of primary care complaints?
Whilst NHS England receives very few media enquiries pertaining to complaints, who should handle them will be determined by who signed the complaint response. If the response was signed by an NHS England director (or equivalent) then the enquiry should go to the relevant NHS England regional/national comms team. If the complaint response was signed by an ICB CEO/director then the enquiry should go the ICB comms team.
If a complaint is open and being handled by NHS England (in keeping with timelines above) then the enquiry should go to the national NHS England comms team. If the complaint is open but being handled by the ICB the enquiry should go to the ICB comms team.
- Where can I find information to support staff moving from NHS England to ICBs as part of the transfer of the Primary Care Complaints function?
FutureNHS workspace hosts comprehensive HR FAQs, consultation support documents, template HR letters and line managers briefing pack.
Annex 1
Retained services commissioned directly by NHSE
The following is a list of services that NHS England central complaints team will retain the handling of after 1 July 2023.
- Specialised Commissioning
- Health and Justice
- Armed Forces Health
- Section 7a (Public Health Immunisations and Vaccinations)
- PCSE
- Services delivered nationally by NHSE to patients/public (such as Screening Call and Recall, NHS App etc)
This list is not exhaustive.
ICB Map
This map outlines details of the 42 integrated care boards (ICB) across England.
ICB websites
Details of how to make a complaint about primary care services should be available on the ICB websites.
Key messages slide deck
There is also an accompanying slide deck as an additional resource to accompany this toolkit outlining key messages – what is changing and when.
Ends.