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. Please be assured that making a complaint will in no way adversely affect your health care, currently or in the future.
How to complain
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, 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 12 months of the incident that caused the problem; or
- within 12months of discovering that you have a problem,
- Complaints should be addressed to the Practice Manager (or any of the GPs’).
Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with the Practice Manager in order 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.
We shall acknowledge your complaint 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 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 this is appropriate;
- identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.
Complaining on behalf of someone else
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 their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.
For GPs, dentists, pharmacies and community opticians and their staff and systems, the commissioner is NHS England.
If you wish to make a comment or complaint about these services, and it cannot be resolved locally with the practice manager, please contact the NHS England at england.contactus@nhs.net or 0300 311 22 33.
Complaining to the Northern, Eastern & Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group
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, but this does not affect your right to approach the local Primary Care Trust. If you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation, you should contact:
- The PALS (Patient Advice & Liaison Service) and complaints Team provides advice and support to people who want to make a complaint. NHS Walk-In Centre, 31 Sidwell Street, Exeter. EX4 6NN. Tel. No. 0300 123 1672 or 01392 267665, text 07789 741 099
- E-mail pals.devon@nhs.net
- If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome you may refer to the matter to ;
The Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman,Millbank Tower,Millbank,London SW1P 4QP Tel 0345 0154033