We welcome your comments on things we are doing well within the practice and also welcome your suggestions on things we can improve. If you would like to make a suggestion or provide us with any feedback, please feel free to contact our senior management team with suggestions for improvement – you can pick up a feedback form from reception which is anonymized or contact us using the form below or if you prefer write to the Practice.
Your feedback is extremely important to us as it helps us to see what we are doing well at and areas for improvement. You do not need to give your name or contact details if you do not wish to.
We hope that you find your experience at Enderley Road Medical Centre a positive one and we are always keen to hear positive feedback through NHS services
We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.
However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. You can speak to any member of staff initially with your complaint. This gives you the opportunity to resolve any concern you may have without it going through a formal process.
If 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 help 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 that this is within 12 months of the incident.
Complaints should be addressed to the Practice Manager. A form is available from Reception for this purpose or you may simply write a letter. Alternatively, please download the complaints information leaflet and submit it to the surgery.
What We Shall Do
We shall acknowledge your complaint within two working days and will look into it as soon as possible. In looking 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.
Who can complain
Complainants may be current or former patients, or their nominated or elected representatives (who have been given consent to act on the patients behalf).
Patients over the age of 16 whose mental capacity is unimpaired should normally complain themselves or authorise someone to bring a complaint on their behalf.
Children under the age of 16 can also make their own complaint, if they’re able to do so.
If a patient lacks capacity to make decisions, their representative must be able to demonstrate sufficient interest in the patient’s welfare and be an appropriate person to act on their behalf. This could be a partner, relative or someone appointed under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 with lasting power of attorney.
Appropriate person
In certain circumstances, we need to check that a representative is the appropriate person to make a complaint.
For example, if the complaint involves a child, we must satisfy ourselves that there are reasonable grounds for the representative to complain, rather than the child concerned.
If the patient is a child or a patient who lacks capacity, we must also be satisfied that the representative is acting in the patient’s best interests.
If we are not satisfied that the representative is an appropriate person we will not consider the complaint, and will give the representative the reasons for our decision in writing.
Time limits
A complaint must be made within 12 months, either from the date of the incident or from when the complainant first knew about it.
The regulations state that a responsible body should only consider a complaint after this time limit if:
the complainant has good reason for doing so, and
it’s still possible to investigate the complaint fairly and effectively, despite the delay.
Confidentiality
All complaints will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Where the investigation of the complaint requires consideration of the patient’s medical records, we will inform the patient or person acting on his/her behalf if the investigation will involve disclosure of information contained in those records to a person other than the Practice or an employee of the Practice.
We keep a record of all complaints and copies of all correspondence relating to complaints, but such records will be kept separate from patients’ medical records.
Download or view our complaints information leaflets via the following link: