PRACTICE COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
If you have a complaint or concern about the service you receive from the doctors 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 complaints system meets national criteria.
HOW TO COMPLAIN
We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, preferably 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. This is because it will enable us to establish what happened more easily. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have the details of your complaint:
- Within six months of the incident that caused the problem: or
- Within six months of discovering that you have a problem, provided this is within 12 months of the incident.
Complaints should be addressed to the Services Manager. It will help us greatly if you are specific as possible about your complaint.
WHAT WE SHALL DO
We shall acknowledge your complaint within 10 working days of the date that you raised it 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;
- Identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not 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 their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.
COMPLAINING TO THE PRIMARY CARE TRUST
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, as well as an opportunity to improve our practice.
However, this does not affect your right to approach the local Primary Care Trust if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation.
If you live in Sandwell you should contact:
The Complaints officer
Sandwell Primary Care Trust
Kingston House
438 High Street
West Bromwich
B70 9LD
Tel: 0845 155 0500.
If you live in Birmingham you should contact:
Complaints Department
Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT
Bartholomew House
142 Hagley Road
Birmingham
B16 9PA
Tel: 0121 224 4640
INDEPENDENT COMPLAINTS AND ADVOCACY SERVICE
You may also wish to contact the local ICAS for help. They can be contacted on: 0845 120 3748.