Making a Complaint

We very much hope that you never have the need to make a complaint.  We aim to provide you with the best possible medical service. At times you may feel that we have not achieved this and want to make your feelings known.  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.

We encourage feedback as it’s useful to improve services. If you wish to share your views and experiences, positive or negative, simply speak with a member of staff in reception, preferably the Reception Lead who will inform the Practice Manager.  Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with the Practice Manager in order to discuss your concerns. Many issues can be resolved by speaking with staff and it’s often worthwhile discussing your concerns early on in order to avoid an official complaint.

Complaints should be made within 12 months of an incident or of the matter coming to your attention. This time limit can only be extended provided you have good reasons for not making the complaint sooner and it’s possible to complete a fair investigation.

You can make a complaint in several ways and we encourage patients to initially speak to us first and then in writing or by email if this is still necessary. Please access our COMPLAINT FORM if you want to do this is writing or you can write to the practice.

Please note: The complaint form will need to be printed, completed, scanned and emailed to the practice

If you are a registered patient you can complain about your own care.  However, you are unable to complain about someone else’s treatment without their written authority.  Please see section below for further guidance.

Please  send your written complaint to:

• The Practice Manager, Grove Park Surgery, 95 Burlington Lane, Chiswick, W4 3ET

 

Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else

We keep to the strict rules of medical and personal confidentiality.  If you wish to make a complaint but 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 someone else about it.

Please access our COMPLAINT FORM which includes a statement of authority that the patient can sign and third-party authority to enable a complaint to be made by someone else.  You can also provide this in your own format if you wish.

Please note: The complaint form will need to be printed, completed, scanned and emailed to the practice.

Where the patient is incapable of providing consent due to illness or accident 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 above circumstances apply.

Confidentiality 

All complaints must be treated in the strictest confidence.

Where the investigation of the complaint requires consideration of the patient’s medical records, the Practice Manager must inform the patient or person acting on his or her behalf if the investigation will involve disclosure of information contained in those records to a person other than the practice or an employee of the practice.

The practice must keep a record of all complaints and copies of all correspondence relating to complaints but such records must be kept separate from patients’ medical records.

The practice has an annual review of complaints received within the year and the learning issues or changes to procedures which have arisen are documented.

Written Complaints

You should expect an acknowledgement of your complaint within 3 working days of receiving your complaint.  There is no set time frame within which a full response must be sent, and this will depend on the nature and complexity of your complaint.

Once your complaint has been received, the Practice must carry out a full investigation and provide you with a full written response. The response should set out the findings and, where appropriate, provide apologies and information about what’s being done as a result of your complaint.

If your problem persists or you are not happy with the way your complaint has been handled, you have the right to take your complaint to the Ombudsman, You can contact them at:

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP
Phone: 0345 015 4033