Complaints/Comments
Compliments, Comments, Concerns and Complaints
We aim to provide our patients with the best care we can and would like ot hear from you if you think we have done something well, or if you have suggestions on how we could do something differently. Equally we know that there will be times when we fall short of the mark and want to know if you are unhappy with our service.
We would encourage you to speak to whoever you feel most comfortable with – your doctor, a nurse, a receptionist or manager, but if you prefer to give your feedback in writing, please send it to the Practice Manager at the address detailed on the front of this booklet. You can also send us a message via the practice website or by posting a message in our Suggestions Box. We would also welcome your comments, concerns and ideas through our Patient Participation Group.
If you have a complaint please do not be afraid to say how you feel. We welcome feedback to help us improve our standards and you will not be treated any differently because you have complained. We will do our best to put right anything that has gone wrong.
Who can make a complaint?
Complaints can be made by patients either on their own behalf or by a representative (with your consent).
When something goes wrong
If you have a complaint or concern the quickest way to resolve it would be to speak to a member of the team and every effort will be made in trying to resolve the complaint. If not, they will refer the matter to the Practice Complaints Officer or the Practice Manager Qasim Khan-Alizai who will take matters from there.
What happens next?
The Practice Manager will acknowledge your complaint and make early contact with you (within 3 days) to discuss the way forward. The discussion can be face to face but need not be depending upon what is most convenient for all concerned.
Your complaint will be investigated within an agreed timescale and you will be kept informed of progress.
What happens if the complaint involves a hospital?
Where other organisations such as hospitals are involved in the complaint, we will aim to provide you with a co-ordinated response covering all aspects of your complaint. Where a complaint is soley about a third party, we may seek your agreement to pass the complaint to them.
And finally…
Once the investigation has been concluded a letter will be sent to you setting out how we investigated your complaint as well as details of the actions taken or to be taken as a result of our findings. We hope that your complaint will be resolved at this stage, but if not we may invite you to discuss what else might be done. If you remain unhappy, we will write to advise you that we are satisfied with the way the complaint has been investigated and to provide you with details of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to whom you will then have recourse.
We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. Alternatively, you can speak with the NHS England, who will listen to your concerns and help sort out problems quickly on your behalf.
What other options do I have?
If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a complaint, PALS can advise you about the complaints procedure and arrange for our Patient Support Manager to contact you.
Or you can write to raise your concern or make a complaint, to;
The Chief Officer or Patient Support Manager at
West Yorkshire ICB
Scorex House (West)
1, Bolton Road
Bradford
BD1 4AS
Tel: 01274 237290 (switchboard)
You can also telephone our Patient Support Team on 07583102430 or 07866015382 or
email: bdc.complaints@nhs.net, or NHS E First Point of Contact for GP Complaints.
You can also submit a complaint or comment using the form below:
Is there a time limit for making a complaint?
If you have 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.
You should normally make a complaint:
- within 12 months of the matter which caused the problem; or
- within 12 months of becoming aware you have something to complain
This time limit can be extended, depending on circumstances, as each complaint is treated individually.
What to do if you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of your complaint
We would encourage you to contact us if you remain dissatisfied so we can look at ways to try and resolve your complaint with you. If you do remain dissatisfied you can approach the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) with your complaint. This should be done within 12 months of the final outcome of the complaints procedure.
You can contact the PHSO by writing to;
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
The telephone number is: 0345 015 4033 or
Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk or
visit their website at: www.ombudsman.org.uk
If you do not feel able to contact the NHS organisation with your complaint please contact our Patient Support Manager on 01274 237562 or PALS on: 0800 0525 270 who will be able to discuss your complaint and provide options of how your complaint can be dealt with.
If you do not feel able to contact them direct you can contact NHS England, who are responsible for commissioning primary care and as such have contracts with primary care providers. You can contact NHS England at;
NHS England (NHS E)
PO Box 16738
Redditch
B97 9PT
The telephone number is: 0300 311 22 33 or email: england.contactus@nhs.net
Independent help and support – ICAT
If you would like independent help and support in making a complaint, you can contact ICAT, the Independent Complaints Advocacy Team. ICAT is an independent organisation and not part of the NHS.
You can contact ICAT on their helpline on: 01274 750784 or write to Rooms 21-29. 1st Floor, The Tradeforce Building, Cornwall Place, Bradford, BD8 7JT
Ways of contacting us – security
You are able to contact us by telephone, in writing or by email, whichever is best for you. However, if you wish to contact us by email and wish to disclose personal identifiable information about you or another patient you may wish to password protect any documents. We will always password protect any email or document sent to you unless it is general information and does not include personal identifiable information in accordance with our data protection policy.
You may wish to note that this is also likely to apply to the organisations referred to within this information. If you are in any doubt please speak with our Patient Support Manager, PALS or the person who is handling your concern or complaint.
Thank you for taking the time to read this page, all feedback we receive is valuable and gives us the chance to know how we are doing and where improvements can be made this helpful.
