Complaints

If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received 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 an NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets national criteria.

How to complain

We hope that most problems can be sorted 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 or of becoming aware of the matter complained about.

Complaints can be made directly to the Practice Manager: Joanne Lowes in person, via telephone or via our Complaints Form

or via NHS England:

Email: england.contactus@nhs.net

Tel: 0300 311 22 33

Write to: NHS England, PO BOX 1673, Redditch, B97 9PT

What we shall do

We shall acknowledge receipt of your complaint within three working days and 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 this is appropriate.
• Identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again.
• Write to you on completion of a complaint investigation explaining how it has been resolved, what appropriate action has been taken and advising you of your right to take the matter to the Health Services Ombudsman if you are still unhappy.

If you wish to complain 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 or our Complaints Form signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.

Complaining to the Health Services Ombudsman

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 and an opportunity to improve our Practice.

If you remain unhappy after local resolution and independent review then you can complain to the Health Service Ombudsman. The ombudsman is completely independent of the NHS and Government.

Tel: 0345 015 4033

Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

Write to: Health Service Ombudsman, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP

Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk

Need Further Help? – Healthwatch West Sussex

Healthwatch West Sussex is an Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service (IHCAS). Healthwatch West Sussex exists to make health and care services work for the people who use them. They give people across West Sussex the opportunity to have their say about health and care services. Healthwatch are an independent organisation but have a statutory voice, meaning commissioners and providers have to listen to them.

Tel: 0300 012 0122

Email: ihcas@healthwatchwestsussex.co.uk

Write to: Healthwatch West Sussex, PO Box 1360, Crawley. West Sussex RH10 0QS

Website: www.healthwatchwestsussex.co.uk

The Care Quality Commission

If you have a genuine concern about a staff member or regulated activity carried on by this Practice then you can contact the Care Quality Commission by calling 03000 616161, or alternatively visit www.cqc.org.uk