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PRACTICE COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

If you have a complaint or concern 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 complaints system meets national criteria.

We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise. 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, 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 6 months of the incident that caused the problem; or
Within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided this is within 12 months of the incident.

Complaints should be addressed to Mrs Lonsdale (Practice Manager). Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with Mrs Lonsdale in order to discuss your concerns. He will explain the complaints procedure to you and will make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly.

We shall acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within 10 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.

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 consent form signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.

We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure, but this does not affect your right to approach the local Primary Care Trust (PCT), if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation. You should contact the Complaints Manager, for further advice.

You may also like to contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) for help. PALS are not part of the complaints procedure itself but they might be able to resolve your concerns informally or can tell you more about the complaints procedure and independent complaints advocacy service. The address for our local PCT is:

Easington Office of County Durham Primary Care Trust,
Health Partnership Centre,
Fern Court,
Bracken Hill Business Park,
Peterlee,
Co Durham,
SR8 2RR,
Telephone 0191 5874800

The Main Office is:

County Durham Primary Care Trust
John Snow House
Durham University Science Park
County Durham
DH1 3YG
Telephone 0191 301 1300