Making a Complaint
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.
Where you are not able to resolve your complaint in this way and wish to make a formal complaint you should do so, preferably in writing as soon as possible after the event and ideally within a few days, as this helps us to establish what happened more easily. In any event, this should be:
- Within 12 months of the incident, or within 12 months of you discovering that you giving as much detail as you can.
If you are a registered patient you can complain about your own care. You are unable to complain about someone else’s treatment without their written authority. See the separate section below. We are able to provide you with a separate complaints form to register your complaint and this includes a third-party authority form to enable a complaint to be made by someone else. Please ask at reception for this. You can provide this in your own format providing this covers all the necessary aspects.
For a copy of our latest patient complaint information leaflet, check ‘Our Documents’ section. This is also available in large print. Glebe House Surgery is registered with the Care Quality Commission. To contact the CQC, or for more information, please visit the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Send Your Written Complaint to:
Rachel Mudd
Operational Manager
Glebe House Surgery
19 Firby Road
Bedale
North Yorkshire
DL8 2AT
What we do next
We look to settle complaints as soon as possible.
We will acknowledge receipt within 3 working days, and aim to have looked into the matter within 10 working days. You may 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. If the matter is likely to take longer than this we will let you know, and keep you informed as the investigation progresses.
When looking into a complaint we attempt to see what happened and why, to see if there is something we can learn from this, and make it possible for you to discuss the issue with those involved if you would like to do so. When the investigations are complete your complaint will be determined and a final response sent to you.
Where your complaint involves more than one organisation (e.g. social services) we will liaise with that organisation so that you receive one coordinated reply. We may need your consent to do this. Where your complaint has been sent initially to an incorrect organisation, we may seek your consent to forward this to the correct person to deal with. The final response letter will include details of the result of your complaint and also your right to escalate the matter further if you remain dissatisfied with the response.
Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else
We keep to the strict rules of medical and personal confidentiality. If you wish to make a complaint and 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 ask at reception for the Complaints Form which contains a suitable authority for the patient to sign to enable the complaint to proceed. 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 circumstances above apply.
We may still need to correspond direct with the patient, or may be able to deal direct with the third party, and this depends on the wording of the authority provided.
Getting Further Help With Your Complaint:
If you need any support with your complaint you can get help and advice from:
Cloverleaf Advocacy
5th Floor, Empire House
Old Wakefield Road
Dewsbury
WF12 8DJ
Telephone: 0300 0124212
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://cloverleaf-advocacy.co.uk/areas/north-yorkshire
Healthwatch North Yorkshire represents the views and opinions of Health Social Care Service user. Find out more here: https://www.healthwatchnorthyorkshire.co.uk/
NHS England
If you do not wish to complain directly to the practice you can direct your complaint to NHS England. You can contact NHS England at:
NHS England (For the attention of The Complaints Manager)
PO Box 16738
Redditch
B97 9PT
Telephone: 0300 311 2233
The NHS Commissioning Board can help refer unresolved complaints – write to:
Independent Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower,
Millbank,
London
SW1P 4QP
or call 0345 015 4033 www.ombudsman.org.uk
Rachel Mudd, Operational Manager is the initial contact for complaints at Glebe House Surgery