We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.

However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly and as amicably as possible.

Simply complete our form and we will set all the necessary wheels in motion. We are continually striving to improve our service, any helpful suggestions are much appreciated.

How to Complain

We hope that we can sort most problems out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If you wish to make a formal complaint, please do so as soon as possible – ideally within a matter of a few days. This will enable us to establish what happened more easily. If doing that is not possible, your complaint should be submitted within 12 months of the incident that caused the problem; or within 12 months of discovering that you have a problem.

Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else

We keep strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality (a separate leaflet giving more detail on confidentiality is available on request). If you are not the patient, but are complaining on their behalf, you must have their permission to do so. An authority signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness or infirmity) of providing this.

What We Will Do

We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and aim to have fully investigated within 15 working days of the date it was received. If we expect it to take longer we will explain the reason for the delay and tell you when we expect to finish. When we look into your complaint, we will investigate the circumstances; make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned; make sure you receive an apology if this is appropriate, and take steps to make sure any problem does not arise again.

You will receive a final letter setting out the result of any practice investigations.

More Help

If you feel you would like help making a complaint please contact:

NHS Complaints Advocacy Service

Website: nhscomplaintsadvocacy.org

Tel: 0300 330 5454

or

NHS England

PO Box 16738,

Redditch,

B97 9PT

Tel: 0300 311 22 33 (Mon-Fri 8:00-18:00, excluding English Bank Holidays)

Email: england.contactus@nhs.net