Information for private patients who have received care at our hospitals
Thank you for choosing to be cared for as a private patient at either Colchester or Ipswich Hospital.
Here is some information about what to do if you are unhappy with your care.
Make a complaint
You can complain about the care through the doctor’s private practice for all clinical matters, or through the hospital for all facilities matters. Each party will respond to your complaint in line with their own complaints processes. They should be open and honest with you.
For your hospital facility services
You can find out about ESNEFT’s complaints process on the How to make a complaint page on our website.
ESNEFT is not registered with the Independent Healthcare Sector Complaints Adjudication Service.
For the care you receive from a doctor
To find out the complaints process for your private doctor, please refer to the doctor or your contract with them for details on how to make a complaint. ESNEFT do not handle complaints about doctors’ private practice
If your complaint involves the doctor and it is not resolved by your making a complaint, you might also want to contact the General Medical Council (GMC) for advice. Visit the General Medical Council website (Opens in a new window)
Other options you might consider
Consider your rights under the Consumer Credit Act 1974. This may offer you an option for requesting refunds for example cosmetic procedures that are not surgical in nature
Seek legal advice if you believe the procedure was carried out negligently.
To find a solicitor to assist you, visit the Law Society website (Opens in a new window)..
Support can also be provided by Accidents against Medical Accidents (AvMA), a charity for patient safety and justice.
Visit the AvMA website (Opens in a new window) for support.
The Private Healthcare Information Network is responsible to make the private healthcare market more transparent. It also offers some information on private healthcare on their website.
Visit the Private Healthcare Information Network website (Opens in a new window)
There may be some aspects of care that NHS referral could support, however each clinical situation would need individual assessment and therefore referral by the GP to the clinical team would be your first step.