How to complain about a public mental health service
Complaints Officer in the hospital
If you have a complaint about a mental health service operating in either a HSE or a voluntary hospital, you should first complain to the hospital where possible.
Most hospitals have a Complaints Officer who will take your complaint in person, over the phone or in writing. You can find out the contact details for the Complaints Officer through the hospital’s main phone number.
Complaints Officer
If you wish to complain about a mental health service operating from a HSE health centre, your first point of contact for a complaint should be the Complaints Officer for that service.
You should ask for the contact details of the Complaints Officer from the health centre or from your Local Health Office. You should be able to make your complaint in writing, in person or over the telephone.
The HSE has a complaints procedure called Your Service Your Say. You can expect an update on your complaint within 30 days.
You can find out more in our page on the Your Service Your Say procedures.
Health Service Executive (HSE) review
If you are unhappy with the recommendations made by the Complaints Officer, you can ask for a review from the HSE’s Director of Advocacy or go straight to the Office of the Ombudsman or Ombudsman for Children.
You can find out more in our page on the Your Service Your Say procedures.
Office of the Ombudsman / Ombudsman for Children
If you are not happy with the response from the HSE, you can ask the Office of the Ombudsman to examine your complaint and how your complaint was handled.
You can find out more in our page on referring a complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman.
If the complaint relates to a child, you should contact the Ombudsman for Children.
You can find out more in our page on referring a complaint to the Ombudsman for Children.
Mental Health Commission (MHC)
Mental health services are regulated by the Mental Health Commission (MHC). The MHC defines a mental health service as a service which provides care and treatment to persons suffering from a mental illness or a mental disorder under the clinical direction of a consultant psychiatrist.
Find out more in our page on bringing a concern to the Mental Health Commission.
Professional bodies
Your complaint about a mental health service may be to do with a particular professional, for example a doctor or a nurse. In these cases you can also take a complaint to the professional body repsonsible for regulation in the area, for example, the Medical Council for doctors and The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland for nurses.
Find out more in our page on complaining to the Medical Council.
Find out more in our page on complaining to The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland.
Help and advocacy
If you would like help making your complaint, you can find a list of organisations that can help in our page on help and advocacy services.
Conas gearán a dhéanamh faoi sheirbhís meabhairshláinte phoiblí
Oifigeach Gearán san ospidéal
Má tá gearán agat faoi sheirbhís meabhairshláinte in ospidéal de chuid FSS nó in ospidéal deonach, ba chóir duit gearán a dhéanamh leis an ospidéal ar dtús más féidir.
Tá Oifigeach Gearán ag an gcuid is mó d’ospidéil a ghlacfaidh do ghearán go pearsanta, ar an teileafón nó i scríbhinn. Is féidir leat na sonraí teagmhála don Oifigeach Gearán a fháil amach trí phríomhuimhir theileafóin an ospidéil.
Oifigeach Gearán
Más rud é go bhfuil gearán agat faoi sheirbhís meabhairshláinte atá á cur ar fáil ag ionad sláinte FSS ba cheart duit labhairt ar dtús le hOifigeach Gearán na seirbhíse sin.
Ba cheart duit sonraí teagmhála an Oifigigh Ghearán a iarraidh ar an ionad sláinte nó ar d’Oifig Sláinte Áitiúil. Ba chóir duit a bheith in ann do ghearán a dhéanamh i scríbhinn, go pearsanta nó ar an teileafón.
Tá nós imeachta ag FSS ar a dtugtar ‘Do Sheirbhís, Do Bharúil’ Féadfaidh tú a bheith ag súil go bhfaighidh tú an scéal is déanaí faoi do ghearán laistigh de 30 lá.
Athbhreithniú ar Fheidhmeannacht na Seirbhíse Sláinte (FSS)
Más rud é nach bhfuil tú sásta leis na moltaí a rinne an tOifigeach Gearán, féadfaidh tú iarraidh ar Stiúrthóir Abhcóideachta FSS athbhreithniú a dhéanamh, nó féadfaidh tú féin dul i dteagmháil le hOifig an Ombudsman nó leis an Ombudsman do Leanaí.
Oifig an Ombudsman / Oifig an Ombudsman do Leanaí
Más rud é nach bhfuil tú sásta leis an bhfreagra ó FSS, is féidir leat iarraidh ar Oifig an Ombudsman scrúdú a dhéanamh ar do ghearán agus ar an dóigh a caitheadh le do ghearán.
Má bhaineann an gearán le leanbh, ba chóir duit teagmháil a dhéanamh leis an Ombudsman do Leanaí.
An Coimisiún Meabhair-Shláinte
Rialaíonn an Coimisiún Meabhair-Shláinte na seirbhísí meabhairshláinte. Is é an sainmhíniú a thugann an Coimisiún ar sheirbhís meabhairshláinte ná seirbhís a sholáthraíonn cúram agus cóireáil do dhaoine a bhfuil galar meabhrach nó neamhord meabhrach orthu agus go ndéantar é sin faoi stiúir chliniciúil síciatraí chomhairligh.
Faigh amach níos mó inár leathanach faoi ghearán a dhéanamh leis an gCoimisiún Meabhair-Shláinte.
Comhlachtaí gairmiúla
D’fhéadfadh gairmí ar leith, mar shampla, dochtúir nó altra, a bheith i gceist le do ghearán faoi sheirbhís meabhairshláinte. Sna cásanna sin, is féidir leat gearán a dhéanamh freisin leis an gcomhlacht gairmiúil atá freagrach as rialáil sa cheantar, mar shampla, Comhairle na nDochtúirí Leighis do dhochtúirí agus an Bord Altranais agus Cnáimhseachais na hÉireann agus Cnáimhseachais na hÉireann d’altraí.
Faigh amach níos mó inár leathanach faoi ghearán a dhéanamh le Comhairle na nDochtúirí Leighis.
Cabhair agus abhcóideacht
Dá mba mhaith leat cabhair a fháil le do ghearán a dhéanamh, is féidir leat liosta d’eagraíochtaí ar féidir leo cabhrú leat a fháil inár leathanach maidir le seirbhísí cabhrach agus abhcóideachta.