Make a Complaint

How to Raise a Concern

Receiving compliments, feedback and complaints is important to ensuring high quality local healthcare in our Practice. 

complaints

This helps us to find out more about what we’re getting right and what we can improve. We hope most problems can be resolved easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. However, when this is not possible, we are keen to be made aware of any problems experienced so we can look into them.

 

Feedback, including Informal Complaints

This can be used for any compliments or suggestions- we’re always keen to hear where things are going well and any ideas for improvement. It can also be used to raise and resolve any concerns you have without going through the longer formal complaints process.

GIVE US FEEDBACK

 

Formal Complaint

If you have a significant concern or you wish to raise a formal complaint, then you can do so and it will be formally investigated accordingly. We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and typically respond within 25 working days. Some complaints may take longer to investigate.

We operate a practice-based complaints procedure which meets the national standards and criteria.

We cannot accept complaints about other organisations

  • Please refer to these organisations directly
  • For Hospitals please go to their Patient Advisory Liaison Service (PALS) for further advice.
  • Each hospital and organisation used by the NHS publishes details of how to complain on their websites.

Please Note

We are aware that NHS waiting times can be very long, including for services such as Physiotherapy, Mental Health Services and several hospital services including outpatient services we may have referred you to. We have no control over the waiting lists and if you are dissatisfied with these please do raise this with the hospitals or relevant provider directly via their patient liaison services.

If you are finding your waits to be unacceptable, you can also raise this directly with NHS England through the local commissioner (called the North Central London Integrated care System):

We appreciate lengthy waiting lists are a national issue and you may also wish to raises this with your local MP.

 

How to Complain

We ask you put your complaint in writing as we then have an audit trail and a clear idea of your concerns so we can address them accurately.

COMPLETE AN ONLINE COMPLAINT FORM

Alternative methods

  • A letter addressed to the Management Team
  • A form is also available at reception
 

What we shall do

We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and typically respond within 25 working days. Some complaints may take longer to investigate.

  • Please check your spam or junk for any correspondance from us.
 

Complaining on behalf of someone else

For data protection, if you are complaining on behalf of someone else we may require confirmation from the individual concerned that we are allowed to discuss the matter with you, unless they are unable to do so (i.e. children, someone without capacity because of illness).

 

Complaining to NHS England (Local Commissioning Integrated Care Board)

We hope that if you have a problem, you will use our complaints procedure. We believe that this will give us the best opportunity of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our practice. However, this does not affect your right to approach the NHS England local Integrated Care Board Commissioners if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us.

How to Contact NHS England Local Commissioning Integrated Care Board

 

Complain to the Ombudsman

If, after receiving our final decision, you remain dissatisfied you may take your complaint to the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is independent of the NHS and free to use. It can help resolve your complaint, and tell the NHS how to put things right if it has got them wrong.

The Ombudsman only has legal powers to investigate certain complaints. You must have received a final response from the Practice before the Ombudsman can look at your complaint and it will generally not look into your complaint if it happened more than 12 months ago, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

How to make a complaint to the Ombudsman

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