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. 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 6 months of the incident that caused the problem or within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided that it is within 12 months of the incident.
Melanie Jones, Practice Manager, will be pleased to deal with any complaint. She will explain the procedure to you and make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly. The best way to make a formal complaint is in writing or by email. Please give as much information as you can, then send your complaint to the Practice for the attention of Melanie Jones as soon as possible. Alternatively, email mhcc.alexandrapractice@nhs.net but please be aware we do not recommend that you send confidential patient details by email, as it is not a secure method of communication.
What We Do
Our complaints procedure is designed to make sure that we settle any complaints as quickly as possible and in a manner satisfactory to all parties.
We shall 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, though some more detailed issues can take longer to resolve.
When we look into your complaint, we aim to:
(a) Find out what happened and what went wrong.
(b) Make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this.
(c) Make sure you receive an apology, where appropriate.
(d) 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.
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.
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 take your complaint further. If you are unhappy with the response you receive from us you can contact:
NHS England
P O Box 16738
Redditch
B97 9PT
Telephone: 0300 311 22 33
(Monday to Friday 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. excluding English Bank Holidays)
Email: england.contactus@nhs.net
If you remain dissatisfied with the responses to your complaint, you have the right to ask the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to review your case. This department is an independent body established to promote improvements in healthcare through the assessment of the performance of those who provide service. You can contact them on 0300 061 4000, or write to them at:
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
