Complaints procedure

The Care Quality, Complaints and Disputes Act aims to open up about complaints and adverse events within healthcare and learn from them.

Are you dissatisfied about something, or do you have a complaint about our care? We will be happy to talk to you and look for a solution.
If you are unwilling or unable to discuss the complaint with us, or if you would like independent support with this, you can contact DOKh (www.dokh.nl). DOKh is an external organisation we are affiliated with to help resolve dissatisfaction and complaints about our care.

DOKh complaints procedure

A good relationship between you and your doctor is important. Sometimes, unfortunately, things happen that disrupt this relationship. You are dissatisfied, you have a complaint. You can read about the options for resolving your complaint on the website and how your complaint is dealt with within the DOKh complaints procedure.

First try to discuss and resolve the problem in a personal conversation with your doctor. If this fails, your doctor will put you in touch with DOKh’s Complaints Officer. You can also contact DOKh directly yourself.

Complaint reception

DOKh’s Complaints Officer is independent and will work with you to find a solution to your complaint. Within 1 week of your complaint becoming known to DOKh, the Complaints Officer will contact you.

The Complaints Officer will try to mediate the complaint if you are open to doing so.

Complaint mediation

Many complaints can be resolved in a (telephone) conversation. During mediation talks, you and your doctor will have the opportunity to explain the event(s). As mutual understanding grows, a workable situation often arises again. The ultimate goal of mediation is to restore the relationship between you and your doctor.

Judgement formulated by doctor

To complete the complaint process, the doctor is obliged within 6 weeks of submitting
of the complaint to inform you of his/her opinion. An opinion means to state in writing what decisions he/she has taken about and as a result of the complaint and what measure(s), if any, will be taken. The six-week period can be extended by a maximum of four weeks, if you are informed in time.

If both parties are satisfied with the judgement, then this concludes the complaint. If you are not satisfied and wish to continue the complaints procedure, this is a dispute. After the judgement, you have six months to decide whether you want to submit the dispute to the dispute settlement body.

Rules of play

• Help from the Complaints Officer, complaint mediation and complaint handling are free of charge for you;
• Mediation is only successful if both parties agree;
• Mediation is based on mutual respect and trust;
• All parties involved in the process are extremely careful with your privacy and have a duty of confidentiality;
• The full complaints procedure can be downloaded at www.dokh.nl.