Complaints and Feedback

Complaints

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.

Suggestions

If you have any comments or suggestions regarding the practice, the building or practice procedures, please leave feedback at reception or for the Patient Participation Group (PPG)

Please see our complaints procedure information:

If you have a complaint or concern about the service that you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working in the Practice, please let us know. We operate a Practice Complaints Procedure as part of the NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our system meets national criteria.

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 happened more easily. You should normally make a complaint within twelve months of the event, or within twelve months of becoming aware that you have something to complain about. However, these time limits may be waived if there are good reasons why you could not complain earlier and if we are still able to investigate the complaint fairly and effectively in spite of the delay.

Complaints can be made verbally, or in writing to the surgery. If you are complaining in writing please either email nnicb-nn.feedback.c84010@nhs.net for the attention of Emma Nowell (Complaints Officer), hand this in at reception or post to Trentside Medical Group, Knight Street, Netherfield NG4 2FN

What We Will Do:

You should expect an acknowledgement of your complaint within 3 working days of us receiving your complaint. There is no set time frame for responding, and this will depend on the nature of your complaint. Complaints should be made within 12 months of an incident or of it coming to your attention.

We will aim to investigate and deal with all complaints efficiently and promptly. We will send you a written response with a report on the investigation as soon as reasonably practicable. If we are not able to meet the response deadline we have agreed with you, we will contact you to advise why and negotiate another timescale. All oral complaints will be recorded in writing by the Practice and you will be provided with a copy of the written record. When we look into your complaints we aim to:

• find out what happened and what went wrong
• advise you what we will do to put the matter right
• make sure you receive an apology where this is appropriate.
• identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again.

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 the services provided by our Practice.

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint at local level you can contact NHS England

NHS Primary Care Complaints

Since 2009 NHS patients wishing to complain about primary care services can take their complaint to either the provider (such as the GP or dental practice) or the commissioner, NHS England – but not both.

From 1 August 2015 the NHS England North Midlands Complaints Service will be responsible for the investigation of all NHS England complaints relating to primary care provided in Staffordshire & Shropshire as well as Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire.

Although the North Midlands Complaints Service has offices in Mansfield in Nottinghamshire and Anglesey House in Rugeley, all new complaints need to be sent to the NHS England Customer Contact Centre, who will log the complaint and forward it to the relevant office.

You can contact the Customer Contact Centre:

• Post:
  NHS England
  PO Box 16738
  Redditch
  B97 9PT
• Email:             england.contactus.@nhs.net
• Telephone:     0300 311 22 33

If patients are not satisfied with the way their complaint has been dealt with by the provider or commissioner, they can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO)

• Post:
  The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
  Millbank Tower
  Millbank
  London
  SW1P 4QP
• Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
• Telephone:     0345 015 4033

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 their permission to do so. A letter signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.

Please see form below and complete as appropriate. Once completed, please return via email. Alternatively you can submit a completed consent form in writing at reception, attached to your complaint.

Third party complaint consent form