Complaints Procedure

If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from a doctor or any member of staff working at East Barnwell Health Centre please let us know. We operate a Practice Complaints Procedure as part of the NHS system, which meets the national criteria.

If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, please note that we adhere to strict rules of medical confidentiality and will not be able to act on this complaint without the patient’s permission on a signed and dated consent letter.

If the complaint is regarding a deceased patient, the practice will proceed with an investigation.

Ideally you need to make your complaint as soon as possible, but ideally within six months of the incident that caused the problem or within six months of discovering that you have a problem. This will enable us to gather all the information whilst still fresh.

THE PROCEDURE

We aim to sort out most problems easily and quickly and often at the time that they arise. If your problem cannot be sorted immediately and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know in writing as soon as possible.

All complaints should be addressed to the Practice Manager here at the Practice, who will ensure that your complaint is dealt with promptly.

WHAT WE WILL DO

We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days of receipt. We aim to have looked into the matter within ten working days, although this will be determined by the complexity of the complaint and access to those involved. It is our intention then to be in a position to offer you a response or a meeting with the people involved or, if there is to be a delay in responding ( for instance, due to staff absences or a third party not directly employed by East Barnwell Health Centre), to keep you updated of the progress of your complaint.

When we look into your complaint we will aim to:

• Investigate the problem with all members of staff concerned

• Notify you of the outcome of the investigation with a satisfactory explanation
• Identify the problem with a view to improving the service we offer to our patients If neither body helps resolve the issue, you have the right to approach the Ombudsman on 0345 015 4033 and at  phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

Telephone:  01223 728900

E-mail:   admin.eastbarnwellhealthcentre@nhs.net

The Care Quality Commission is always interested in both issues and outcomes. Details can be forwarded to enquiries@cqc.org.uk though please be aware they are not involved in the resolution process.

We hope that you will use the East Barnwell Health Centre Complaints Procedure so that we are able to resolve the problem and have the opportunity to improve our service to you, but if you choose not to contact us you can approach NHS England direct at england.contactus@nhs.net or on  0113 254 5000

Complaints Policy