We are always interested in hearing feedback from our patients, good or bad. For any suggestions and comments, please use our Feedback triage. If you feel it necessary, you can make a complaint.
All of our feedback is collated and reviewed on a regular basis with our Patient Participation Group.
Complaints
If you have any complaints or concerns about the service that you have received from the doctors or staff working for the practice, please let us know.
We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible, ideally within a matter of days or at most a few weeks. This will enable us to establish what happened more easily.
If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint:
- Within 6 months of the incident that caused the problem
- Within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided that is within 12 months of the incident
The practice manager will be pleased to deal with any complaint. He will explain the procedure to you and make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly.
You can make your complaint either:
- Via the practice website
- In writing – some complaints may be easier to explain in writing, please give as much information as you can, then send your complaint to the practice for the attention of the practice manager
What we Shall do
Our complaints procedure is designed to make sure that we settle any complaints as quickly as possible.
We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and will advise how long we believe your complaint will take to investigate.
When we look into your complaint, we shall aim to:
- Find out what happened and what went wrong
- Make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this
- Make sure you receive an apology, where appropriate
- Identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.
At the end of the investigation your complaint will be discussed with you in detail, either in person or in writing.
Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else
Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have his or her permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.
Further Help Required?
If you remain dissatisfied with our response, you may contact the ombudsman for a review of your complaint.
This can be done by contacting the following address:
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
Telephone: 0345 0154033
Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk
You may also write directly to NHS England. However, NHS England will not deal with your complaint if you have already been through the practice complaints procedure.
You may contact NHS England in the following ways:
Customer Contact Centre
NHS England
PO Box 16738
Redditch
B97 9PT
Telephone: 0300 311 22 33
Email: [email protected]
The Independent Complaints and Advocacy Service (ICAS) can provide free and confidential information and assistance to anyone who wishes to make a complaint about NHS services.
VoiceAbility
St Clement’s Hospital
Foxhall Road
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP3 8LS
Telephone: 0300 330 5454
Email: [email protected]