We try to give our patients a friendly, reliable, medical service of high quality and professional excellence. Each year we deal with thousands of routine and urgent appointments, in excess of 100,000 telephone conversations and dispense in excess of 200,000 items.
We like to think we do all this to a high standard. However, nobody is perfect! Sometimes we ‘get it wrong’. If this is the case we want to do our utmost to investigate the problem, apologise, put it right and prevent it from happening again.
We can only do this if patients tell us of a problem. The quicker we get to hear about it, the sooner we can solve it. This information is designed to tell you of the procedures that are in place, what you need to do and how we will respond. Anne Bristow manages our complaints process with clinical and partnership supervision.
Making a Complaint
If you have any complaints or concerns about the service that you have received from the doctors or staff working for this practice, please let us know.
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. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint:
- Within 12 months of the incident that caused the problem; or
- Within 12 months from the date on which the incident which is the subject of the complaint comes to the complainant’s notice.We will be pleased to deal with any complaint. We will explain the procedure to you and make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly.
How to Complain
Our complaints are monitored on a daily basis. Any complaint will be forwarded to the manager of the relevant department to respond.
We ask for complaints to be submitted in writing. Please give as much information as you can, then send your complaint to the practice using the following email address:
What we will do
Our complaints procedure is designed to make sure that we settle any complaints as quickly as possible. We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within 10 working days of the date when you raised it with us. We will then be in a position to offer you an explanation, or a meeting with the people involved. When we look into your complaint, we will 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 appropriate
- identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.
- At the end of the investigation your complaint will be discussed with you in detail, either in person or in writing.
What you can do next
We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe that this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and the opportunity to improve our practice.
However this does not affect your right to make a complaint to the NHS South East Complaints Hub if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the outcome or final response to your complaint, they may be contacted as follows:
South East Complaints Hub
NHS Frimley ICB
Aldershot Centre for Health
Hospital Hill
Aldershot
Hampshire
GU11 1AY
Or telephone 0300 561 0290
If local resolution is not achieved you also have the right to refer your complaint to the Health Service Ombudsman. If you refer your complaint to the Ombudsman she will require a clear statement of what issues remain outstanding. Referral to the Ombudsman should be sent to the following address:
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
Helpline: 0345 015 4033
website: www.ombudsman.org.uk
email: [email protected]
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 his or her 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 About District Nursing Service
Complaints about the district nursing service should be sent to the following address:
Customer Care Team
Kent Community Health Trust
Trinity House
110-120 Eureka Park
Upper Pemberton
Ashford
Kent TN25 4AZ
Telephone: 0300 123 1807
Help Us Get It Right
We constantly try to improve the service we offer. Please let us know when you think we have done something well or if you have any suggestions as to how we can do something better.
Headcorn Surgery
Grigg Lane
Headcorn
Kent
TN27 9AA
or via email on [email protected]