Complaints, Compliments and Feedback
If you are unhappy about the service you have received from Orkney Health and Care (OHAC), or anything we have done or not done, we want to know about it. If you have a complaint about the Orkney Integration Joint Board (IJB) please go to the IJB Complaints Handling Procedure in the 'Related Downloads' section of this page.
We would also like to know if we have done something you like so we can do it again or if you have any ideas about how OHAC can make life better for you or people in Orkney.
How can I make a compliment, complaint or provide feedback?
Compliments
If the service is one provided by Orkney Islands Council:
- By visiting the Council’s customer services.
- By telephoning the Council on 01856873535.
- By writing to Complaints, compliments and feedback, Orkney Islands Council, School Place, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NY.
- By sending an email.
If the service is one provided by the NHS Orkney:
- By letting a member of staff know.
- By telephoning the NHS on 01856 888221 and asking to speak to Julie Tait.
- By writing to the Patient Experience Officer, NHS Orkney, Forelands Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NZ.
- By sending an email.
Complaints
If the service is one provided by Orkney Islands Council:
- By visiting the Council’s customer services.
- By telephoning the Council on 01856873535.
- By writing to Complaints, compliments and feedback, Orkney Islands Council, School Place, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NY.
- By sending an email.
If the service is one provided by the NHS Orkney:
- By letting a member of staff know.
- By telephoning the NHS on 01856 888221 and asking to speak to Julie Tait.
- By writing to the Patient Experience Officer, NHS Orkney, Forelands Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NZ.
- By sending an email.
Feedback
If the service is one provided by Orkney Islands Council:
- By visiting the Council’s customer services.
- By telephoning the Council on 01856873535.
- By writing to Complaints, compliments and feedback, Orkney Islands Council, School Place, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NY.
- By sending an email.
If the service is one provided by the NHS Orkney:
- By letting a member of staff know.
- By telephoning the NHS on 01856 888221 and asking to speak to Julie Tait.
- By writing to the Patient Experience Officer, NHS Orkney, Forelands Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NZ.
- By sending an email.
If you are not sure who provides the service concerned, then please get in touch with either the Council or NHS Orkney and we will make sure your message goes to where it is intended.
Child Friendly Complaints
On July 16 2024, the United Nation Convention on the Rights of Children (UNCRC) (Incorporation)(Scotland) Act 2024 made Scotland the first country in the UK, and the first devolved nation in the world, to directly incorporate the UNCRC into domestic law.
This Act ensures that children’s rights are central to policy and decision-making, and that their needs are met by public service complaints procedures in Scotland.
This means that when there is a child raises a complaint directly, an adult raises a complaint on behalf of a child, or an adult raises a complaint about matters affecting a child, we must ensure that the child’s voice is included as part of the investigation. We are currently updating our Child Friendly Complaints Policy based upon this new legislation and the principles set out by the Scottish Public Service Ombudsman’s (SPSO) and this will be available soon. We have included a link to the SPSO’s Guidance document in the Related Sites section of this page.
Advocacy
If you need support to give feedback or make a complaint, advocacy services are available to help you to say what you want to say.
Advocacy Orkney provides independent advocacy support for everyone and can be contacted on 01856 870111. There’s a link to their website in the Related Sites section of this page.
Any children or young person who is open to social work can also access independent advocacy support from Who Cares? Scotland. They do not need to be care experienced. There’s a link to their website in the Related Sites section of this page.
