BALSALL COMMON & MERIDEN GROUP PRACTICE
PRACTICE COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
If you have a complaint 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 an NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our system meets national criteria.
How to complain
We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise 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 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 MRS K Swift, PRACTICE MANAGER, or any of the doctors. Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with
MRS SWIFT in order to discuss your concerns. Mrs Swift can be contacted by:
- In writing to Balsall Common and Meriden Group Practice, 1 Ashley Drive, Balsall Common, CV7 7RW
- In writing by fax to 01676 292005
- By telephone to 01676 935000
- By email to balsallcommon.practice@nhs.net
She will explain the complaints procedure to you and will make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly. It will be a great help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.
What we shall do
We shall acknowledge your complaint within three working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within 10 working days of the date you raised it with us. If further investigation is needed, this will be carried out and further contact made with you within 10 working days and every 28 days thereafter until the complaint is answered in full. When we look into your complaint, we shall aim to:
- Find out what happened and what, if anything, went wrong.
- If appropriate, offer an apology.
- If appropriate, identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again.
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 their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.
Healthcare Ombudsman
If you remain dissatisfied with the response to your complaint, you have the right to ask NHS England to review your case. You can contact NHS England by:
- Telephone 0345 015 4033 (local rate) (Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, excluding English Bank Holidays)
- In Writing to:
The Health Service Ombudsman for England
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
What you need to provide
Provide as much information as possible to allow the ombudsman to investigate your complaint. Include some or all of the following:
- your name and a valid email or home address for reply;
- a clear description of your complaint;
- copies of earlier associated correspondence between yourself and NHS England;
- any valid correspondence case reference numbers.