Practice complaints procedure
If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working in this practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of a NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets national criteria.
How to complain
We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the same time that they arise and with the person concerned, or by speaking to the Office Manager, Mrs Julie Reilly. 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 12 months of the incident that caused the problem; or
- within 12 months of discovering that you have a problem.
Complaints should be addressed to the Practice Manager, Mrs Peta Murphy. You can do this by completing the complaint form HERE and returning it to the practice, by writing in or by making an appointment with her to express your concerns. It will be of help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.
What we will do
We will acknowledge your complaint within two working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within ten working days of the date when you raised it with us. We will then be in a position to offer you an explanation. When we look into your complaint, we will aim to:
- find out what happened and what went wrong;
- make it possible for you to discuss the problem if you wish to;
- make sure that you receive an apology, where this is appropriate;
- identify what we can do to make sure that the problem does not happen again.
Complaining on behalf of someone else
Please note that we keep strictly to the rule of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, including a child under the age of 12, we have to know that you have their permission to do so. You will need to ask the patient concerned to complete the consent form at Page 5 of the complaint form above unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.
Complaining to NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB)
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 an opportunity to improve our practice. Alternatively, you can complain to our local Integrated Care Board (ICB) – NHS Cheshire and Merseyside. Their contact details are:-
Telephone: 0800 132 996
Email: enquiries@cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk
By letter: Patient Experience Team, No 1 Lakeside, 920 Centre Park Square, Warrington WA11 1QY
If you’re still unhappy, you can refer the matter to the Health Service Ombudsman. You should contact
Health Service Ombudsman
Tel 0345 061 4298
Website http://www.ombudsman.org.uk/
Email phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
You can also contact The Care Quality Commission
Tel 03000 616161
Email enquiries@cqc.org.uk
The Patient Advice and Liaison Service
You may also wish to contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service – PALS – for help. They can help you to summarise your concerns. Their address and telephone number are as follows:
Wirral Information Resource for Equality and Diversity Ltd (WIRED)
Unit 7, Wirral Business Park
Arrowe Brook Road
Upton
Wirral
CH49 1SX
By telephone or Fax: Tel: 0151 647 4251 Fax: 0151 670 1600
By email: palsofficer@wired.me.uk
Other Service Providers
If you would like to provide feedback or raise any issues regarding the services provided by the following service providers, please click on the website name below:
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Arrowe Park Hospital)
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
For all other service providers, please check their websites to find out how to raise a concern, comment or make a complaint.
