Oldwell Surgery Complaints Policy
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 concern 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 compliant immediately, please let us have details of your complaint within the following timescale:
· Within 6 months of the incident that cause 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 3 working days and aim to have investigated your complaint within 28 working days of the date you raised it with us.
At this stage you should be offered an explanation.
When the practice investigates your complaint, it aims to:
· Ascertain the full circumstances of the compliant
· Make arrangements for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like
this make sure you receive an apology where appropriate.
· Identify what the practice can do to make sure the problem does not happen again.
Complaining on behalf of someone else.
Please note that Oldwell Medical Partnership 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 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 hope 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 you received from us, you can contact any of the following,
three bodies:
· NHS Customer contact centre: 03003112233
· Independent Complaints and Advocacy Service (ICAS) 0300456348
· North East & North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB)
Contact the Care Quality Commission
If you have a genuine concern about a staff member or regulated activity carried out by this practice, then you can contact the Care Quality Commission on 03000616161 or alternatively visit the website: