The decision to reseparate SP22020, my complaint against the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT) and Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust (SHFT ), was a watershed moment, a veritable KT boundary event that marked a conspicuous and indisputable difference in the professional attitudes of two investigating parties. One of those parties was cooperative and contrite, the other incompetent and beholden to recalcitrant and obstructive influencers.

That decision was made without my involvement or oversight. Wanda Reynolds was relieved of responsibility for the SPFT part which was then handed over to Andy Ashby. The SHFT part of my complaint was repatriated and handed over to Farayi Nyakubaya, Head of Nursing & AHPs for Mid and North Area- Community Mental Health Services. An appointment was then arranged for me to meet with Farayi and Adam Smith, a mental health nurse and a divisional director of nursing within SHFT.

I met with Farayi Nyakubaya and Adam Smith at Parklands House in Basingstoke on Thursday the 25^th August, 2022. Adam led the discussion, beginning with an appraisal of the recent history of systemic failures of Southern Health, explaining that the Trust had been given a significant funding package to make wholesale improvements to services. He welcomed my complaints, seeing them as learning opportunities. There may have been something about the nature of my complaints that Adam saw as being particularly valuable. I had been conscientious and precise with my written words and meticulous in my presentation and I had also been polite and measured. I think he recognised my sincerity and my commitment. I was a voluntary resource with front line customer experience and he seized the moment to turn complaint into something mutually beneficial.

If complaints are not attended and resolved properly and timely, they can cause dissatisfaction. The main reason behind dissatisfaction are expectations, which are not fulfilled. Dissatisfaction eventually metastasis into grievance.

When anyone chooses to complain about a service it likely means that they had high expectations. It also probably means they are reluctant to look elsewhere just yet and are open to a resolution. In the private sector a customer has choice, ie to seek the services of a competitor. This is a cornerstone of a free market economy.

‘From the perspective of an economist, competition is the cornerstone of a free market economy. It encourages efficiency and innovation, as firms vie for consumer attention and market share. For consumers, competition means more choices, better quality, and lower prices.’

The National Health Service is a tax-funded health care and medical service for use by the population and communities and belongs to the public sector. The only alternatives to the NHS lie within the catchment of the private sector. For the majority of us living in the UK, the private sector isn’t a financially viable choice. Our only option is the NHS. If things go wrong then our only recourse is the complaints process.

But how do we complain and what happens when we complain about the service we get?

The NHS Complaint Standards, model complaint handling procedure and good complaint handling guides set out how organisations providing NHS services should approach complaint handling. They apply to all NHS organisations in England and independent healthcare providers who deliver NHS-funded care.

‘The NHS complaints system is designed to provide explanations of what happened and, where appropriate, apologies and information about action taken to ensure similar incidents do not happen again. A full range of remedies are available through standard complaints procedures including apologies, explanations, remedial action and financial compensation for direct or indirect loss.’ This model is underpinned by The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 which sets out what the law says you must do.

‘Before a complaint is made, the NHS choices website suggests: You'll find a Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) in most hospitals. You can speak with a PALS member, who'll try to help you resolve issues informally with the hospital before you need to make a complaint.’

‘Once your complaint has been investigated, you'll receive a written response.’

‘If you have reached the end of the complaints process and are not happy with the organisation's final decision, you have the right to bring your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to look at. This organisation is independent of the NHS.'

Before the end of August 2022, I was still at the informal stage of the complaints process with both SPFT and SHFT.

It was after the decision to reseparate SP22020 that the different attitudes towards complaint resolution became apparent

By extending an invitation to meet on the 25^th August, 2022 to discuss my complaint, SHFT set a precedence that manifested in a sincere, ongoing commitment to engage in a partnership of mutual benefit. That commitment has been taken up with others within SHFT including the former Associate Director for Mental Health, Karen Cleaver and the current Head of Nursing, Professions and Quality for Southern Health, Gemma Stubbington both of whom have made themselves available, in person, on multiple occasions. I have been thoroughly involved throughout several informal complaint resolutions. I have written reports on the services that my daughter and I have received and some of my ideas and recommendations have been implemented and trialed within the Trust. I have even been offered a couple of jobs. SHFT don’t always get things right but they have developed a culture of openness, engagement and a genuine desire to improve and learn. CMHT, The Bridge Centre operates a vastly improved service to the one I first encountered back in February 2022.

This is in marked contrast to the approach adopted by Andy Ashby and the Patient Advisory Liaison Service within SPFT.

I will publish the response to my complaint by Andy Ashby, PALS representative for SPFT, on the 19th August, 2025 in A MURDER OF CONSPIRATORS # 27