Foreword

1. When to Use Which Letter

2. L0 — Acknowledgement

3. L1 — Confirmed, and something changed

4. L2 — Confirmed, change in progress

5. L3 — Looked into, not confirmed, or disputed

6. L4 — Praise

7. L5 — Outside the council's remit

Annex A — Checklist Before Sending

References

Index

Foreword

The letter is the step that matters most. A person who complains and is answered rarely complains twice; a person who complains into silence goes where they will be heard. Every patient who raises a concern receives one of these letters within five working days of the council meeting. They are short, plain, and honest — including when the answer is "we looked, and we could not confirm it".

1. When to Use Which Letter

2. L0 — Acknowledgement

Sent by email, SMS or WhatsApp within two working days of receipt. By post if no other contact.

3. L1 — Confirmed, and something changed

Worked example — case 015

Dear Mr. Gelashvili, Case PV-CDH-2026-03-015. On 22 March you told us: "Nobody told me the scan needed fasting. I came, was sent home, and lost a day's work." What we found: the appointment SMS did not include preparation instructions. What has changed: from 25 March every appointment SMS for imaging includes the preparation instructions, and reception now confirms them by phone the day before. The Patient Council discussed your case on 9 April and asked the hospital to check in June that the new message is working. Thank you — this changed because you said it. [signature]

4. L2 — Confirmed, change in progress

Worked example — case 009 (anonymous)

Dear patient, Case PV-CDH-2026-03-009. On 17 March you told us by phone that an evening antibiotic was given at 23:40 instead of 20:00 and that you were told the handover was late. What we found: the drug chart confirms the delay; the ward handover that evening ran 90 minutes late. The hospital has agreed to a written handover-time rule and a second check of the evening medication round on Ward 4, by 30 April. The Patient Council will confirm at its May meeting that both are in place, and we will write to you again then. You asked not to be identified and you have not been. [signature]

5. L3 — Looked into, not confirmed, or disputed

The hardest letter, and the one that decides whether the patient trusts the council. It never says the patient was wrong. It shows both accounts.

Worked example — case 012

Dear Ms. Japaridze, Case PV-CDH-2026-03-012. On 19 March you told us that construction noise on two nights made sleep impossible. We put this to the hospital. Their account is that no works took place inside the building that week; municipal road works were under way outside Ward 4 on 18 and 19 March. The Patient Council heard both accounts on 9 April. The hospital has written to the municipality and now offers earplugs on Ward 4 on request. Your account and the hospital's are recorded side by side. [signature]

6. L4 — Praise

7. L5 — Outside the council's remit

Annex A — Checklist Before Sending

☐ Case number and the patient's own words are in the letter

☐ The finding matches the verified report — nothing added, nothing softened

☐ A date is given for every change or commitment

☐ No staff member is named as at fault

☐ If anonymous: no identifying detail, and the letter goes to the channel the patient chose

☐ A name, a phone number and the case number are at the end

☐ Sent within five working days of the meeting; date logged in the register

References

1. Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. My expectations for raising concerns and complaints. London: PHSO; 2014.
2. Accréditation Sans Frontières. Patient Voice — Monthly Report Template, ASF-PV-REPORT-001-v1. Paris: ASF; 2026.

Index

Acknowledgement, L0

Anonymous patients, L2 example, Annex A

Disputed cases, L3

Praise, L4

Remit, outside, L5

Rules, Foreword