What are the time limits for making a complaint?

A patient can make a complaint within six months of the incident. However, if it has taken the patient some time to discover the problem then the time limit is within six months from the point of discovery, as long as this is no more than 12 months since the incident.

Trust complaints managers and the Healthcare Commission have discretion to extend this time limit if the circumstances show that the complaint could not have been made earlier, and if it is still possible to investigate the complaint.

An example of this could be that a patient could had suffered distress or trauma that prevented the complaint being made. The complainant can object to a decision not to exercise the discretion to extend the limit

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