Comments, suggestions & complaints

Our aim is to provide the highest level of care for all out patients. We will always be willing to hear if there is any way that you think that we can improve the service we provide.

 Making a complaint

 If you have any complaints or concerns about the service that you have received from the doctors or staff working for this Practice, please let us know.

 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 most a 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 6 months of the incident that caused the problem; or

·                     within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided that is within 12 months of the incident.

 The Practice Manager will be pleased to deal with any complaint and will explain the procedure to you and make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly. You can make you complaint:

 In person

 In writing – some complaints may be easier to explain in writing – please give as much information as you can, then send your complaint to the Practice for the attention of the Practice Manager as soon as possible. Or you can contact the Commissioner NHS England directly.

 What we shall do

 Our complaints procedure is designed to make sure that we settle any complaints as quickly as possible.

 We shall acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within 10 working days of the date when you raised it with us. We shall then be in a position to offer you an explanation, or a meeting with the people involved.

 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

·                     make sure you receive an apology, where appropriate

·                     identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.

 At the end of the investigation your complaint will be discussed with you in detail, either in person or in writing.

 If a patient does not want to complain directly to their GP practice they no longer have to go through NHSE. 

 NHS Frimley ICB are responsible for investigating complaints for the services mentioned above in Surrey Heartlands. 

 They can be contacted via:

 Telephone:   0300 561 0290

Email:            frimleyicb.southeastcomplaints@nhs.net

Post:

 South East Complaints Hub

NHS Frimley ICB

Aldershot Centre for Health

Hospital Hill

Aldershot

Hampshire

GU11 1AY

 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 his or her permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.

 Effective from 1st April 2018  the Healthwatch Surrey advocacy service will be provided in partnership with Surrey Independent Living Council (SILC). Healthwatch Surrey is an independent local watchdog that gives the people of Surrey a voice to improve, shape and get the best from health and social care services.

The service will provide free support for people through to the NHS complaints process.

The contact details will be as follows;

Telephone: 01483 310 500 (10am-4.30pm Mon-Fri excluding bank holidays).

Email: nhsadvocacy@surreyilc.org.uk

Text: 07704 265 377

Website: www.surreyilc.org.uk

 

What you can do next

 We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our Practice complaints procedure. We believe that this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and the opportunity to improve our practice. However this does not affect your right to approach the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the way we are dealing with your complaint.

 Parliamentary & Health Service Obudsman

11th Floor

Millbank Tower

Millbank

London SW1P 4QP

Telephone No: 0345 0154033

You can also see www.ombudsman.org.uk for more details.

 Help us get it right

 We constantly try to improve the service we offer.

 Please let us know when you think we have done something well or if you have any suggestions as to how we can do something better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviewed RG August 2023