Complaints & Comments Leaflet

PARTNERS

SALARIED GPs

COMPLAINING ON BEHALF OF SOMEONE ELSE

Please note that EYNSHAM MEDICAL GROUP keeps strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, the practice needs to know that you have their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be required unless they are incapable of providing this due to illness or disability.

COMPLAINING TO OTHER AUTHORITIES

The practice management team hopes that if you have a problem, you will use the Practice Complaints Procedure; however, if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us, or you are dissatisfied with the response received from us, you can contact any of the following 3 bodies:

CONTACTING THE CARE QUALITY COMMISSION

If you have a genuine concern about a staff member or regulated activity carried on by this Practice then you may contact the Care Quality Commission on 03000 616161, or alternatively visit the following website: http://www.cqc.org.uk

INDEPENDENT NHS COMPLAINTS ADVOCACY

The Independent NHS Complaints Advocacy is a free, independent advocacy service that can help you make a complaint about any aspect of your NHS care or treatment. This includes treatment in a private hospital or care home that is funded by the NHS. You may contact the local branch by calling 0300 343 5718 or by emailing Oxfordshire@seap.org.uk or visit the website at http://www.seap.org.uk

OMBUDSMAN

If you are not happy with the response from this practice, you may refer your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman which investigates complaints about the NHS in England. You may call the Ombudsman’s Complaints Helpline on 0345 015 4033 or by emailing phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk or visit the website at http://www.ombudsman.org.uk

Revised February 2023

LET THE PRACTICE KNOW YOUR VIEWS

EYNSHAM MEDICAL GROUP is always looking for ways to improve the services it offers to patients. To do this effectively, the practice needs to know what you think about the services you receive. Tell us what we do best, where we don’t meet your expectations plus any ideas and suggestions you may have. Only by listening to you can the practice continue to build and improve upon the service it offers.

TELL US ABOUT OUR SERVICE BY COMPLETING THE COMMENTS FORM IN THIS LEAFLET

• Could you easily get through on the telephone?
• Did you get an appointment with the practitioner you wanted to see?
• Were you seen within 20 minutes of your scheduled appointment time?
• Were our staff helpful and courteous?

PRACTICE COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

If you would like to give feedback, raise concerns, or make a formal complaint about the service you have received from any member of staff working in this practice, please let us know. The practice operates a Complaints Procedure as part of the NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets national criteria.

Note: If you make a complaint, it is practice policy to ensure you are not discriminated against, or subjected to any negative effect on your care, treatment or support.

HOW TO COMPLAIN

In the first instance please discuss your complaint with the staff member concerned. Where the issue cannot be resolved at this stage, please contact the Practice Manager who will try to resolve the issue and offer you further advice on the complaint’s procedure. If your problem cannot be resolved at this stage and you wish to make a formal complaint, please let us know as soon as possible, ideally within a matter of days. This will enable the practice to get a clear picture of the circumstances surrounding the complaint.

If it is not possible to raise your complaint immediately, please let us have details of your complaint within the following timescales:

• Within 6 months of the incident that caused the problem

OR

• Within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided this is within 12 months

The practice will acknowledge your complaint within three working days and aim to have investigated it and responded to you within 2 months of the date you raised it with us. You may also be offered a meeting with the person(s) involved or another member of the practice. When the practice investigates your complaint, it aims to:

• Ascertain the full circumstances of the complaint
• Make arrangements for you to discuss the problem with those concerned if you would like this
• Make sure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate
• Identify what the practice can do to make sure the problem does not happen again

Please click here to download the Complaints & Comments Leaflet.