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Customer service: our promise to you

When you contact NHS West Sussex, there are a number of customer service principles that you can expect from us.

If you feel we are falling short of these principles, please let us know by calling 01903 708557 and speaking to a member of our Complaints team.

NHS West Sussex's customer service principles

At all times, we will:

  • provide a professional service and be courteous and helpful
  • deal with your enquiries positively and quickly
  • provide clear and accurate information
  • listen to you and respond to your needs
  • treat you fairly, with openness and honesty
  • keep your details confidential
  • when we have resolved your enquiry, ask if there is anything else we can help you with
  • continuously strive to improve or exceed our service standards.

Our staff will:

  • be professional, courteous and helpful at all times
  • wear an identification badge and tell you who they are. 

We provide:

  • telephone language interpreting service
  • deaf interpreting services
  • text phone
  • information in alternative formats (such as Braille, audio tape, alternative languages) on request
  • loop hearing systems in our public meeting areas.

Customer contact arrangements

When contacting us by telephone during office hours we will:

  • answer your call within four rings
  • tell you our name and department when we answer
  • ask you how we can help and whether you would like us to call you back
  • ask you for just enough information to enable us to help you
  • offer to help take a message if the person you need to speak to is not available, or arrange for the person to ring you back
  • let you know who will be dealing with your enquiry, agree how long it will take and when you will be called back
  • only use answer machines occasionally and when we do ensure our message tells you our name, job title, when we will be back and who you can contact in our absence
  • return your phone call on the same day you asked us to, or if that is not possible, within one working day.

When writing to us by email we will:

  • send acknowledgement of your email within two working days
  • make sure we use language that is easy to read and understand
  • contact you to agree a way forward and a timeframe
  • let you know the name and contact details of the person dealing with your enquiry
  • when we are out of the office, let you know when we will return and who you can contact in our absence. 

When writing to us by letter we will:

  • send acknowledgement of your letter within three working days
  • make sure we use language that is easy to read and understand
  • contact you to agree a way forward and a timeframe
  • let you know the name and contact details of the person dealing with your enquiry.

When using our website we will:

  • make it easy for you to search for information you require at a time that is convenient for you
  • provide a facility to feed back views about services that we commission
  • continuously improve our website based on your feedback.

If you have any comments about this website, please email us your feedback.