Compliments, feedback and complaints
At HBSUK, we are committed to providing safe, effective, compassionate and high-quality care for every patient. We welcome all feedback, whether you would like to make a complaint, raise a concern, share a suggestion, or tell us about a positive experience. Your feedback helps us understand what we are doing well and where we can improve. We take all comments seriously and will treat you with respect, fairness and confidentiality.
How we can help
You can contact us if you would like to:
- Make a complaint about your care, appointment, communication, digital experience or any part of the service you received
- Raise a concern and ask us to look into something
- Share feedback about your experience
- Give a compliment about a member of staff, clinician or service
- Suggest how we could improve
You will not be treated differently because you make a complaint or raise a concern. We want patients to feel confident speaking to us.
Before making a complaint
Sometimes we can resolve concerns quickly. If something has gone wrong, or you are unhappy with your experience, please contact us as soon as possible so we can try to help.
For example, we may be able to help with:
- Appointment queries
- Difficulties accessing your online account or digital pathway
- Questions about communication you have received
- Concerns about delays
- Questions about next steps in your care
- Problems with documentation or reports
- Concerns about the attitude or behaviour of a staff member
- Any aspect of your experience with HBSUK
How to contact us
You can make a complaint, provide feedback or send a compliment in the following ways:
Online: please click the orange button below.
Email: customer-relations@hbsuk.co.uk
Telephone: 0115 857 3842
If you need help making a complaint, please let us know. We can support you with accessibility needs, communication preferences, or alternative formats.
What to include in your complaint
To help us investigate and respond as quickly as possible, please include:
- Your full name
- Your date of birth
- Your contact details
- Your HBSUK reference number, if you have one
- Your AXA Health membership number, if your care is through AXA
- The NHS Trust, hospital or service involved, if your care is through an NHS pathway
- The date or approximate date of the appointment, contact or incident
- A clear description of what happened
- What you would like us to do to put things right
- Any documents, screenshots or information that may help us understand your concern
Please do not send unnecessary medical information unless it is relevant to your complaint.
If you are complaining on behalf of someone else
You can make a complaint on behalf of another person, such as a family member, friend or someone you care for. To protect patient confidentiality, we will need the patient’s consent before we can share information or respond in detail.
If the patient is unable to give consent, please tell us why, and we will explain what information we need.
What happens after you complain?
When we receive your complaint, we will:
- Acknowledge your complaint.
- Review the information you have provided.
- Identify the most appropriate person or team to investigate.
- Contact you if we need more information.
- Provide a response explaining what we found and, where appropriate, what action we will take.
We aim to resolve complaints as quickly and fairly as possible. Some complaints may take longer if they are complex, involve several organisations, or require clinical review. If this happens, we will keep you updated.
Complaints about AXA Health pathways
If you are an AXA Health patient using HBSUK services, you can contact us about your experience with the HBSUK service.
We will review and respond to informal complaints, concerns, feedback and queries relating to your HBSUK experience. This may include concerns about:
- Accessing the HBS Platform
- Booking or appointment communication
- Your digital pathway
- Your consultation or assessment
- Reports or next steps provided by HBSUK
- Your experience with HBSUK staff or clinicians
If your concern relates to the clinical care provided by HBSUK, we will investigate this appropriately and respond in line with our complaints process.
If you wish to raise a formal complaint relating to your AXA Health pathway, membership, policy cover, authorisation, claims, funding decisions, or other matters managed by AXA Health, this should be directed to AXA Health directly.
Where a complaint involves both HBSUK and AXA Health, we will explain the appropriate route and, where required, work with AXA Health to support a response.
Complaints about NHS Digital pathways
If you have used an HBSUK digital service as part of an NHS pathway, you can raise concerns with HBSUK about the service we provided.
This may include concerns about:
- Digital access or login issues
- Online triage or assessment
- Communication from HBSUK
- Appointment arrangements
- Clinical reports or onward recommendations
- Your experience using the HBS Platform
Depending on the nature of your complaint, we may need to work with the relevant NHS organisation, NHS Trust or commissioner. We will explain this to you and ensure your complaint is directed appropriately.
Complaints about NHS Insourcing services
HBSUK works with NHS organisations to support the delivery of patient care through NHS Insourcing services.
If you received care from HBSUK as part of an NHS Insourcing service and would like to make a complaint, please contact the NHS provider responsible for your care directly. This is usually the NHS Trust, hospital or healthcare organisation where your appointment took place.
The NHS provider will manage your complaint through their own complaints process. Where the complaint relates to care or services provided by HBSUK, the NHS provider will contact us directly, with your consent, in line with the relevant contract and information governance requirements.
This may include complaints about:
- Your appointment at an NHS site
- The clinician or team who saw you
- Communication before or after your appointment
- Delays, cancellations or changes
- Reports, results or follow-up information
- Your overall experience of the service
Information for NHS providers
If you are an NHS provider wishing to raise a complaint with HBSUK on behalf of a patient, please ensure you have the patient’s consent before sharing any patient-identifiable information with us.
Please email NHS Insourcing complaints to: hbsuk.nhscomplaints@nhs.net
Please include relevant details to help us review the complaint, including the patient reference, appointment date, service area, NHS provider name, clinic letter or medical records relating to the episode of care, and the full complaint.
NHS complaints and further support
All complaints relating to NHS Insourcing services must be made directly to the NHS provider responsible for the patient’s care. This is usually the NHS Trust, hospital or healthcare organisation where the appointment, treatment or referral took place. The NHS provider will manage the complaint through its own complaints process. If the complaint relates to care or services delivered by HBSUK, the NHS provider will contact HBSUK directly, with the patient’s consent, so that we can support their investigation in line with contractual requirements.
Patients should not submit NHS Insourcing complaints directly to HBSUK. If you are unsure who your NHS provider is, please contact the NHS organisation where your appointment or treatment took place.
You may also be able to contact local NHS support services, such as the Patient Advice and Liaison Service, known as PALS, for help with questions, concerns or support in raising a complaint.
If you remain unhappy after receiving the final response to an NHS complaint, or you feel your complaint has not been resolved, you may be able to contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
Confidentiality and data protection
We will handle your complaint confidentially and in line with data protection requirements. Information about your complaint will only be shared with people who need it to investigate, respond or improve our services.
We may use learning from complaints, feedback and compliments to improve patient experience, staff training, processes and service quality.
Accessible complaints, feedback and compliments
We want everyone to be able to share feedback, raise a concern, make a complaint or send a compliment in a way that is accessible and easy to use.
If you need information in a different format, or you need support to communicate with us, please let us know. We will do our best to make reasonable adjustments so that our complaints, feedback and compliments process is clear, fair and accessible.
This may include support such as:
- Large print information
- Easy read information
- Interpreter or translation support
- Support for hearing, speech or communication needs
- Help from a representative, carer, family member or advocate
- Reasonable adjustments to help you access or complete the complaints process
You can tell us about any accessibility needs when you contact us. We will consider your needs and work with you to make the process as straightforward as possible.
Compliments
We are always pleased to hear when you have had a positive experience. Compliments help us recognise good practice and share positive feedback with our staff and clinicians.
You can send a compliment by email, telephone, post or through our online feedback form.
Feedback and suggestions
You do not need to make a formal complaint to tell us what you think. We welcome general feedback and suggestions at any time.
Your comments help us improve our services for future patients.
We are here to listen
Whether your experience was positive or something did not go as expected, we want to hear from you.
Contact us
Whether you’re an NHS Trust looking to reduce waiting lists, a patient seeking specialist care, or a healthcare professional looking for your next opportunity — we’d love to hear from you.