Practice Complaints procedure
Patient information leaflet
If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the doctor or any of the staff working in this practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of a NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our practice complaints system meets the new national criteria and we aim to learn from individual complaints and improve as a result.
How to complain
We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible. Ideally within a matter of days or at most a few weeks, because this will enable us to establish what has happened more easily. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint within 12months of an incident happening.
Complaints should be addressed to the Practice Complaints Manager Sister Bates. Alternatively you may ask for an appointment with the complaints manger in order to discuss your concerns. The Complaints Manager will explain the complaints procedure to you and will make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly. It will be a great help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.
What we will do
We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days of receiving it and aim to have looked into your complaint within ten working days of the date when you raised it with us. We will then be in a position to offer you an explanation, or a meeting with the people involved. When we look into your complaint, we will aim to:
1. find out what happened and what went wrong
2.make it possible for you to discuss the problem
with those concerned if you wish to do so.
3.make sure you receive an apology, where this
is appropriate.
4. identify what we can do to make sure the
problem doesn’t happen again.
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 his or her permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.
We hope that, if you have a problem you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our practice. With the NHS complaints procedure the following options are also available to you.
Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Officer Shirley Stephenson
Contact number 01642 745040
PALS can provide valuable advice and the support can include:
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Information about NHS and social care services
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Help resolve concerns or problems
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Information on how to complain and how to access independent help and advice
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Helping people share their concerns, suggestions and experiences and using this information to improve services.
ICAS ( Independent Complaints Advocacy Service)
help desk contact number 0808 8023000
ICAS can offer support which can include:
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Helping you speak to someone independent and impartial in strict confidence
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Making your options clear
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Supporting you throughout the complaint process
Mediation
Mediation is a way to help resolve disagreements. An impartial mediator helps both parties reach acceptable conclusion and help re-establish good relations with the person who is unhappy. Advice regarding mediation can be obtained from Hartlepool PCT. The contact number is : 01642 666700
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
You have the right to ask for an Independent Review through the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman if you remain unhappy once a local resolution is completed. The address is:
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
Tel: 0345 015 4033
Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
Fax:0300 061400
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