Complaints Policy

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 on this webpage. We are able to provide you with a separate complaint 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.

Make a complaint online

Or send your written complaint to:

MJ Rahman (Practice Manager) at:

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 28 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 organization (e.g. social services) we will liaise with that organization 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 organization, 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.

NHS Complaints Advocacy Service

NHS Complaints Advocacy can help if you or someone you know has not had the care or treatment you expect to receive from the NHS services and you want to complain. Advocacy provides practical support and information for people who want to complain about an NHS service. If you require such a service, please contact Voiceability on 0300 330 5454.

You can also contact the following agencies for further information regarding complaints:

NHS North Central London Integrated Care Board (ICB)

You can make a complaint in writing, via email, over the phone or in person. You can make a complaint on your own or on behalf of someone else if you have their permission.

Sharing your views – whether it be a compliment, complaint or comment – helps us to know what we are doing well, learn lessons from mistakes, and prevent them from happening to anyone else.

If you have a complaint relating to the way an NHS service has been commissioned, or you have been directly affected by a commissioning decision made by us, you can contact them on:

Make a complaint to the ICB

NHS North Central London ICB
Laycock PDC
Laycock Street
London
N1 1TH

Telephone: 020 3198 9743

Consent

There are some instances where the ICB needs to obtain formal consent in order to be able to take an enquiry/complaint forward. This may be because we need other organisations to share information with the ICB or maybe because the person raising the concern is not the patient the concern relates to. Where consent is required, this will be discussed with you at the time that you raise your concerns

If you are Dissatisfied with the Outcome

You have the right to approach the Ombudsman. The contact details are:

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP

Telephone: 0345 0154 033

Complain to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

You may also approach PALS for help or advice;

The practice Complaints Managers are: MJ Rahman & Tash Ahmed

Reviewed February 2022

Next review due March 2024