Public Health complaints policy
Making a complaint
Complaints can be made in the following ways:
- by submitting a complaints on our website, this is our preferred method and will guarantee the quickest response
- by emailing [email protected]
- by telephone on 0191 433 3000
- by writing to Alice Wiseman, Director of Public Health, Gateshead Council, Regent Street, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear NE8 1HH
- in-person at the Civic Centre and any council-maintained centre
- through your local councillor or Member of Parliament
Who can complain
The regulations set out who can make a complaint about Public Health services:
- a person who receives or has received public health services from Gateshead Council
- a person who is affected, or likely to be affected, by the action, omission or decision of Gateshead Council
A complaint can be made by a person acting on behalf of a person who:
- has died
- is a child
- is unable to make a complaint themselves because of physical incapacity or lacks capacity within the meaning of the Mental Capacity Act 2005
- has requested the representative to act on their behalf
If a representative makes a complaint on behalf of a child, the council will not consider the complaint unless it is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for the complaint being made by a representative instead of the child. If the council is not so satisfied, we will notify the representative in writing and state our reasons for the decision.
If the complaint is made on behalf of a child or someone who lacks mental capacity to make the decision, the complaint will only be considered if the council is satisfied that the representative is acting in the best interests of the person they are representing. If the council is of the view that the representative is not acting in the person's best interests, the representative will be notified in writing along with reasons. In such cases, the complaint can be referred to the .
Anonymous complaints
It is helpful if complainants say who they are so that the council can get in touch with them to clarify issues and give feedback on the outcome of their complaint. However, the council believes everyone has the right to complain and anonymous complaints will be thoroughly investigated, if there is enough information in the complaint to enable us to make further enquiries.
However, we may not be able to fully investigate an anonymous complaint if it is not possible to establish the impact on the complainant, or if it is not possible to identify whether there are any conflicts of interest or other ongoing actions such as appeals or court action.