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Patient Relations
Patient Relations
We’re here to help
Our Goals
What we do to improve the UNC Health Care System
Patients Bill of Rights and Responsibilities
Policy for Patient Complaints/ Grievances
For Grievances and Compliments
We're here to help
The University of North Carolina Hospitals’ Patient Relations Department acts as a liaison between the patients, hospitals and physicians to address concerns, complaints and issues. We are here to assist patients and families to ensure that their experience with UNC Hospitals is a positive one. Specifically, the department handles concerns, complaints and questions about patient rights, assistance with advance directives, requests for special assistance, or anything else that can be done to make your stay as pleasant as possible. Assuming the role of patient advocate, Patient Relations will respond to any concerns or problems that might arise. The department constantly strives to foster a health care system that focuses on customer needs and their support services.
Our Goals
Our goal is to maintain exceptional health care service for each patient that enters our hospital. This is accomplished through the UNC Health Care unifying mission of Commitment to Caring. By embracing and promoting this mission throughout the hospital we hope that every patient that we have will choose UNC Hospitals for all of their health care needs because of the exceptional quality of care that they receive.
What we do to improve the UNC Health Care System
In our everyday quest to achieve the highest quality health care possible our department works to ensure patient satisfaction. Upon entrance patients are given and informed of their rights while visiting the hospitals. (Patients' Bill of Rights and Responsibilities)
The Patient Relations Department provides assistance to patients with special needs. This includes translators for non-English speaking patients and sign language interpreters for hearing impaired patients.
In addition to ensuring patient satisfaction our Patient Relations Department is able to assist with Advanced Directives:
- Proxy
- Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order
- Living Wills
It is important for us to know if a patient has a complaint/concern while in the hospital, so we have the opportunity to correct the problem, hopefully resulting in a positive outcome. While in the hospital all grievances should initially be discussed directly with the care providers (nurses, physicians etc.). If you are still not completely satisfied with the quality of care you are receiving please contact Patient Relations and we will begin an investigation. Your discussions with Patient Relations staff members are confidential and will not negatively affect your care. Feedback is a valuable tool in making improvements throughout our health care system. The goal is for our patients to return to UNC Hospitals for all of their future care.
Patient Relations visits rooms of at least 30 patients a day to conduct short four question surveys that are immediately reported and acted upon to ensure quality care for patients in the hospital. After discharging all patients receive a survey in the mail about their experience in the hospital. The results of these surveys are compiled and analyzed at all levels of the hospital beginning with our department the results are sent to appropriate department directors, upper level administrators and the Board of Directors.
Patients Bill of Rights and Responsibilities
This copy of the University of North Carolina Hospitals Patient Bill of Rights is posted for your convenience and to help us to educate each patient on their rights while visiting UNC Hospitals.
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Policy for Patient Complaints/ Grievances
This copy of the Patient Complaints/ Grievances Policy, as referred to in the Patient Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, is posted to further inform each patient on the purpose of the Patient Relations Department.
For Grievances and Compliments
UNC Hospitals constantly strives to provide the highest quality of patient care. We realize that we are not always perfect and want to hear from anyone who chooses our hospital what we’re doing right, and what needs improvement.
Patient feedback is extremely important to us. It allows us to make necessary improvements and to recognize staff for exceptional care.
If there were any staff members that made your stay more pleasant, you can use the email address provided to send us a note and we will share it with the staff involved.
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Patient Relations
Phone Number: (919) 966-5006
Fax Number: (919) 966-9524
Email: PatRel@unch.unc.edu
Send comments online by completing this form.
Office Location: Ground Floor, N.C. Women’s Hospital next to the Women's Health Information Center. Take the carpeted hallway to the right of the information desk and Patient Relations is the second office on the right. The N.C. Women's Hospital is located at 101 Manning Drive. Online directions can be found at this link.
Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
In additions, there is a Patient Relations Representative on call 24 hours a day that can be reached through the office phone number to handle emergent situations.
Address:
UNC Hospitals
Attn: Patient Relations Department
101 Manning Drive
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Department Director: Vic O’Neal
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