HSE Complaints Process for Medical Negligence in Ireland: 4-Stage Steps + Working-Day Timelines

This is general information about the HSE complaints process, not legal advice. Every case depends on its specific facts. Consult a solicitor for advice on your situation.

The HSE complaints process in Ireland follows four stages under the “Your Service Your Say” policy, governed by Part 9 of the Health Act 2004. Stage 1 targets resolution within 48 hours at the point of contact. Stage 2 gives a Complaints Officer 5 working days to acknowledge and 30 working days to investigate. Stage 3 allows an internal review within 20 working days. Stage 4 escalates to the independent Office of the Ombudsman. The entire process focuses on explanations, apologies, and service improvements, but it cannot award financial compensation. A separate medical negligence claim through the courts is the only route for that.

Quick answers

How long does the HSE have to respond to a complaint in Ireland? The Complaints Officer must acknowledge your formal complaint within 5 working days and deliver a written investigation report within 30 working days. If the investigation takes longer, the officer must update you every 20 working days. The HSE’s organisational target is to conclude all investigations within six months, as set out in the HSE Your Service Your Say stages.

Can the HSE investigate whether my doctor made a wrong clinical decision? No. Under Section 48 of the Health Act 2004, matters relating solely to clinical judgement (diagnosis, treatment, care decisions) are excluded from the HSE complaints process in Ireland. Only the civil courts, supported by independent expert medical evidence, can determine whether a clinical decision was negligent.

Does making an HSE complaint pause my legal time limit? No. The two-year statute of limitations for a medical negligence claim under the Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991 runs independently of the 12-month HSE complaint deadline. Patients in Ireland can and should consult a solicitor at the same time as pursuing a complaint.

Contents

Stage 2 acknowledgement: 5 working days. Investigation deadline: 30 working days, with updates every 20 working days after. HSE stages

Administrative time limit: Complaint within 12 months of the incident (or date of knowledge). Extensions possible at the Complaints Officer’s discretion. Citizens Information

Clinical judgement excluded: The HSE cannot investigate a decision made by a clinician about diagnosis, care, or treatment. HSE clinical judgement guidance

Compensation route: Only a court claim can award financial compensation. Complaints deliver explanations, apologies, and service changes. Complaint vs claim

What are the exact timelines for each HSE complaints process stage?

The HSE “Your Service Your Say” policy operates a rigid four-stage escalation system under Part 9 of the Health Act 2004 in Ireland. Each stage has statutory or policy-level deadlines measured in working days.

HSE complaint timelines per stage (working days unless stated)

Stage	What happens	Deadline	If the deadline is missed
1: Local resolution	Raise issue verbally or in writing with staff or manager	48 hours target	Manager escalates to a Complaints Officer (moves to Stage 2)
2: Formal investigation	Written complaint to Complaints Officer, acknowledgement, investigation, report with findings and recommendations	Acknowledge within 5 working days. Respond within 30 working days. Update every 20 working days if delayed. HSE organisational goal: complete within 6 months	Officer must explain the delay in writing and provide a completion plan
3: Internal review	Independent Review Officer examines the Stage 2 findings, process, and recommendations	Request within 30 working days of Stage 2 response. Review completed within 20 working days	Review Officer must notify you in writing with reasons for delay and an expected date
4: Ombudsman	External, independent review by the Office of the Ombudsman (or Ombudsman for Children)	Submit within 12 months of the action complained about. Investigation typically 3 to 6 months	The Ombudsman may still accept late complaints if there is good reason for delay

Sources: HSE Your Service Your Say stages; Patient Advocacy Service FAQ; Office of the Ombudsman.

Stage 1: How does local resolution work?

Stage 1 of the HSE complaints process in Ireland aims to resolve your concern quickly and informally at the point of care, typically by speaking with a ward nurse, department head, or local manager. The HSE’s Your Service Your Say policy targets resolution within 48 hours. No written complaint is needed at this stage, though putting your concern in writing can help avoid details being lost.

Stage 1 works best for communication failures, unexplained delays, administrative mix-ups, or concerns about ward-level care where a conversation could fix the problem. If the issue involves identifiable physical harm, a near miss, or something requiring clinical review, the policy requires immediate escalation to Stage 2. Local staff should not attempt to handle it informally (HSE staff complaints handling guidance).

A detail that catches many patients off guard: HSE staff are explicitly told they can apologise at Stage 1 without admitting liability. The Your Service Your Say policy encourages expressions of regret at the earliest possible point. An apology from a nurse or manager does not constitute an admission of negligence under Irish law.

Stage 2: What happens during the formal investigation?

Stage 2 of the HSE complaints process in Ireland begins when you submit a formal written complaint, either by post, email to yoursay@hse.ie, or through the HSE online feedback form. Under the Your Service Your Say policy, the Complaints Officer must acknowledge your complaint in writing within 5 working days and deliver a formal investigation report within 30 working days of acknowledgement.

What your written complaint must include

A valid Stage 2 complaint needs: your full name, phone number, and email. The hospital name and the specific ward or department. The names of any staff involved (if known). Exact dates and times. A clear description of what happened. What you’ve already done to resolve it (Stage 1 attempts). What outcome you want (explanation, apology, service change). And explicit written consent granting the HSE permission to access your medical records for the investigation. Without that consent, the Complaints Officer cannot review your chart and the investigation stalls. See the Patient Advocacy Service step-by-step guide for the full checklist.

The 2-working-day initial contact

The HSE’s internal guidance instructs Complaints Officers to make initial contact with the complainant within 2 working days of receiving the complaint to clarify the issues, discuss which complaints processes may apply (particularly if clinical judgement elements are involved), and manage expectations about timelines and likely outcomes. If you haven’t heard anything within a week of submission, follow up in writing (HSE complaint handling guidance).

The 20-working-day update loop

Complex medical complaints regularly exceed the 30-day deadline. When that happens, the Complaints Officer must formally contact you to request an extension and then provide a status update every 20 working days until the investigation concludes. The HSE’s organisational goal is to complete all formal investigations within six months of receipt, as set out in the HSE stages guidance.

What does the Stage 2 investigation report contain?

The Complaints Officer’s report will set out the findings of the investigation and state whether the complaint is upheld, partially upheld, or not upheld. Where a complaint is upheld or partially upheld, the report will include recommendations for action and, where appropriate, an action plan for implementing those recommendations. The Complaints Officer and the hospital’s Risk Manager will monitor implementation. The report will also inform you of your right to request a Stage 3 internal review or to escalate directly to the Ombudsman.

Stage 3: How does the internal review work?

Stage 3 of the HSE complaints process in Ireland allows you to request a formal review of the Stage 2 outcome within 30 working days of receiving the Complaints Officer’s report. The HSE appoints a Review Officer who had no involvement in Stages 1 or 2. The Review Officer examines whether the investigation was fair, the findings were sound, and the recommendations were appropriate. The review must be completed within 20 working days (Patient Advocacy Service FAQ).

The Patient Advocacy Service recommends using specific language in your request: “I am unhappy with the response I have received to my complaint and request that the HSE undertake a review of the complaint under Stage 3 of Your Service, Your Say.” (PAS step-by-step guide).

You do NOT have to complete Stage 3 before going to the Ombudsman. You can skip Stage 3 and escalate directly to Stage 4 after receiving your Stage 2 response. The Ombudsman has confirmed they can accept a complaint at any stage of the process, despite some HSE hospital webpages incorrectly stating otherwise (Ombudsman progress report).

Stage 4: What can the Ombudsman do?

The Office of the Ombudsman provides an independent, external, and free review of how the HSE handled your complaint in Ireland. The Ombudsman can investigate whether the HSE or a publicly funded service provider followed fair procedures, communicated adequately, or engaged in maladministration. According to the Ombudsman’s 2024 data, 887 complaints were received about the health and social care sector, of which 705 involved the HSE directly (Ombudsman 2024 annual data).

You should submit your complaint to the Ombudsman within 12 months of the action or decision that affected you. The Ombudsman may still accept later complaints where there is a good reason for the delay. The investigation typically takes three to six months. The Ombudsman’s findings are final and cannot be appealed.

What is the 12-month administrative deadline?

A formal complaint to the HSE in Ireland must be lodged within 12 months of the date the incident occurred, or from the date you first became aware of the problem. This administrative “date of knowledge” rule mirrors the concept used in civil litigation, though the deadlines are different. The 12-month complaint deadline is entirely separate from the two-year legal time limit for a civil claim under the Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991.

Complaints Officers have the discretionary authority to extend the 12-month administrative timeframe if you can demonstrate special circumstances that justify a late submission. However, this extension is not guaranteed and depends on the individual Complaints Officer’s assessment. The safest approach is to submit your complaint within the 12-month window wherever possible.

Why can’t the HSE investigate clinical decisions?

Under Section 48 of the Health Act 2004, the HSE complaints process cannot examine a matter relating solely to clinical judgement in Ireland. Clinical judgement is defined as “a decision made or opinion formed in connection with the diagnosis, care or treatment of a patient.” A Complaints Officer is statutorily barred from ruling on whether a doctor’s clinical decision was right or wrong.

The practical consequence: if your complaint centres on a missed cancer diagnosis, a botched surgical procedure, an incorrect medication dosage, or a failure to monitor post-operative vitals, the HSE complaints system cannot determine whether that care was negligent. That question can only be answered through the civil courts, applying the Dunne principles with independent expert testimony.

What happens when clinical and non-clinical issues overlap?

Most medical negligence complaints are not purely clinical. A delayed diagnosis might involve both a clinical decision (the doctor’s interpretation of test results) and a communication failure (nobody followed up to inform the patient). When the Complaints Officer determines a complaint contains both clinical and non-clinical elements, the HSE’s own internal guidance requires the complaint to be split. The non-clinical elements proceed under the normal Your Service Your Say process, while the clinical judgement issues are referred to the relevant Clinical Director for separate review. The Complaints Officer coordinates both pathways and issues a combined response, as described in the HSE clinical judgement guidance.

One aspect the official guidance doesn’t highlight for patients: framing your complaint carefully matters. If you describe poor communication, inadequate follow-up, or system failures alongside the clinical issue, the non-clinical elements will be investigated. The investigation report can then become useful evidence if you later pursue a compensation claim.

What does a complaint deliver compared to a claim?

A complaint and a compensation claim are entirely separate processes with different outcomes, different bodies, and different time limits under Irish law. You can pursue both at the same time, but making a complaint does NOT replace or start a legal claim and does NOT pause the legal time limit (Citizens Information).

	HSE complaint	Medical negligence claim
Legal basis	Health Act 2004, Part 9	Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991, Dunne principles
Time limit	12 months from incident (or date of knowledge)	2 years less 1 day from date of knowledge
Who decides	Complaints Officer, Review Officer, Ombudsman	High Court (or Circuit Court for lower-value claims)
Can investigate clinical judgement?	No, excluded under s.48	Yes, with independent expert evidence
Possible outcomes	Explanation, apology, service improvement recommendations	Financial compensation (general + special damages)
Cost to you	Free	Solicitor fees (many firms offer initial free consultations)
Defender	HSE internally	State Claims Agency (for public hospitals)
Does one pause the other?	No. Both clocks run independently and simultaneously.

For a full comparison, see HSE complaint vs medical negligence claim.

Why does your legal clock keep ticking during a complaint?

Initiating an HSE complaint does NOT pause, suspend, or reset the two-year statute of limitations for a medical negligence claim under the Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991 in Ireland. The administrative 12-month deadline and the legal two-year deadline run on completely separate tracks.

Consider this scenario: you file a Stage 2 HSE complaint three months after the incident. The investigation takes four months. You’re dissatisfied, so you request a Stage 3 review. That takes another two months. You then escalate to the Ombudsman, who may take three to six months. By the time the administrative process concludes, easily 12 to 18 months later, your two-year window to start legal proceedings may have nearly or completely expired.

The timing matters more than most guides suggest: medical negligence claims require solicitors to secure your full medical records (which can take weeks from the hospital), commission an independent expert medical report (typically three to six months), and draft formal pleadings. Approaching a solicitor with only weeks remaining on your two-year clock often means the case cannot be properly prepared in time.

How does open disclosure affect the complaints process?

The Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023, commenced on 26 September 2024 in Ireland, requires healthcare providers to disclose specific serious incidents to patients regardless of whether a formal complaint has been made. The Act lists 13 notifiable incidents, including unintended deaths during healthcare, wrong-site surgery, and certain maternity-related events. The HSE’s Patient Safety Act guidance sets out the full list.

When a notifiable incident occurs, the healthcare provider must hold a disclosure meeting with the patient or their family promptly, even before all facts are established. A written record of that meeting must follow within five calendar days. The provider must also notify the relevant regulator (HIQA, the Chief Inspector, or the Mental Health Commission) within seven calendar days.

What open disclosure means for your complaint and your claim

Before this Act, patients often had to fight through the HSE complaint process just to get basic answers about what went wrong. Mandatory open disclosure changes that dynamic: for qualifying incidents, the hospital is now legally compelled to explain what happened and express regret without waiting for a complaint.

Open disclosure under the Patient Safety Act 2023 in Ireland includes a critical legal protection: any apology, expression of regret, or factual information given during mandatory open disclosure cannot be used as an admission of liability in subsequent court proceedings, provided the disclosure followed the statutory process. The apology gives you answers. It does not give you compensation, and it cannot be used as evidence that the hospital admitted fault (HSE Patient Safety Act 2023 guidance).

The HSE also updated its Open Disclosure Policy in 2025 to align with the Act.

Can your complaint letter be used against you in court?

Every word you write in an HSE complaint letter can be requested by the other side during the legal discovery process if you later pursue a compensation claim in Ireland. Complaint correspondence, the Complaints Officer’s investigation report, and any internal review findings are all potentially discoverable documents.

In practice, clients who submit detailed HSE complaints often receive medical records faster and get clearer explanations of what happened. However, an emotionally charged complaint letter that overstates symptoms, speculates about clinical decisions, or makes inaccurate claims can be used by the State Claims Agency to challenge your credibility in court.

A common client mistake: writing from pure frustration without realising that every assertion becomes part of the evidential record. The difference between a well-drafted and a poorly-drafted complaint letter can be significant. If you’re considering a compensation claim alongside your complaint, seek advice from a solicitor before sending the complaint letter, or ask the Patient Advocacy Service to help you draft it.

Which body handles complaints about each profession?

Your Service Your Say applies to public health and social care services provided by or on behalf of the HSE in Ireland. Complaints about individual professionals go to different regulatory bodies depending on their profession. None of these bodies can award compensation. They protect the public through fitness-to-practise standards. See Citizens Information for the full list.

Professional	Regulator	Can they award compensation?
Doctors	Medical Council of Ireland	No (fitness to practise only)
Nurses and midwives	Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI)	No
Allied health professionals (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, etc.)	CORU	No
Pharmacists	Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI)	No
Dentists	Dental Council of Ireland	No
Service standards in nursing homes or hospitals	HIQA	No (monitors standards, does not investigate individual complaints)
HSE administrative decisions	Office of the Ombudsman	May recommend ex-gratia payments, but cannot order compensation

Between Medical Council proceedings and a civil claim, an important distinction exists: a Medical Council fitness-to-practise inquiry focuses on whether a doctor’s conduct fell below professional standards, and the practical bar for a successful complaint is high. In 2022, over two-thirds of Medical Council complaints (179 out of 266) were deemed not to have a prima facie case at the Preliminary Proceedings Committee stage. A civil negligence claim, by contrast, uses the balance of probabilities standard and focuses on whether substandard care caused you injury (Medisec, June 2024).

How can the Patient Advocacy Service help?

The Patient Advocacy Service (PAS) is a free, confidential, and independent service that helps patients navigate the HSE complaints process for public acute hospitals and HSE-operated nursing homes in Ireland. PAS operates independently of the HSE and hospital management. It is provided by the National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities, commissioned by the National Patient Safety Office at the Department of Health.

PAS advocates can help you articulate your complaint clearly, draft a structured Stage 2 letter, understand the timelines, prepare for meetings with hospital management, and navigate the escalation to Stage 3 or the Ombudsman. Contact PAS on 0818 293 003 or through their website.

One detail that surprises clients: PAS can also support you through an open disclosure process following a patient safety incident. Their role extends beyond complaints to any situation where a patient needs independent advocacy within the public hospital system.

What if you were a private patient?

Your Service Your Say and the Ombudsman generally do NOT cover private health services in Ireland (other than private nursing homes). If your treatment was in a private hospital or clinic, your complaint options are: complaining directly to the provider through their own internal complaints procedure, or raising a concern with the relevant professional regulator (Medical Council, NMBI, CORU). See Citizens Information for details.

For private patients who suffered harm, the practical reality is that the litigation route, a civil compensation claim, is often the primary mechanism for accountability and redress. Private hospital claims are defended by the hospital’s medical defence organisation (such as MPS or MDU) rather than the State Claims Agency. See hospital negligence claims for more on the public vs private distinction.

Key contact numbers for HSE complaints in Ireland

HSE Your Service Your Say: 1800 424 555 (9am to 5pm, Mon to Fri)

HSELive general line: 1800 700 700 (8am to 8pm Mon to Fri, 10am to 5pm Sat)

Patient Advocacy Service: 0818 293 003 (free, independent, confidential)

Office of the Ombudsman: 01 639 5600 (or ombudsman.ie)

HSE complaint checklist: what to include

Before submitting your Stage 2 formal complaint, make sure you have:

1. Your full name, address, phone number, and email
2. The hospital name, ward/department, and dates and times of treatment
3. Names of any staff involved (if known)
4. A factual, clear description of what happened (stick to facts, avoid speculation)
5. What you did to resolve it at Stage 1 (if anything)
6. The outcome you want: explanation, apology, or service change
7. Written consent for the HSE to access your medical records for the investigation
8. Copies of any supporting documents (letters, discharge summaries, photos)
9. Proof of sending (tracked post receipt, email read receipt, online submission confirmation)

Send your complaint to the Complaints Officer for your specific hospital or service. The HSE publishes a complaints and feedback page with contact details. If you cannot find the right contact, call Your Service Your Say on 1800 424 555 and they will direct you.

If you’re also considering a compensation claim, consult a medical negligence solicitor before sending the complaint letter, or ask the Patient Advocacy Service to help you draft it.

Common questions

Do I have to complete the HSE complaint before starting a compensation claim?

No. You do not need to exhaust, or even begin, the HSE complaints process before instructing a solicitor or issuing legal proceedings. The two routes are entirely separate. Consulting a solicitor early is the safest way to protect your two-year limitation period while the complaint runs.

Waiting for the complaint outcome before seeking legal advice is the most common way people lose their right to claim.

See also: Complaint vs claim comparison • Time limits for medical negligence

Is my HSE complaint confidential if I later go to court?

No. Your complaint letter, the Complaints Officer’s report, and your responses are all potentially discoverable in court proceedings. The State Claims Agency can request these documents during the legal discovery process. Draft your complaint carefully, focusing on facts rather than emotional assertions or speculation about clinical decisions.

Inaccurate or exaggerated statements in a complaint letter can be used to challenge your credibility at trial.

How to prove medical negligence

Why can’t the HSE investigate my complaint about a diagnosis?

The Health Act 2004 excludes matters “relating solely to the exercise of clinical judgement” from the HSE complaints process. A decision about your diagnosis, treatment, or care plan is classified as clinical judgement. Only a court, with independent medical expert evidence, can determine whether such a decision was negligent. If your complaint involves both clinical and non-clinical elements, the Complaints Officer will split it, investigating the non-clinical parts while referring the clinical issues to the relevant Clinical Director.

The bottom line: Understanding this exclusion prevents months of frustration with a process that cannot give you the answer you need.

How to prove medical negligence in Ireland • Eligibility guide

If the hospital apologised under open disclosure, does that help my case?

An apology made during mandatory open disclosure under the Patient Safety Act 2023 cannot be used as evidence of liability in court. The Act specifically protects healthcare providers: the apology gives you answers and an expression of regret, but it is not an admission of fault and cannot be introduced as evidence in civil proceedings. You still need independent expert evidence to prove negligence.

Open disclosure gives you the truth. Compensation requires a separate legal process.

Claims against the HSE

Can I use this process if I was a private patient?

Generally, no. The HSE Your Service Your Say process covers public health and social care services. Private hospital patients must use the hospital’s own internal complaints procedure or complain to the relevant professional regulator. The Ombudsman typically cannot investigate complaints about private health services (with the exception of private nursing homes).

In practice: Private patients often have fewer administrative routes, making a civil claim the primary accountability mechanism.

Hospital negligence claims (public vs private)

Who can help me draft the complaint letter?

The Patient Advocacy Service (PAS) provides free, independent help to patients making complaints about public acute hospitals and HSE-operated nursing homes. PAS advocates are trained to help you structure your complaint, navigate the timelines, and prepare for meetings. Contact PAS on 0818 293 003. If you’re also considering a legal claim, a medical negligence solicitor can advise on the wording to protect your legal position.

A well-structured complaint letter gets better results and avoids undermining a future claim.

Contact: Patient Advocacy Service • Medical negligence solicitor Dublin

What if I missed the 12-month deadline for the HSE complaint?

The Complaints Officer has discretionary authority to extend the 12-month administrative timeframe if you can demonstrate special circumstances. The extension is not guaranteed, but factors like serious illness, inability to complain due to the very condition caused by the treatment, or genuine unawareness of the issue may support a late submission. If the administrative deadline has passed, a legal claim (with its own separate two-year deadline) may still be open to you.

The key point: Missing the complaint deadline does not mean you have lost all options.

Time limits for medical negligence claims

Can the complaint investigation report help my legal case?

Yes, though not in the way most people expect. The HSE complaint investigation report cannot prove clinical negligence on its own (that requires independent expert evidence). However, the hospital’s written response to your complaint can reveal internal procedures, staffing issues, or communication failures that provide valuable context for a solicitor building a civil case. The investigation report, any correspondence, and the hospital’s admissions about non-clinical failings become part of the documentary record your solicitor can review.

A complaint can serve as an informal evidence-gathering tool, even though its formal purpose is different.

How to prove medical negligence • How to request medical records

Can I make an anonymous complaint to the HSE?

You can submit an anonymous complaint, but it significantly limits what the HSE can investigate. Without your name and contact details, the Complaints Officer cannot conduct a full and fair investigation because both sides need the opportunity to respond to specific allegations. The HSE will still record the concern and may act on it if it highlights a safety risk. If you want your identity protected rather than hidden entirely, you can request a confidential complaint, where only the Complaints Officer knows your name, though they may need to disclose it at a later stage if a full investigation requires it.

Patients sometimes fear retaliation if they complain while still receiving treatment at the same hospital. A confidential approach protects your identity as far as possible while still allowing a meaningful investigation.

Patient Advocacy Service (can advise on confidential complaints)

Can a family member complain on behalf of someone who died or is too unwell?

Yes. Under Section 46 of the Health Act 2004, a complaint can be made on behalf of a person who cannot complain independently due to age, illness, or disability. The people entitled to do so include a close relative (parent, guardian, son, daughter, spouse, or cohabiting partner), a carer, a legal representative, or someone appointed by the courts to manage their affairs. If the patient has died, a close relative or carer who held that role at the time of the incident can also make the complaint. Children of sufficient age and understanding are also encouraged to make complaints in their own right.

Families of patients who died in HSE care can and should use this route to get answers about what happened. The 12-month administrative deadline applies from the date of the incident or the date the family became aware of the issue.

Related: Complaint vs claim • Claims against the HSE

Can I use this process to complain about my GP?

In most cases, no. GPs in Ireland are independent practitioners, not HSE employees. Your Service Your Say covers HSE-provided or HSE-funded services, so a complaint about your GP’s own surgery does NOT go through this process. You should complain directly to the GP practice first. If you have concerns about a doctor’s professional conduct or competence, you can make a fitness-to-practise complaint to the Medical Council of Ireland. However, some HSE-funded GP services (such as out-of-hours cooperatives like Shannondoc, D-Doc, or Caredoc) may fall under the YSYS process because they are HSE-funded service providers.

Patients frequently assume all healthcare complaints go through the HSE. Complaining to the wrong body wastes time and delays getting answers.

GP negligence claims

What to do right now

If you suspect medical negligence in an Irish HSE hospital and want both answers and your legal rights protected:

1. Contact the Patient Advocacy Service on 0818 293 003 for free, independent help drafting your Stage 2 complaint.
2. Consult a medical negligence solicitor at the same time to protect your two-year legal time limit. Most offer a free initial consultation. Call us on 01 903 6408.
3. File your complaint while your solicitor gathers records in the background. The complaint seeks answers and apologies. The solicitor secures your right to compensation. Both run in parallel.

References

Sources cited in this article, ordered by first use:

1. Health Act 2004, Part 9 (Irish Statute Book)
2. Your Service Your Say stages (HSE)
3. Making a complaint about a health service (Citizens Information)
4. Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991 (Irish Statute Book)
5. Explaining Your Service Your Say (Patient Advocacy Service)
6. Step-by-step complaint guide (Patient Advocacy Service)
7. Learning to Get Better: Progress Report (Office of the Ombudsman)
8. Ombudsman 2024 annual data (Office of the Ombudsman)
9. How to handle complaints and feedback (HSE staff guidance)
10. Health Act 2004, Section 48 (matters excluded) (Irish Statute Book)
11. Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023 (Irish Statute Book)
12. Patient Safety Act 2023 guidance (HSE)
13. HSE Open Disclosure Policy 2025 (HSE)
14. Complain about a medical professional (Citizens Information)
15. A step by step approach to a Medical Council complaint (Medisec, June 2024)
16. Patient Advocacy Service
17. HSE Incident Management Framework 2020 (HSE)
18. Health Act 2004, Section 46 (who may complain) (Irish Statute Book)
19. HSE complaints and feedback (HSE)
20. Your Service Your Say online feedback form (HSE)
21. Office of the Ombudsman
22. Making a complaint about a doctor (Medical Council of Ireland)
23. Making a complaint about a nurse or midwife (NMBI)
24. Report a concern (HIQA)

Related guides in this series

HSE Complaint vs Medical Negligence Claim: Which Route?

How to Prove Medical Negligence in Ireland

Claims Against the HSE

Time Limits for Medical Negligence Claims in Ireland

How to Request Your Medical Records in Ireland

Related internal guides: Medical negligence • Claim process hub • Medical negligence solicitor Dublin • Hospital negligence claims • Eligibility • Compensation guide

This is general information about the HSE complaints process, not legal advice. Every case depends on its specific facts. Consult a solicitor for advice on your situation.