Feedback & queries

This page gives information on the kinds of support that are available if you have queries, concerns, compliments or complaints. 

Patient liaison service

The patient liaison service offers confidential help and advice for patients, families and carers. We have a team of three patient liaison officers who can help you in many ways:

• Get you the information you need about hospital services.
• Listen and respond to your questions, concerns or compliments.
• Give you help and support if things go wrong.
• Help you resolve any problems or issues that you have about our hospital services.
• Give you information about our formal complaints process and independent support services.

We will always ask your permission before your personal information is discussed with others. We can also talk to staff, management and other organisations on your behalf. For further information, please see our patient liaison service information leaflet.

Patient compliments and general feedback

If you had a good experience at the Mater Hospital and would like to thank the staff who cared for you, you can let us know. Please send your message to patientservices@mater.ie.

You can also provide feedback using our feedback form below. You can email this to us or you can print and send the completed form in by post to the address provided.

• Patient feedback form

For more information on providing feedback, please see our taking your feedback seriously information leaflet here.

Your voice is important to us

When designing our hospital systems and services, it is important to us to take the views and opinions of our patients into account. We are currently looking for patients who are interested in becoming involved in our patient groups and forums. If you are or have been a patient with us at the Mater Hospital, and are interested in getting involved as a patient representative, please contact our Patient Liaison Office by email at patientservices@mater.ie or by telephone at the numbers provided above with your contact details.

 

How to raise a concern or make a complaint about patient care

Sometimes things don’t go just as you would like them to. We’d like to know about it so that we can try to put matters right. There several ways for you do this.

If you are a patient or visiting an inpatient:

Talk to the ward manager or nurse in charge. They will listen to you, agree what actions to take and update you on progress that is made. Many problems can be resolved quickly by talking things through, avoiding the need for a formal complaint.

If you are an outpatient:

Please ask the staff at the registration area to put you in touch with the appropriate person to speak to in the department.

If you would rather talk to someone outside the ward or department:

If you feel you are unable to discuss your concerns with the ward or clinical staff, please contact our patient liaison service at one of the numbers provided or by email. Our patient liaison officers will help you to resolve your issue without you having to make a formal complaint. They can also tell you more about our complaints procedure and how to contact an independent advocacy service.

If you have a concern or complaint during the evening or night time:

You can discuss your concern with your nurse or doctor, or ask to speak to the site nurse manager on duty. If you feel your concern needs further attention, please leave a message with the patient liaison service.

Will raising a concern affect your (or your relative's) care:

Some people can be worried about raising a concern or complaint about their care or the care of someone close to them. Please don't be. We want to provide the safest, highest quality of care. Your feedback will help us to keep improving.

Formal complaints

How do I make a formal complaint?

If it hasn't been possible to resolve your concerns locally, you have the option to make a formal complaint in writing.  

• You can send your complaint by letter, email or fax. 
• You should do this as soon as possible. The timeframe for making a complaint is 12 months after the event (or within 12 months of becoming aware that you have cause to complain).

What do I include in my formal complaint?

We suggest you give the following information when you are making a formal complaint on your own behalf.

• Your name, contact details and your medical record number if you know it
• A postal address for correspondence
• Your email address and telephone number, if you would like to be contacted in these ways
• A summary of your complaint

Below are some of the key areas that you should cover in your summary of the complaint.

• What happened?
• Who was involved?
• When did it happen?
• Where did it happen?
• How did it happen?
• Why did it happen?
• What is your desired outcome?

Healthcomplaints.ie provides information on how to make a complaint or give feedback about health and social care services in Ireland. This link also provides information on independent advocacy services.

If you ask a friend or relative to write your complaint on your behalf, we will ask you to sign a consent form. This will give us permission to disclose your personal information to this person.

What happens after I make my complaint?

• We will assign a patient liaison officer (PLO) to your case.
• The PLO will acknowledge your complaint within five working days of receiving it. They will assess your complaint and identify all the key issues raised. The PLO will then examine your case and will keep you informed of progress.
• When the PLO has finished their examination, they will write to you outlining the outcome/findings.
• The PLO will set out what actions (if necessary) the Mater Hospital will take when our service has fallen below the expected standard.

On occasion, the PLO will recommend a face-to-face meeting with the healthcare professionals involved. The PLO will organise and attend the meeting to support you. For further information please see our patient information leaflets. 

What can I do if I’m still not happy?

If you are not happy with the written response, you can ask for a review from:

Director of Quality
Ireland East Hospital Group
C/O Mater Misericordiae University Hospital
Eccles Street
Dublin
D07 R2WY

You can also contact the ombudsman at any time to ask for a review.

Office of the Ombudsman
18 Lower Leeson Street
Dublin 2
D02 HE97

Tel: (01) 639 5600
LoCall: 1890 22 30 30 (from outside the 01 area)
Fax: (01) 639 5674
Email: ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.ie

Safety Notice

If you are a patient who had open heart surgery at the Mater Hospital in the last 5 years, please complete this online patient form to ensure that we have your correct contact details to enable us to contact you.