Sometimes things can go wrong, a system fails or we can make human errors. We may not have not provided enough information to patients or in the format they may require. We take complaints seriously with a genuine desire to listen to the patient so we can fully understand what has gone wrong and why? This enables us to start the process of trying to resolve the issue for the patient and also put processes in place to ensure similar events cannot happen for others. Sometimes this may require us to provide further training and support for one or some of our team members in the Practice.
If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from any of the Clinicians, or any of the staff working within the practice please let us know. It‘s not about getting someone in to trouble; we need to know so that we can ensure we monitor the quality of our services and our patient experiences are key to helping us do this and to continually improve.
To enable us to do this we operate a practice complaints procedure as part of the NHS guidance instructions and system for dealing with complaints.
How to complain
We hope that most problems can be resolved 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 formal complaint, this should be put in writing and signed by the complainant, as soon as possible, ideally within a matter of days or at the most a few weeks. This will enable us to establish what happened and resolve your complaint more easily. If it is not possible to do this, please let us have details of your complaint:
- Within 12 months of the incident that caused the problem, or within 12 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided this is within 12 months of the incident.
Complaints should be addressed to Mrs Dawn Beadle, Practice Manager or alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with her in order to discuss your concerns; he will first offer an apology and explain the complaints procedure to you and will make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly.
What will we do
We shall acknowledge your complaint in writing, within three working days of receipt and aim to have reviewed your complaint and provide a response to you providing details of our findings within ten working days of the date when you raised your complaint with us. When we investigate your complaint we would aim to:-
- Conduct a thorough investigation into your complaint.
- Offer you the opportunity to discuss your complaint in more detail with the Practice Manager if appropriate.
- Make sure you receive a full and open explanation of our findings with regards to your complaint.
- Identify what we can do to ensure a satisfactory conclusion for resolving your complaint.
- Identify how we can learn from the complaint and introduce measures wherever possible to ensure that re-occurrences do not happen.
- Offer our apologies for any distress or inconvenience caused to you or your family.
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 form template available from reception will need to signed by the patient or their parent /guardian , unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this to give authority to act on their behalf.
Complaining to the NHS Commissioning Board – NHS England
We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe this will give both of us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our practice and patient care.
This does not affect your right to approach the NHS Commissioning Board, if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigations. You should contact the NHS England Commissioning Board:-
Tel: 0300 311 2233
NHS England. PO BOX 16738 Redditch. B97 9PT Tel: 0300 311 2233
Other useful contacts:
Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS) West Yorkshire. Tel: 0800 052 5270
Parliamentary & Health Services Ombudsman. Tel: 0345 015 4033
Practice complaints leaflet can be downloaded here including alternative language and easy read: