If you would like to give us any feedback or wish to make a complaint, please complete our Feedback and Complaints Triage.
Complaints
If you have any complaints or concerns about the service that you have received from the doctors or staff working for this practice, please let us know.
We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, preferably 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 six months of the incident that caused the problem.
- Within six months of discovering that you have a problem, provided that is within 12 months of the incident.
The practice manager will be pleased to deal with any complaint. She will explain the procedure to you and make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly. You can make your complaint:
- In person – ask to speak to the practice manager.
- In writing – some complaints may be easier to explain in writing. Please give as much information as can, then send your complaint to the practice for the attention of the practice manager as soon as possible.
What We Will Do
Our complaints procedure is designed to make sure that we settle any complaints as quickly as possible.
We shall acknowledge your complaint within three 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.
At the end of the investigation your complaint will be discussed with you in detail, either in person or in writing.
Complaining On Behalf Of Someone Else
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 consent form signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this. Please let us know if this is the case.
What You Can Do Next
We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe that this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and the opportunity to improve our practice.
Complaining to the commissioners
If you feel that you cannot raise your complaint with us, you can phone or write to the complaints department at South East London Integrated Care System. Their staff will aim try to sort out complaints and can make enquiries on your behalf.
Their contact details are:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0800 328 9712 or 0208 176 5337
Taking your Complaint Further
If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to take your complaint to the Health Service Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman is independent of government and the NHS. You can contact their helpline on 0345 015 4033, email [email protected], or via post Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4QP.
Further information about the Ombudsman is available at www.ombudsman.org.uk.
There are time limits for making a complaint. Complaints must be made:
- within 12 months after the date when the matter happened that is the subject of the complaint
- the date when complainant knew they had cause to complain, if more than 12 months later.
The timescale can be extended in certain circumstances.
For more information about how to complain to the NHS, including other services, please see https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/about-the-nhs/how-to-complain-to-the-nhs/