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Suggestions, Concerns and Complaints Procedure

We find that your comments, suggestions and complaints are really helpful to us in improving what we do.

You have a right to complain about the treatment or care we provide. You may also feel that you do not want to make a formal complaint, but do have a suggestion or concern that you want to raise.

We welcome all of these. We understand that we may not always get everything right, and if you tell us when that happens, we can then improve.

Who to talk to

Most issues can be dealt with quickly and easily. We encourage you to speak to whichever member of staff you are dealing with, when you are unhappy or concerned about something. Quite often, we can resolve the issue at that stage, and apologise if appropriate. If you are happy with the resolution, then nothing further needs to be done.

However, you may feel that you do need to make a formal complaint, in which case you may want to speak to our Complaints Manager. You can make a complaint verbally or in writing. We encourage you to put things in writing just so we can be sure we have properly understood you, but the choice is yours.

If you feel unable to complain to the practice direct, then you can go to NHS England, and they will investigate and contact us on your behalf. Their contact details are:

NHS England
PO Box 16738
Redditch B97 9PT

You can also call them on 0300 3112 233 or via email.

You have 12 months from the incident that caused the problem to raise a complaint. In reality, the sooner you let us know about the problem, the better, because this will make it easier for us to find out what happened.

Complaint investigation

We will respond to your complaint within 3 working days. We will then investigate things carefully, and provide you with a detailed response as soon as we can. Each complaint is different but generally we hope to get the detailed response to you within 3 weeks of your complaint.

If there are any delays, we will let you know, and explain what they are.
When we send you the detailed response, we will offer you the chance to meet with the members of staff concerned. Some patients find this helpful, although others do not – the choice is yours.
We will ensure that all complaints are investigated confidentially and that any documents are held separately from your healthcare record.

Complaints by other people on your behalf

If you prefer, you can ask someone else to complain on your behalf. However, to ensure your confidentiality, we will ask you to verify that you have consented to the other person representing you. Parents or someone with parental responsibility will be able to make complaints on behalf of children.

Equally, anyone with a valid power of attorney for health and welfare matters can make a complaint on behalf of the person who granted the power of attorney.

If you need help making a complaint

We will try to assist you, as we think that is important. If you would prefer some outside assistance, then you can contact:

•   POhWER support centre on 0300 456 2370 | website
•   Advocacy People on 0330 440 9000 | website
•   Age UK on 0800 055 6112 | website

Your local council can also give advice on local advocacy services.

Further Action

We hope that you will be satisfied once we have dealt with your complaint here. However, that doesn’t always happen. If you are still unhappy you should take your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO).

You can reach them at Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4QP or Citygate, Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3HQ.