We are continually looking to turn patients’ feedback into real improvements in the services we provide. We use it to focus on the things that matter most to our patients, carers and their families.
Giving feedback
To provide feedback:
- take part in the Friends and Family Test
- leave a review on the NHS website
- phone us on Ealing Road (Alperton) 020 8997 3486 or Watford Road (Sudbury) 020 8904 6404 or visit the surgery
Making a complaint
This policy and procedure complies with the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009, introduced on 1st April 2009 across health and social care.
Policy
- Sudbury & Alperton Medical Centre (The Medical Practice/the surgery) will take all reasonable steps to ensure that their staffs are aware of and comply with this procedure.
- Sudbury & Alperton Medical Centre has nominated Mrs Urvi Oza as its interim complaints administrator, to be responsible for managing the procedures for handling and considering complaints in accordance with the policy and procedure. Mr Sellathurai Prabaharan will over see this process in her absence.
- Sudbury & Alperton Medical Centre has also nominated Mr Sellathurai Prabaharan, Mrs Urvi Oza, Dr Chandrika Prabaharan and Dr Mihir Oza to be responsible for ensuring compliance with the policy and procedure, and ensuring that action is taken, if necessary, in the light of the outcome of a complaint.
- Sudbury & Alperton Medical Centre will take all reasonable steps to ensure that patients are aware of:
- The complaints and comments procedure
- The roles of the GP surgery (Sudbury & Alperton Medical Centre), NHS England, ICB and the Health Service Ombudsman with regard to patient complaints.
This includes the alternative facility for the patient to complain directly to the ICB instead of making their complaint to the surgery, as well as their right to escalate their complaint to the Health Service Ombudsman when they are dissatisfied with the initial response.
All escalations must be directed to NHS England and if a patient is dissatisfied with the response to their complaint, they must escalate their complaint to the Health Service Ombudsman, not the ICB.
- Their right to assistance with any complaint from the patient: The Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS); Citizens Advice Bureaux, 111 and the Care Quality Commission
- Sudbury & Alperton Medical Centre complaints and comments patient information leaflet, patient information leaflet / booklet and the surgery website will be the prime information sources for implementing this policy and will be kept up to date and be made freely available to all patients.
- All complaints will be treated in the strictest confidence.
- Patients who make a complaint will not be discriminated against or be subject to any negative effect on their care, treatment or support.
- Where a complaint investigation requires access to the patient’s medical records and involves the disclosure of this information to a person outside the medical practice, the complaints administrator will inform the patient or person acting on their behalf.
- The medical 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.
Process
If you have a complaint, in the first instance you can inform reception team who will notify the complaints administrator who will contact you to discuss your concern. Alternatively, you can write to the complaints administrator.
Complaint/comments can also be submitted by email to: nhsnwlccg.e84017@nhs.net.
Alternatively, if you have a complaint about a primary care service (GP, community services, dentist, pharmacist, and optician), you can contact NHS England:
Phone
0300 311 22 33
Email
england.contactus@nhs.net
Address
NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch B97 9PT
If you have a complaint about the ICB, the NHS 111 service or SEPT, please contact the ICB nursing and quality team.
Phone
020 8966 1059
Address
Brent, Harrow & Hillingdon Clinical Commissioning Group, Quality Team, The Heights, 3rd Floor, 59-65 Lowlands Road, Harrow. HA1 3AW
Receipt and acknowledgement of complaints
The medical practice may receive the following complaints:
- A complaint made directly by the patient or former patient, who is receiving or has received treatment at the surgery;
- A complaint made on behalf of a patient or former patient (with his/her consent)(please see consent policy), who is receiving or has received treatment at the surgery;
- Where the patient is a child:
- By either parent, or in the absence of both parents, the guardian or other adult who has care of the child;
- By a person duly authorised by a Local Authority into whose care the child has been committed under the provisions of the Children Act 1989;
- By a person duly authorised by a voluntary organisation, by which the child is being accommodated.
- Where the patient is incapable of making a complaint, by a representative who has an interest in his/her welfare.
- All complaints, whether written or verbal will be recorded by the complaints administrator in the dedicated complaints record.
- All written complaints will be acknowledged in writing within 3 working days of receipt.
- Conclusions of the investigation: was there an error, omission or shortfall by your organisation? Did this disadvantage the complainant, and if so, how?
- What needs to be done to put things right
- Any lessons learnt, these will be shared at the practice meetings (clinical and non-clinical)
- An explanation of what will happens next (e.g. what will be done, who will do it, and when)
- Information on what the person complaining should do if they are still unhappy and wish to escalate the complaint, including full contact information on the Health Service Ombudsman.
- The medical practice will send the complainant a response within 28 working days signed by either of the managing partners, Mr Sellathurai Prabaharan or Mrs Urvi Oza, depending on who so ever is dealing with the particular complaint and/or Dr Prabaharan and Dr Oza who are the clinical partners on occasions where it is required and necessary, as nominated by Sudbury & Alperton Medical Centre.
- The response will incorporate:
- The written report
- Confirmation as to whether the surgery is satisfied that any necessary action has been taken or is proposed to be taken;
- A statement of the complainant’s right to take their complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
- If the surgery does not send the complainant a response within the first 28 working days the surgery will notify the complainant in writing accordingly and explain the reason why.
Unresolved complaints
- In situations where the person making the complaint can become aggressive or unreasonable, the surgery will instigate the appropriate actions within the guidelines of our ‘zero tolerance olicy.
- Our zero tolerance policy is available on request.
Complaints register
To ensure the medical 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 surgery records all complaints received on a dedicated complaints register.
Annual review of complaints
- In line with National Guidance, the practice will supply the following information to NHS England when requested
- The number of complaints received
- The issues that these complaints raised
- Whether complaints have been upheld, on-going or resolved
- The number of cases referred to the Ombudsman
Reporting a summary of complaints to the Care Quality Commission
The medical practice will adhere to the Care Quality Commission’s requirement of producing a summary of complaints at a time and in a format set out by the CQC and then send the summary within the timeframe specified.
You can also contact the following for further information regarding complaints:
Address
NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch B97 9PT
Phone
0300 3112233
Email
England.contactus@nhs.net
If you are making a complaint please state ‘For the attention of the complaints team’ in the subject line
Website
www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/nhse-complaints-policy-jul16.pdf
Address
The Heights, 3rd Floor, 59-65 Lowlands Road, Harrow, Middlesex. HA1 3AWTel: 020 8966 1059 or 020 8966 1065
Website
www.brentccg@nhs.uk
Address
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank London SW1P 4QP
Phone
0345 0154033
Website
www.ombudsman.org.uk
