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Stages in the Your Service Your Say process - Complaints and feedback

Your Service Your Say, our process for managing feedback, has 4 stages.

Stage 1

Stage 1 of the HSE Your Service Your Say process is when you give feedback directly to a staff member.

If it's a comment or compliment they will take note of it and log or record the feedback.

If it's a complaint they deal with it straight away, if they can.

A staff member may have to escalate your complaint to their manager. They do this if they cannot find a solution straight away or your complaint is complex.

Their manager will try and deal with it within 48 hours. If a manager cannot find a solution in 48 hours, they escalate it to a complaints officer. When this happens your complaints moves to stage 2.

A staff member might also escalate a complaint to their manager if it is:

  • serious and needs to be dealt with straight away by a complaints officer
  • about a near miss, harm or an incident - it will need to be investigated

Stage 2

Stage 2 of the HSE Your Service Your Say process is when a complaints officer handles a complaint they get.

A complaints officer will look into your feedback, if you:

The complaints officer will let you know that they received your complaint within 5 working days.

They may be able to deal with it informally or through a formal investigation.

If there needs to be a formal investigation, the complaints officer:

  • may phone or ask to meet you to hear more about it
  • will look into your complaint and respond to you within 30 working days
  • may contact you to ask for more time, if they need it
  • will keep you updated every 20 working days after that

When they are finished looking into your complaint they will give you a report. This will include their findings and recommendations.

If you are not happy with the recommendations in the report, you can ask for an internal review. You will find out how to do this in the letter you get with your report. This is stage 3.

Stage 3

Stage 3 of the HSE Your Service Your Say process is when a review officer reviews the recommendations made at stage 2.

They do this within 20 working days or will let you know if they need more time.

You can also ask for an external independent review. This is stage 4.

Stage 4

Stage 4 of the HSE Your Service Your Say process is when there is an external review by the Office of the Ombudsman or Office of the Ombudsman for Children.

How to complain to a public service provider - Ombudsman.ie

Ombudsman for Children complaints - oco.ie

Page last reviewed: 17 February 2026
Next review due: 17 February 2029