Question: I was in hospital recently and I was not happy with my experience there. When I complained to the nurse in charge I wasn’t satisfied with the response. How can I take my complaint further?

Answer: The Health Service Executive (HSE) has a complaints system, called Your Service Your Say, that you can use to make a complaint about your experience of a service provided by the HSE or on behalf of the HSE.
If you want to make a complaint about a public hospital to the HSE, you can get support from the Patient Advocacy Service to help you.
The Patient Advocacy Service is fully independent of the HSE. It is a free and confidential service that can provide you with information to support you to make a formal complaint about an experience you have had in a public acute hospital.
The Patient Advocacy Service provides support by phone helpline on 0818 293003, and on its website, patientadvocacyservice.ie. You can also email info@patientadvocacyservice.ie.
The service can explain how to make a formal complaint, including what you should include in your complaint and how to write it.
If there is a delay with the processing of the complaint, or if you are not satisfied with the outcome, the Patient Advocacy Service can give you information about your options.
If you have a question about the Patient Advocacy Service, but you are not looking for information or support in relation to the care you have experienced, you can submit a contact form on its website.
Further information is available from the Citizens Information Centre below.
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