UK Biobank Researcher Complaints Policy

Our commitment

UK Biobank is committed to providing researchers with a high-quality, professional and consistent service.

We recognise that there may be occasions when you are dissatisfied with the service you have received, a process or decision, or the way in which an issue has been handled. These could include but are not limited to:

• The service you have received.
• How your query or request has been handled.
• Delays or communication relating to your request.
• A UK Biobank researcher process or service.
• A compliance, governance or policy-related matter.
• An issue that you believe has not been appropriately resolved through previous correspondence.

We welcome feedback and complaints as they provide an opportunity for us to understand researchers' experiences, resolve concerns and identify ways in which our services can be improved.

How to make a formal complaint

If you would like UK Biobank to formally review a concern, please submit a ticket through the UK Biobank Researcher Support web form and select ‘Complaint’ from the drop-down menu on the form.

When completing the web form, please clearly state that you are submitting a formal complaint and provide as much relevant information as possible.

Where applicable, please include:

• Your name and email address registered with UK Biobank.
• Your UK Biobank project ID.
• A clear description of your complaint.
• Details of any previous correspondence relating to the issue.
• Relevant dates or supporting information.
• What you would like UK Biobank to review.

Providing this information will help us review and investigate your complaint as efficiently as possible.

What happens next?

Once your formal complaint has been submitted through the web form, the Researcher Enablement Team will acknowledge receipt within one working day.

Your complaint will be reviewed and, where necessary, investigated by the appropriate UK Biobank colleague.

If your complaint cannot be resolved at the initial stage, it will be escalated internally for further review.

Compliance, governance or policy-related concerns will be referred to the appropriate specialist within UK Biobank.

Keeping you informed

When we acknowledge your complaint, we will provide an indication of when you can expect further update. The time needed to resolve a complain will depend on its nature and complexity, and we will provide updates as appropriate throughout the process.

Outcome of your complaint

Once our review has been completed, we will provide you with an appropriate response explaining the outcome of your complaint and, where applicable, any actions taken.

If your complaint cannot be resolved at the initial stage, it may be escalated for further internal review.

Learning from complaints

UK Biobank values feedback from its research community.

Complaints and feedback may be reviewed to identify:

• Opportunities to improve our processes and services.
• Improvements to researcher communications and guidance.
• Training requirements.
• Recurring issues affecting researchers.
• Opportunities to prevent similar issues occurring in the future.

This helps us continually improve the experience we provide to researchers using UK Biobank resources.