Having your voice heard
Comments, compliments and complaints
If you receive a care service in your home or you are living in a care home, you should feel able to comment on, compliment or complain about any aspect of your care that affects your happiness or comfort. You can also make comments and suggestions about possible improvements to your surroundings and the services provided.
All registered providers have a complaints procedure, details of which must be made available to clients, residents, relatives and other Carers.
If you need to make a complaint you should initially tell the manager of the service to see if things can be put right.
You can provide your views on the service you receive to Cheshire West and Chester Council.
Healthwatch
Healthwatch Cheshire West is an independent voice that helps shape and improve local health and social care services. Healthwatch makes sure that people's voices are heard, and it wants to hear about your views, needs and experiences, both positive and negative, to help people in Cheshire West get the best possible health and social care.
Healthwatch monitors local health and social care services, finding out what works well and challenging service providers to influence service delivery for the better.
Healthwatch also provides an NHS Independent Complaints and Advocacy Service for Cheshire, guiding you through what can be a complicated process in making a complaint against NHS services.
- Healthwatch Cheshire West
- Telephone: 0300 323 0006
- Email: info@healthwatchcwac.org.uk
NHS Independent Advocacy Service
- Email: info@icascheshire.org.uk
- Write to: Healthwatch Cheshire West, Sension House, Denton Drive, Northwich, Cheshire CW9 7LU
Advocacy
In certain circumstances, the law says that you are entitled to have support with decision-making. Advocates can give advice, support and information, helping you to voice your concerns and guiding you through difficult or challenging times.
Consider using the services of an advocate if you feel unsure or concerned when you are faced with making an important decision about your care. Advocates are not there to tell you what to do or to make decisions for you, but to help you express your views and make your own choices.
- Telephone: 03333 66 00 27
- Email: advocacy@ageukcheshire.org.uk
- Write to: The Cheshire Advocacy Hub, Sension House, Denton Drive, Northwich CW9 7LU
Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
PALS offers confidential advice, support and information on issues with healthcare matters. It provides a point of contact for patients, their families and their Carers. PALS can:
- help you with health-related questions
- help to resolve concerns or problems when you are using the NHS
- advise you on how you can get more involved in your healthcare.
You can contact PALS by asking your GP or hospital for details or by calling NHS 111 (dial 111).
Other contacts
West Cheshire group
- Telephone: 01244 650368 or 0800 132996
- Email: enquiries.wcheshireccg@nhs.net
Vale Royal group
- Telephone: 01270 275390
- Email: complaints.nhsvaleroyalccg@nhs.net
Inspecting and regulating care services
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. It registers care providers and inspects and rates services. When things go wrong, the CQC can also take action to protect people who use services.
After an inspection of a care home or home care agency, the CQC publishes a report of what it found. Each provider gets an overall rating of outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate. The ratings mean you can easily see where a service is performing well, and where it needs to improve.
It's always a good idea to check inspection reports and ratings when choosing a care service. You can find reports and ratings on the CQC's website.
You can also tell the CQC about your experiences of care on their website.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- Telephone: 03000 616161
- Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk
- Write to: The Care Quality Commission, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4PA