Complaints

We always try to give you the best service possible but there may be times, when you feel this has not happened

If you have any complaint or concern about the service you have received from the doctors or staff working for this surgery you are entitled to ask for an explanation.  We operate an in-house complaints procedure to deal with your complaints.  This procedure does not deal with matters of legal liability or compensation.  In some cases the in-house procedure is not an appropriate form of investigation, in which case you will be referred to the appropriate authority.

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 couple of days, or at most a few weeks, because this will enable us to establish what happened more easily.  If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint:

  • within six months of the incident that caused the problem
  • within six months of discovering that you have a problem
  • within twelve months of the incident.

Your complaint should be addressed to the Helen Patient Operations Manager who is our complaints investigator; she will ensure that your concern is investigated thoroughly and as speedily as possible. Alternatively you can address your complaint to the GP or Business Manager. It will be a great help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.

What We Will Do

We will acknowledge you complaint within three working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within 14 workings days of the date when you raised with us.  We shall then be in a position to offer you an explanation, or a meeting with the people involved.  When we look into your complaint we shall aim to:

  • Find out what happened and what went wrong
  • Make it possible 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 we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again

A copy of our complaints form is available; you may use it to complain on behalf of someone else.  You do not have to use the form if you prefer you can set out your complaint in your own way.  We can help you write down your complaint, if you need help contact either of our practice managers.

Complete the complaint form as soon as you can and return it to the practice ensuring it has been marked for the attention of the Complaints Manager. You can download this leaflet and the forms from below.

Someone within the surgery will then investigate your complaint.  It is likely that, as a first step, the investigator will contact you directly to ensure that he/she fully understands your complaint.  The investigator will then interview appropriate members of the practice staff and may inspect relevant documents.

Complaining on Behalf of Somebody Else

Please note that the practice must ensure strict adherence to the rule of medical confidentiality.  We cannot provide confidential information without appropriate authority, if you are not the patient in question

Getting Further Help with Your Complaint

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 learn and improve our practice.

If you feel that we haven’t dealt with your complaint properly, you have the right to take your complaint to the ombudsman.

Second stage of the complaints process

If you are not happy with the outcome of our process, the next step is to ask the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) to review your complaint and how it has been handled.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP

Telephone: 0345 015 4033 Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

What happens if I prefer to complain directly to the commissioning organisation?

If your complaint is about primary care services such as GPs, dentists, opticians or pharmacy services, you should contact NHS Cheshire and Merseyside.

Telephone: 0800 132 996

E-mail: enquiries@cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk

Patient Experience Team, No 1 Lakeside, 920 Centre Park Square, Warrington, WA11QY.