Suggestions and Complaints

 

BACK TO MAIN INDEX

 

Making a Complaint

Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily, often at the time they arise with the person concerned and this may be the approach you try first.

Where you are not able to resolve your complaint in this way and wish to make a formal complaint you should do so, preferably in writing as soon as possible after the event and ideally within a few days, as this helps us to establish what happened more easily. In any event, this should preferably be within 12 months of the incident or within 12 months of you becoming aware of the matter.  Please provide as much detail as you can.

If you are a registered patient you can complain about your own care.  You are not normally able to complain about someone else’s treatment without their written authority. 

We can provide a separate complaints form to register your complaint and this includes a third-party authority form to enable a complaint to be made by someone else. Please ask at reception for this. You may provide this in your own format providing this covers all the necessary aspects.

Send your written complaint to:

Mrs. R. Eacott
The Surgery,
Park Road,
Tisbury,
Wiltshire
SP3 6LF

 

What we do next

We look to settle complaints as soon as possible.

We will acknowledge receipt within 3 working days, and aim to have looked into the matter within 10 working days. If this cannot be done within 10 days you will ve notified and given an idea of the response time.  You may then receive a formal reply in writing, or you may be invited to meet with the person(s) concerned to attempt to resolve the issue. 

When looking into a complaint we attempt to see what happened and why, to see if there is something we can learn from this, and make it possible for you to discuss the issue with those involved if you would like to do so.

When the investigations are complete a final written response will be sent to you.

Where your complaint involves more than one organisation (e.g. social services) we will liaise with that organisation so that you receive one coordinated reply.  We may need your consent to do this.  Where your complaint has been sent initially to an incorrect organisation, we may seek your consent to forward this to the correct recipient.

The final response letter will include details of the result of your complaint and also your right to escalate the matter further if you remain dissatisfied with the response.

 

Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else

We abide by the strict rules of medical and personal confidentiality. If you wish to make a complaint and are not the patient involved, we will require the written consent of the patient to confirm that they are unhappy with their treatment and that we can deal with a named third party about it.

In the event that the patient is deceased, then we may agree to respond to a family member, anyone acting on their behalf, or who has had an interest in the welfare of the patient.

Please ask at reception for the Complaints Form which contains a suitable authority for the patient to sign to enable the complaint to proceed. Alternatively we can send one to you to return to us when we receive the initial written complaint.

Where the patient is incapable of providing consent due to illness, accident or mental capacity it may still be possible to deal with the complaint.  Please provide the precise details of the circumstances which prevent this in your covering letter.

Please note that we are unable to discuss any issue relating to someone else without their express permission, which must be in writing, unless the circumstances above apply. You may also find that if you are complaining on behalf of a child who is capable of making their own complaint, we will expect that child to contact us themselves to lodge their complaint.

We may still need to correspond directly with the patient, or may be able to deal direct with the third party. This will depend on the wording of the authority provided.

 

If you are Dissatisfied with the Outcome

You have the right to approach the following organisations.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Millbank Tower, 30 Millbank, London SW1P 4QP

Tel: 0345 0154033 or visit the website by clicking here

or

NHS England, P.O. Box 16738, Redditch. B97 9PT

Tel: 0300 311 22 33

Email: England.contactus@nhs.net

or

You may also approach PALS, Healthwatch or the Independant Health Complaints Advocacy for help or advice;

The practice contact is: Rosemary Eacott

Latest update: December 2022