Making a complaint
The Scottish Ambulance Service aims to provide the best possible services but accept that sometimes things do go wrong. If there is an aspect of your care or some service with which you have not been satisfied, please let us know as soon as possible.
Local resolution
The Service aims to resolve your complaint or concern quickly and fairly and where possible by one of our local managers talking to you.
Who can complain?
Any person who has used the Scottish Ambulance Service, a relative or friend on behalf of a patient, a care provider or a health professional accessing the Service on behalf of patients. Please note that you will be required to provide signed consent if you are complaining on behalf of a relative of friend providing they are fit to do so and you will be sent a form with the acknowledgement to your complaint – see below under “What happens after a complaint is mad?”.
Will I be treated differently if I complain about the Service?
Absolutely not. The Service welcomes feedback on the Services and care it provides and the health and well- being of our patients is our primary concern.
How can I make a complaint?
There are a number of ways a complaint can be made. You can complain in person to a member of staff, contact us by telephone, complete an online form or write to us. If contacting us be e-mail, please provide your full postal address and telephone details and that of the patient if you are complaining on behalf of somebody.
Telephone 0131 314 0000
Online by completing our online complaints form
By post to Scottish Ambulance - National Complaints Administrator, Scottish Ambulance Service National Headquarters, Gyle Square, 1 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9EB
Independent advice and support service
If you have any comments about the treatment you have received in any part of the NHS (including the Scottish Ambulance Service) and you are not sure what to do next, your local Citizens Advice Bureau will be able to provide assistance to you and act in many cases raise the issue on your behalf. The Service provided by Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) is free, confidential, independent and impartial.
What happens after a complaint is made?
After making a formal complaint we will write to you within three working days of receipt of the complaint to acknowledge that we have received your complaint. A data protection form will be sent to you to complete. It is important that you send this back to us promptly, especially is someone is complaining on your behalf. This will confirm that you are happy for another person to act on your behalf.
We will keep you informed of the progress of your complaint and once this has been investigated we will write to you with the outcome. We aim to resolve all complaints within 20 working days. Where this is not possible we will write to you to advise you of this.
Cases for possible mediation
The NHS Complaints Procedure requires Health Boards to consider conciliation or mediation services to help resolve a complaint where it is appropriate and the parties involved agree.
Scottish Ambulance Service is working in partnership with the Scottish Mediation Network to pilot the use of mediation in complaints handling within NHSScotland. By accepting the offer of mediation you will be agreeing to participate in the mediation pilot. Please be assured that all details of your complaint will be kept confidential. The aim of the pilot is to examine how mediation can help resolve NHS complaints and how we can deliver a mediation service for NHSScotland. The outcomes and lessons from the pilot will be used to provide advice and guidance across NHSScotland.
Should there may be an opportunity to consider this in your complaint, the Complaints Team will advise you.
I’m not happy with the way my complaint has been handled
If you are unsatisfied with the response to your complaint you can write to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman who will consider complaints after they have been through the formal complaints process. You can contact them at
Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
4 Melville Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7NS
Freephone 0800 377 7330
Fax: 0800 377 7331
Text number: 0790 049 4372
Email: ask@spso.org.uk
http://www.spso.org.uk
Reports featuring the Scottish Ambulance Service are available from the Scottish Public Service's Ombusman.