PRACTICE COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working at this practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of a NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets national criteria. Patients have a choice of complaining to the provider (the Practice) or the commissioner (NHS England).
HOW TO COMPLAIN
We hope 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; or
Within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided this is within
12 months of the incident.
Complaints should be addressed to Mrs Donna Gilbert, the Practice Manager or to any of the doctors. It will be great help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint. Please send all complaints to llricb-wl.complaintsemail@nhs.net
WHAT SHALL WE DO
We shall acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and aim to look into your complaint within 28 working days of the date when you raised it with us. We shall then be in a position to offer you an explanation, or a meeting with the people involved. 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 this is appropriate;
- Identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again
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 their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.
COMPLAINING TO NHS ENGLAND
We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our practice. However, if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us you should contact the NHS England Complaints Team by any of the following methods:
By Telephone: 0300 311 2233
By Email: england.contactus@nhs.net.
By Post: NHS England, P O Box 16738, Redditch B97 9PT
HEALTH SERVICE OMBUDSMAN
www.ombudsman.org.uk
If you are unhappy with the outcome of your complaint you can refer the matter to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, who is independent of the NHS and government. They can be contacted at:
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
Tel Help Line: 0345 015 4033
Send a text to the call back service: 07624 813 005
If you have problems with your hearing or speech then you can use a textphone (minicom) on 0300 061 4298. (Calls to these numbers cost the same as a call to a UK landline.)