Bishopsford Road Medical Centre

Complaints and Comments Policy

Document Control

A.Confidentiality Notice

This document and the information contained therein is the property of Bishopsford Road Medical Centre.

This document contains information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. It must not be used by, or its contents reproduced or otherwise copied or disclosed without the prior consent in writing from Bishopsford Road Medical Centre.

B.Document Details

Author: / Connie Deacon
Organisation: / Bishopsford Road Medical Centre
Current Version: / 1.1
Approved By & Date Approved: / Dr S Durgam – 27/05/2016
Review Date: / May 2017
Responsible Person: / Dr P Gupta

C.Staff Read and Sign

Date / Name / Signature / Comments
Introduction
This document outlines our commitment to dealing with complaints about the service provided by NHS England and the services we commission. It also provides information about how we manage, respond to and learn from complaints made about our services and the way in which they are commissioned.
In doing so, it meets the requirements of the Local Authority Social Care and National Health Service Complaints [England] Regulations (2009), conforms to the NHS Constitution and reflects the recommendations from both the Francis report (2013) and Clwyd Hart review (2013).

Policy

  • The practice will take all reasonable steps to ensure that its members ofstaff are aware of and comply with this procedure.
  • The practice has nominatedthe Practice Manager - Gillian McCarry as its Complaints Manager, to be responsible for managing the procedures for handling and considering complaints in accordance with the policy and procedure.
  • The practice has nominated Dr Satish Durgamas its Responsible Person, to be responsible for ensuring compliance with the policy and procedure, and in particular ensuring that action is taken if necessary in the light of the outcome of a complaint.
  • The Practice will treat complaints seriously and ensure that complaints, concerns and issues raised by patients, relatives and carers are properly investigated in an unbiased, non-judgmental, transparent, timely and appropriate manner. The outcome of any investigation, along with any resulting actions will be explained to the complainant by the investigating organisation.
  • The practice Complaints and Comments Patient Information Leaflet, the Patient Information Leaflet and the practice website will be the prime information sources for implementing this policy. These will be kept up to date and be made freely available to all patients.


  • All complaints will be treated in the strictest confidence.
  • Where a complaint investigation requires access to the patient's medical records and involves disclosure of this information to a person outside the practice, Gillian McCarry, the Complaints Manager, will inform the patient or person acting on their behalf.
  • The practice will maintain a complete record of all complaints and copies of all related correspondence. These records will be kept separately from patients' medical records.

Procedure

Complaints should normally be made within 12 months of an incident or of the matter coming to your attention. This time limit can be extended provided you have good reasons for not making the complaint sooner and it is possible to complete a fair investigation.

This will be a decision taken by the complaints manager in discussion with you. If you are told your complaint cannot be looked at, you may want to contact the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman or the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO).

You can make a complaint verbally,in writing, or by email. If you make your complaint verbally, a record of your complaint will be made and you will be provided with a written copy.

If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, include their written consent with your letter (if you are making your complaint in writing) as this will speed upthe process.

However, consent is not required if you are making a complaint in the name of:

  • a deceased person
  • someone who lacks the capacity to make their own decisions– find out how capacity for consent is assessed
  • a non-Gillick competent child –visit the NSPCC for more details

If you would like support, you can always contact your local NHS Complaints Advocacy service.

TheParliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’sComplain for changewebsitealso offers tips about making a complaint, including tailored advice for people with learning disabilities and resources for South Asian and Muslim women.

What to expect

You should expect an acknowledgement and the offer of a discussion about the handling of your complaintwithin threeworking days of receiving your complaint.

If you accept, the discussion will cover the period within which a response to your complaint is likely to be sent – there is no set timeframe and it will depend upon the nature of your complaint. If, in the end,the response isdelayed for any reason, you should be kept informed.

If you have made a complaint but do not receive a response or a decision for more than six months, you should be told the reason for the delay. However, at this point you may also wish to contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman or the LGO.

Once your complaint has been investigated you will receive a written response. The response should set out the findings and, where appropriate,provide apologies and information about what is being done as a result of your complaint.

It should also include information about how the complaint has been handled and details of your right to take your complaint to the relevant ombudsman.

Find out what to do if you're not happy with the outcome in thesection below.

What else can Iexpect when making a complaint?

The NHS and social care sectors areworking hard to improve complaints handling and best practice. Many organisations have now adopted the principles laid out in the My expectations for raising concerns and complaints (PDF, 4.19Mb) guidance.

This is a document produced by theParliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, LGO and Healthwatch England, which explains what good outcomes for patients and service users look likewhen complaints are handled well.

Not happy with the outcome?

If your problem persists or you are not happy with the way your complaint has been dealt withlocally, you can complain to the relevant ombudsman:

  • Healthcare – you havethe right to take your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, which is independent of the NHS. For more information, call 0345 015 4033 or visit theParliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s website.

Complaints Register

To ensure the practice monitors, handles and reviews complaints in a logical and timely manner, and to keep an audit trail of steps taken and decisions reached, the practice records all complaints received on a dedicated complaints register

Annual Review of Complaints

In line with National Guidance, the practice will supply information to the relevant health authority including:

  • The number of complaints received;
  • The subject of the complaints;
  • Whether complaints have been upheld and details of any actions taken;
  • The number of cases referred to the Ombudsman.

Reporting a Summary of Complaints to the Care Quality Commission

The practice will adhere to the Care Quality Commission’s requirement of keeping a summary of complaints, responses and other related correspondence or information. This will ensure that, if requested, the practice can provide such a summary at a time and in a format set out by the CQC and will be able to send the summary within the timeframe specified.

Append

1