If you are unhappy with the service you have received from West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and you feel PALS cannot help, you are entitled to make a formal complaint.
A complaint can be made by a patient or person affected, or likely to be affected, by the service delivered by the Ambulance Service or by someone acting on behalf of the patient or person with their written consent. You should normally complain within twelve months of the event occurs, or when you become aware that you have something to complain about. Please be assured that we will treat every comment and complaint seriously. Making a complaint will not affect your future use of the service we provide.
The easiest way to contact our patient experience team to make a complaint is to submit a ‘Contact Us’ form here.
The Patient Experience Team
West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Trust Headquarters
Millennium Point
Waterfront Business Park
Waterfront Way
Brierley Hill
West Midlands
DY5 1LX
Email: patientexperience@wmas.nhs.uk
Telephone: 0300 303 0996
To read a summery of the Trust’s complaints procedure, please click here
For further guidance on raising a complaint with an NHS Organisation please feel free to visit the website NHS Choices. You can read all of our Patient Experience Annual Report here.
To view the 2022-23 Patient Experience Annual Report, please click here.
Independent NHS Complaints Advocacy Service
Should you require any assistance in raising a complaint, there are several Advocacy Services covering the West Midlands area who will be able to assist you. Their service is free, independent and confidential. Please contact the appropriate service for your area.
POhWER – Telford and Wrekin
Telphone: 0300 456 2370 (Mon-Fri 8am to 6pm)
Fax: 0300 456 2365
Minicom: 0300 456 2364
Text: Send the word ‘pohwer’ with your name and number 81025.
Address:
POhWER Advocacy, PO Box 17943, Birmingham, B6 9PB
Website: www.pohwer.net
Email: pohwer@pohwer.net
Onside Advocacy – Worcestershire / Herefordshire
Telephone: 01905 27525
Email: info@onside-advocacy.org.uk
Fax: 01905 28554
Address:
Onside Independent Advocacy
Williamson House
14 Charles Street
Worcester
WR1 2AQ
Website: www.onside-advocacy.org.uk
NHS Complaints Advocacy Office – Birmingham
Telephone: 0300 456 2370
Text: send the word ‘pohwer’ with your name and number to 81025
Email: pohwer@powher.net
Address:
POhWER Advocacy, PO Box 17943, Birmingham, B6 9PB
Website: www.pohwer.net/birmingham
POhWER – Walsall and Sandwell
Telephone: Helpline Number 0300 456 2370
Text phone: Send the word ‘Pohwer’ with your name and number to 81025
Email: Pohwer@pohwer.net
Fax: 0300 456 2365
Address:
POhWER Advocacy, PO Box 17943, Birmingham, B6 9PB
Website: www.pohwer.net
Voiceability Coventry
Telephone: 0300 303 1660
Email: helpline@voiceability.org
Website: www.voiceability.org
Healthwatch Staffordshire
Telephone: 0800 161 5600
Text: Send the word ‘Healthwatch’ with your name and number to 60006
Email: advocacy@ecstaffs.co.uk
Address:
Healthwatch Staffordshire NHS Complaints Advocacy Service
Suite 2, Opus House
Priestly Court
Staffordshire Technology Park
Stafford
ST18 0LQ
Website: www.healthwatchstaffordshire.co.uk/nhs-complaints
Healthwatch Shropshire
Telephone: 01743 237884
Email: enquiries@healthwatchshropshire.co.uk
Address:
Healthwatch Shropshire NHS Complaints Advocacy Service
4 The Creative Quarter
Shrewsbury Business Park
Shrewsbury
Shropshire
SY2 6LG
WHACS – Wolverhampton Health Advocacy Service (delivered by Healthwatch Wolverhampton)
Contact: 0800 161 5600
Text: 07724172811
Address:
Regent House
Bath Street
Wolverhampton
WV1 4EG
Website: www.whacs.org.uk
Email: mail@whacs.org.uk
Voiceability – Warwickshire
Helpline: 0300 222 5947
Email cwadvocacy@voiceability.org
Address:
VoiceAbility
Unit 1 The Old Granary
Westwick, Oakington
Cambridgeshire
CB24 3AR
Website www.voiceability.org
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
If, after our best efforts, you are still not completely satisfied with our response, you may contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to request a review of your case. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is an independent body established to promote improvements in healthcare through the assessment of the performance of health service providers. Contact the Ombudsman by writing to:
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
Telephone: 0345 015 4033
Care Quality Commission (CQC)
Even though the CQC cannot investigate your individual complaint for you they would like to hear about your experience. This is because they believe involving people who use services in everything they do will help improve them for everyone. They therefore encourage people to share information with them.
Care Quality Commission
National Correspondence
Citygate
Gallowgate
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4PA
Telephone: 0300 061 6161
Website: www.cqc.org.uk
By sharing your experience, they can be learning for the individual staff members concerned or in some cases Trust Wide learning here are some examples from 20129/20:
| You said | We did |
| A patient’s non-emergency transport booking was taken incorrectly with patient notes not added. | The investigation highlighted that the system crashed causing the notes not to save. An apology offered to the contact and all staff in the control room reminder if the system crashed that they check that all patient notes have saved |
| Use of ambulance siren when leaving a hub in the night. | The investigation found the sirens were not needed and a station notice would be produced to advise staff to be considerate to residents. |
| Crew took medication for patient and other party in the property | Staff Notice that all crew to check medication if for patient only. |