Woodfield Road Surgery is always looking for ways to improve the services it offers to patients. Therefore, we need to know what you think about the services you receive. Tell us what we do best, where we don’t meet your expectations plus any suggestions you may have. Only by listening to you can we continue to build and improve upon the service we offer.
PRACTICE COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
If you have a complaint about the service you have received from any member of staff working in this practice, please let us know. The practice operates a Complaints Procedure as part of the NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets national criteria.
Note: If you make a complaint it is practice policy to ensure you are not discriminated against, or subjected to any negative effect on your care, treatment or support.
HOW TO COMPLAIN
In the first instance please discuss your complaint with the staff member concerned. Where the issue cannot be resolved at this stage, please contact one of our Practice Managers, who will try to resolve the issue and offer you further advise on the complaints procedure. If your problem cannot be resolved at this stage and you wish to make a formal complaint please let us know as soon as possible, ideally within a matter of days. This will enable the practice to get a clear picture of the circumstances surrounding the complaint.
If it is not possible to raise your complaint immediately, please let us have details of your complaint within the following timescales:
• 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
The practice will acknowledge your complaint within two working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within ten working days of the date you raised it with us. At this stage you should be offered an explanation or a meeting with the person(s) involved. When the practice looks into your complaint it aims to:
• Ascertain the full circumstances of the complaint
• Make arrangements 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 the practice can do to make sure the problem does not happen again
COMPLAINING ON BEHALF OF SOMEONE ELSE
Please note that Westbourne Green Surgery keeps strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, the practice needs to know that you have their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be required, unless they are incapable of providing this due to illness or disability.
COMPLAINING TO OTHER AUTHORITIES
The practice management team hope that if you have a problem you will use the Practice Complaints Procedure. However, if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us, or you are dissatisfied with the response received from us, you can contact any of the following 3 bodies:
NHS COMPLAINTS AND ADVOCACY SERVICE
VoiceAbility provided NHS Complaints Advocacy in London. It supports people through the process of making a complaint about the NHS.
LONDON OFFICE CONTACT DETAILS
VoiceAbility
United House
39-41 North Road
London N7 9DP
Tel: 0300 330 5454
Textphone: 0786 002 2939
email: nhscomplaints@voiceability.org
website: http://www.nhscomplaintsadvocacy.org
NHS ENGLAND
NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT
Tel: 0300 311 22 33 email: england.contactus@nhs.net
OMBUDSMAN
As a last resort, if you are not happy with the response from this practice, you can refer your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman who investigates complaints about the NHS in England. You can call the Ombudsman’s Complaints Helpline on 0345 015 4033 or Ombudsman Website or Textphone (Minicom): 0300 061 4298
CONTACTING THE CARE QUALITY COMMISSION
If you have a genuine concern about a staff member or regulated activity carried on by this Practice then you can contact the Care Quality Commission on 03000 616161, or alternatively visit the CQC Website.