If you have any suggestions, comments or complaints about any aspect of the health centre, please contact the practice manager by telephone, in person or in writing.
MARYLEBONE HEALTH CENTRE V3 June 2013
Practice Complaints Procedure
If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working at the practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of a NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets the national criteria issued on 1st April 2009 and is current and up to date with best practice. Jeanette Creaser, Practice Manager, is responsible for ensuring that complaints are dealt with in line with the regulations.
How To Complain- 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 mosta 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 which caused the problem; or
- Within 12 of discovering that you have a problem or of the incident.
Of course we will still investigate a complaint if you have good reasons for not being able to do so and if it is still possible to investigate effectively and fairly despite the delay.
Complaints should be addressed to Jeanette Creaser, Practice Manager or any of the Partners. Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with Jeanette Creaser in order to discuss your concerns. She will explain the complaints procedure to you and will make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly. It will be a great help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.
What We Shall Do- We shall acknowledge your complaint in writing within three working days and we will offer you a meeting with Jeanette to discuss the matter. At this meeting we will agree together how the complaint should be managed, the length of time it may take to investigate the issues and when you can expect to receive a final written response. When we look into your complaint, we shall 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;
- Keep you informed of the progress of the investigation
- make sure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate;
- Identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.
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 their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this. If your complaint is on behalf of a child please ensure that this is communicated clearly in your complaint.
If you want to discuss the matter further, you can contact an independent complaints advocacy service (INCAS) known locally as Voiceability on 03003305454 as they are experienced in supporting people with complaints about the NHS. Further information about INCAS can also be found at www.nhs.complaintsadvocacy.org.