Time limits

Healthcare Commission

The complainant has 6 months to refer the case to the Healthcare Commission after the completion of Local Resolution.

An acknowledgement to this request will be sent to the complainant within two working days (or, if this is not possible, as soon as reasonably practicable) of the receipt of the complaint. This will come from the initial reviewer in the screening team.

Where appropriate, the initial reviewer in the screening team may contact the complainant for further information or clarification. If the complainant does not provide this information within three months without a good reason, the Healthcare Commission may decide to close the case and advise the complainant of their right to complain to the Ombudsman.

The decision on further action should not normally exceed 20 working days from the date that the expert’s advice is received (if sought). Sometimes it may take longer to clarify the facts and seek advice (see below). Where this happens the parties will be informed and given a revised timetable.

If the Healthcare Commission has written to the complainant to inform them it will be investigating the complaint, it has 10 working days from the date of that letter to inform the complainant of its intended scope of the investigation (terms of reference). The complainant has 10 days to comment on the proposed scope of the investigation.

The Healthcare Commission’s original target was to complete the investigation within 20 working days. The timescale may vary depending on the complexity of the case. If there are delays, the complainant will be kept informed.

There may be delays at the investigation stage The Healthcare Commission has not been able to achieve its target of an initial review within 20 days. This means that the target for investigation to complete the investigation within 20 working days, may be delayed as a result of this. The timescale for investigation may also vary because of the complexity of the case. If there are delays, the complainant has to be kept informed.

When the investigation is completed, a report will be produced, summarising the findings of fact, the conclusions and recommendations. The Healthcare Commission aims to complete this report within 2-3 months. The current overall target is to complete the investigation of cases within 6 months.

If a complaint is referred to a panel the Healthcare Commission will set up a panel of three people – a chair and two panel members. The panel process will normally be completed within 4 months of the date of the request. This includes the distribution of the panel report.

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