Our Guide on Changes to Primary Care Complaints
From 1 July 2023, the way members of the public make a complaint about primary
care services to commissioners will change. Rather than contacting NHS England, you will contact your local integrated care board (ICB). Primacy care services include GPs, dentists, opticians or pharmacy services.
There are two ways you can make a complaint:
- You can complain to the healthcare provider: this is the organisation where you received the NHS service, for example a GP surgery or dental surgery
or
- You can complain to the commissioner of the service: this is the organisation that paid for the service or care you received.
After 1 July 2023, you will be able to find information about how to make a complaint on your local ICB website. A few key points to note:
- 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.
- The central NHS England complaints team will retain the handling of complaints for some services commissioned directly by NHS England.
- By giving ICBs responsibility for a broader range of functions, they will be able to design services, including how to make complaints, that better meet local priorities.
You have the right to make a complaint about any aspect of NHS care, treatment or service,and this is written into the NHS Constitution on GOV.UK. You can find a full FAQ about the changes below.
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.
What date will ICBs start to handle primary care complaints?
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.
- Your local ICB website
- The NHS website
- Gov.uk
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. 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.
