Suggestions, Comments and Complaints

Express concern/Make a complaint

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

If you have any concerns which you would like to express about the service that you have received from the doctors or staff working for the practice, please let us know.

We are always prepared to listen and help out with the situation.

We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time it occurs 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 six months of the incident that caused the problem.

or

  • Within six months of discovering that you have a problem, provided that is within twelve months of the incident.

Mrs Claire Warman, the managing partner will be pleased to deal with any complaint. She will explain the procedure to you and make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly.

You can make your complaint:

  • In person – ask to speak to Mrs Claire Warman, the practice manager.
  • In writing – Some complaints may be easier to explain in writing. Please give as much detail as you can, then send your complaint to the Practice for the attention of Mrs Claire Warman, Managing Partner, Chet Valley Medical Practice, George House, 40 48 George Lane, Loddon, Norwich NR14 6QH.

What shall we do

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

We shall acknowledge your complaint within three working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within 25 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.

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.

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 rights to approach the customer contact centre (CCC). There will be local input into the resolution process via review and sign off from the area team.

Contact:

Customer Contact Centre
NHS England
PO Box 16738
Redditch
B97 9BT

Telephone: 0300 311 22 33

If you remain dissatisfied with the responses to your complaint, you have the right to ask The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsmen to review your case.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsmen is an independent body established to promote improvement in healthcare through the assessment of the performance of those who provide service. You can contact them on 03450 154 033, or write to them at:

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsmen
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP

Website: www.ombudsmen.org.uk

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.