[Margaret Pilkington]

If you make a written complaint, then the hospital is legally obliged to follow it up within a prescribed timescale.
They have to notify you that they have received your complaint, they tell you the timescale in which the complaint will be investigated and then they have to tell you what they plan to do about the complaint.
When I was working at what was then, QPH, we were informed to treat even verbal complaints as written complaints...and had to complete IR4 documentation.

Sometimes I think the GP surgeries are to blame, in that they tell you that they haven't received the notification from the hospital when they actually have, but it is filed in the wrong place.
If this is not the case and the hospital is at fault then the right thing to do is follow the complaints procedure. Complaints are subject to audit.
It does absolutely no good to come on here and rant about an establishment, but not follow the procedures laid down that will enable the hospital to investigate the situation....and if everyone did this then there would never be any improvements.
We never ever revisit successes...only failures...and those we can learn from.
I know that I am no longer involved in the daily doings of the hospital, but I do feel it is very unfair to put something on here without giving the hospital an opportunity to redress the balance.
There are people out there who are waiting to go into hospital, and this can be detrimental to their experience.