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How to make a complaint

We endeavour to offer the best service possible at all times, but there may be occasions when you feel that you wish to express dissatisfaction.

The purpose of this page is to explain what to do if you have a complaint about the services that Wellington Road Family Practice provides for you.

We offer an in-house procedure to deal with your concerns. The procedure does not deal with matters of legal liability or compensation, but we hope that you will use this process to give us an opportunity of reviewing and, where necessary, correcting any problems that may have arisen or mistakes that have been made.

Please note that we have a duty of confidentiality to patients and that written consent will be required from the patient if the patient directly concerned does not make the complaint.

If you wish to make a complaint please contact the practice in the first instance.

Following the investigation of your complaint we will write a report recording the background to the complaint, the investigation process, the outcome and the proposed remedy (or remedies).

It is our aim that the interval between receiving a complaint and producing a written report should be no more than 10 working days. We hope to address your concerns fully, provide you with an explanation and discuss any action that may be taken.

At the end of this process we hope that you will feel satisfied that the matter has been fully resolved. If, however, this is not the case we can suggest ways to take it further with appropriate authorities.

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 – 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 twelve months of the incident that caused the problem or, if you don’t discover the problem immediately, within twelve months of discovering that you have a problem, provided that the time is reasonable. We will try to answer complaints outside these time limits if we can.

Complaints should be made in writing and addressed to:

Jenny Roberts, Practice Manager

Wellington Road Family Practice

Wellington Road

Yate

BS37 5UY

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 of authorisation signed by the person concerned will, therefore, be needed and is included in the complaints form available from reception.

If you need help with your complaint

The Care Forum provides free, independent support and assistance to people who on live in South Gloucestershire and who want to make a complaint about an NHS service.

Further information about the NHS Complaints Advocacy Service can be accessed:

• On the Care Forum website
• By ringing 0808 808 5252

What we shall do

We shall acknowledge your complaint within three working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within ten working days of the date when you raised it with us. You will 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 we look at your complaint, we shall aim to:

• Find out what happened and why;
• 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 doesn’t happen again and how we can learn from it;
• Provide you with a written report detailing how the complaint was considered and the conclusions reached;
• Advise you of the appropriate action necessary should you wish to take your complaint further.

Complaining to NHS England

You are able to complain directly to NHS England regarding concerns you may have about GPs, Dentists, Pharmacies and Opticians within South Gloucestershire. Complaints should be directed to:

NHS England

• Email: england.contactus@nhs.net with “For the attention of the complaints team” in the subject line
• Phone: 0300 311 22 33
• Use the British Sign Language service

For more detailed information, visit the NHS England website.

Complaining to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

If you remain dissatisfied with the response to your complaint, you have the right to ask the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to review your case. This should be done within two months of receipt of our final report. You can contact the Ombudsman at the following address:

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London SW1 4QP
Tel: 0345 015 4033
Online: Visit the website