Comments & Complaints

If you have a complaint about the service you have received from the Doctors or any of the staff working in this Practice, please let us know. We will respond to your complaint in line with the NHS Complaints Procedures. The main emphasis of the NHS Complaints Procedure is on local resolution. We hope that we will be able to resolve any issues that you may raise.

How to complain

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 resolved 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 – because 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; or
Within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided this is within 12 months of the incident

Complaints can be made in any way that is convenient for you. This includes:

By letter, addressed to the Practice Manager
Using our secure online form
Over the phone with the Complaints Manager (they will arrange a date/time to contact you if they are not immediately available)
In person by speaking to the Complaints Manager (an appointment will be required)

Should you speak to a member of the management team, they will be happy to explain the complaints procedure to you and will make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly. It will be a great help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.

If you feel that you need support to raise your concern or complaint with us, you can contact VoiceAbility’s NHS Complaints Advocacy Service. They can provide independent, free and confidential information and support to people wishing to make a complaint about the NHS. You can contact them via their website.

What we will do

We can acknowledge your complaint in writing within five working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within ten days of our acknowledgement. This may not be possible when the people involved are, for example, away on leave. If this is the case we will inform you of the reason for the delay. We will then be in a position to offer you an explanation, or a meeting with the people involved. When we look into your complaint, we 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 this is appropriate
Identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again
Follow your complaint up by phone 7 days after your case has been closed to check that nothing is outstanding.

Our aims when dealing with a complaint

When we are dealing with any complaint we work to achieve to the following principals (in line with the Local Government Ombudsman’s guidance):

Getting it right.
Being customer focused
Being open and accountable
Acting fairly and proportionately
Putting things right
Seeking continuous improvement

Complaining on behalf of someone else

Please note that we adhere strictly to rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless you have a legal right to act on their behalf.