Where Can I Complain Externally of the HSE?

You may decide to refer your complaint for Independent Review, for example, to the Ombudsman, the Ombudsman for Children or other professional or regulatory bodies. This course of action can be taken either directly following your formal complaint at Stage 2 or following the Stage 3 review by the HSE of how they handled your complaint in the first instance. 

The office of the Ombudsman looks at complaints from people who feel treated unfairly by a public service provider, including examining complaints from people who use Public Acute Hospitals. 

On receipt of a complaint, the Ombudsman will carry out a preliminary investigation to see if the complaint needs a formal investigation. The preliminary investigation may include an informal interview with the service user. 

The Ombudsman can examine complaints about the actions of a range of public bodies, including Public Acute Hospitals. All hospitals providing public health services come within the Ombudsman’s remit.

The Ombudsman can examine complaints about how HSE staff carry out their everyday administrative activities when providing public health services.

These include complaints about delays or failing to take action.

You can find out how to make a complaint to the Ombudsman on this page.

• Any complaints relating to a private company, private hospital, individual or private practitioner.
• Complaints relating to clinical judgement, such as a diagnosis.
• Where the issue being complained about is being decided before the courts.
• Where legislation allows a right of appeal against the decision of the public body to the courts or to an independent appeal body.
• Complaints relating to recruitment or terms and conditions of employment. 
• Where the Ombudsman receives a request in writing from any Government Minister to cease the investigation. 

Anyone can make a complaint to the Ombudsman for Children provided it is about a service in the Republic of Ireland. The Ombudsman for Children accepts complaints from children and young people under the age of 18, and also from adults on a child’s behalf. The role of the Ombudsman for Children is to see if a public body’s administrative actions have had an adverse effect on a child or children.

You can make a complaint to the Children’s Ombudsman on this page.

The Medical Council can consider a complaint about any medical doctor registered in Ireland. This includes doctors working in all branches of medicine, including hospital and general practice. The Medical Council can only look into complaints where a doctor’s fitness to practise is called into question.

The Medical Council can only review complaints on the following grounds:

• Professional Misconduct
• Poor Professional Performance (Important notice on complaints amounting to poor professional performance)
• A relevant medical disability
• A failure to comply with one or more condition(s) attached to a doctor’s registration.
• A failure to comply with an undertaking given to the Medical Council or to take any action specified in a consent given in the context of a previous inquiry.
• Contravention (infringement) of the Medical Practitioners Act 2007.
• A conviction in the State for an offence triable on indictment or if convicted outside the State, for an offence that would be triable on indictment in the Irish courts.

Information on how to make a complaint to the Medical Council is available here.

You may wish to make a complaint to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) if you are concerned about the behaviour, conduct, practice or health of a registered nurse or a registered midwife. You may also wish to make a complaint to NMBI if you become aware of an incident or incidents involving a nurse or midwife that may have compromised a patient’s safety or the protection of the public.

NMBI is legally responsible for considering complaints against nurses and midwives through its fitness to practise functions.

You can find out about how to make a complaint to the NMBI here.

CORU is Ireland’s multi-profession health and social care regulator. CORU’s role is to protect the public by promoting high standards of professional conduct, education, training and competence through statutory registration of health and social care professionals.

CORU’s complaints process is referred to as Fitness to Practise. Complaints may only be made about health and social care professionals who are registered with CORU. The registers for the following professions are now open:

• Dietitians 
• Medical Scientists
• Occupational Therapists
• Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians
• Physiotherapists
• Radiographers/Radiation Therapists
• Social Workers
• Speech and Language Therapists

You can make a complaint about a healthcare professional from the above list through this site.

HIQA is the Health Information and Quality Authority, and is an independent authority established to regulate and drive high standards in health and social care in Ireland.

HIQA conduct inspections of health and social care services, write reports and sets national standards and guidelines for health and social care.

HIQA cannot investigate individual complaints. However, if you have a concern about a particular service, you can contact HIQA to alert them to an issue. HIQA can be contacted by:

Phone: 021 240 9646
Email: concerns@hiqa.ie

Post information to: Concerns, HIQA, George’s Court, George’s Lane, Smithfield, Dublin 7, Ireland.

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If you have a concern about an adult that might be at risk of abuse, neglect or ill-treatment while in a HSE-funded service, you can contact the Confidential Recipient. 

You can report a concern about an adult in a vulnerable situation at risk of abuse to the Confidential Recipient to the following contact details;

The Office of the Confidential Recipient for Vulnerable Persons,
Training Services Centre,
Dooradoyle,
Limerick

LoCall: 1890 100 014
Phone: 087 665 7269
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm.

grainne.cunningham@crhealth.ie

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