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 on the day. This is because the sooner we know about a problem, the easier it will be for us to establish what happened.

Complaints may be received either verbally or in writing and must be directed to the Practice Manager, Mrs Jabeen Meghji. Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with Mrs Meghji to discuss your concerns. 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.

The period for making a complaint is: (a) twelve months from the date on which the matter which is the subject of the complaint occurred; or

(b) twelve months from the date on which the matter which is the subject of the complaint comes to the complainant’s notice.

We will acknowledge written complaints within three working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within ten 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:

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 this is appropriate.

Identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.

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 to authorise you to complain on their behalf.

We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our practice. If for any reason you feel that the practice complaints procedure has not resolved your problem you can forward your complaint to:

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Millbank Tower

Millbank

London

SW10 4QP

Tel: 0345 015 4033

Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk

Whilst we try hard to make the practice user friendly, we may overlook certain things, so we are always happy to consider any suggestions you may make.