Suggestions and Comments

Quedgeley Medical Centre is always looking for ways to improve the services it offers to patients. To do this effectively, the practice needs to know what you think about the services you receive. Tell us what we do best, where we don’t meet your expectations plus any ideas and suggestions you may have. Only by listening to you can the practice continue to build and improve upon the service it offers.

Practice Complaints Procedure

If you have a complaint about the service you have received from any member of staff working in this practice, please let us know. The practice operates a Complaints Procedure as part of the NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets national criteria.

Note: If you make a complaint it is practice policy to ensure you are not discriminated against, or subjected to any negative effect on your care, treatment or support.

How to Complain

In the first instance please discuss your complaint with the staff member concerned. Where the issue cannot be resolved at this stage, please contact the Managing Partner who will try to resolve the issue and offer you further advice on the complaints procedure.

If your problem cannot be resolved at this stage and you wish to make a formal complaint, please let us know as soon as possible, ideally within a matter of days. This will enable the practice to get a clear picture of the circumstances surrounding the complaint.

If it is not possible to raise your complaint immediately, please let us have details of your complaint within the following timescales:

• Within 6 months of the incident that caused the problem

OR

• Within 6 months from when the complaint comes to your notice, provided this is within 12 months

The Practice will acknowledge your complaint within three working days.

The Practice will arrange a meeting with you to discuss the complaint, to agree with you how the complaint is going to be investigated and the timescale for this to be completed.

When the practice looks into your complaint it aims to:

• Ascertain the full circumstances of the complaint
• Make arrangements 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 the practice can do to make sure the problem does not happen again

Other Authorities

The practice management team hope that if you have a problem you will use the Practice Complaints Procedure.

However, if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us, you can contact any of the following authorities:

Patient Advisory Liaison Service (PALS):

Provide a confidential service designed to help patients get the most from the NHS. PALS can tell you more about the NHS complaints procedure and may be able to help you resolve your complaint informally.

Local PALS office: www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/Patient-advice-and-liaison-services-(PALS)

NHS Gloucestershire Sanger House
5220 Valiant Court Gloucester Business Park
Gloucester
GL3 4FE

Telephone: 0800 0151 548

NHS Complaints Advocacy Service South Gloucestershire and Bristol:

This is a national service that supports people who want to make a complaint about their NHS Care or treatment.

Please Find Details Using Web Address Below: www.pohwer.net

Telephone: 0808 808 5252

Independent Complaints and Advocacy Service (ICAS):

ICAS is a national service that supports people who want to make a complaint about their NHS Care or treatment.

Your local ICAS office is:
Unit 3, Premier House
Willowside Park Canal Road
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 8RH

Telephone: 01225 762723

Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG):

Telephone: 0300 421 1950

NHS England:

Primary Care Services are now commissioned by NHS England Area Teams. NHS England can be contacted by using the following methods:

By Email: england.contactus@nhs.net – With ‘For the attention of the Redditch complaints manager’ in the subject line.

NHS England
PO Box 16738
B97 9PT

By Telephone: 0300 311 22 33

Please provide as much information as possible to allow NHS England to investigate the complaint.

Ombudsman:

As a last resort, if you are not happy with the response from this practice, you can refer your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman who investigates complaints about the NHS in England.

Telephone: 0345 015 4033
Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk

Contacting 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.

Telephone: 03000 616161
Website: www.cqc.org.uk