Complaints

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 a NHS system for dealing with complaints.  Our complaints system meets national criteria. 

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 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 the Practice Manager.  Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with the Practice Manager in order to discuss your concerns.  The complaints procedure will be explained to you and will ensure that your concerns are dealt with promptly.  It will be a great help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.

What We Shall Do

On receipt of the complaint, an acknowledgement will be sent out, and a complaint action sheet will be implemented.  All letters are sent by recorded delivery. 

If the complaint is of an administrative nature, it will be dealt with by the Practice Manager.

If clinical, in the first instance the letter will be passed to the Clinical Governance Manager.  It may then be passed to the senior partner and a copy to the GP concerned asking for their comments.

A response letter will be sent within 14 calendar days for all complaints.  If an investigation cannot be completed within this time frame, you will be informed.

Once the complaint has been completed, it will be discussed at the monthly clinical meeting as a significant event and any learning / training issues will be implemented. 

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.

Taking Your Complaint Further for Independent Review 

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.

However, if you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to request an independent review of the complaint.

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Customer helpline telephone number: 0345 015 4033

Address: Millbank Tower, 30 Millbank, London SW1P 4QP

Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk/make-a-complaint

You also have the right to contact the Patients Advisory and Liaison Service (PALS) if you wish for any assistance in dealing with your complaint.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS): William Harvey Hospital (Ashford)

Contact telephone number: 01227 783145

Address: Kennington Road, Willesborough, Ashford, Kent, TN24 0LZ

Contact email address: ekh-tr.patientexperienceteam@nhs.net

Wesbite: www.nhs.net

Patient Confidentiality And Data Protection

We ask you for personal information so that you can receive care and treatment. This information is recorded on computer and we are registered under the Data Protection Act. The practice will ensure that patient confidentiality is maintained at all times by all members of the practice team. However, for the effective functioning of a multi-disciplinary team it is necessary that medical information about you is shared between members of the practice team.

Access to Records

In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Access to Health Records Act, patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests should be made through the practice manager and may be subject to an administration charge. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.

Zero Tolerance

We strongly support the NHS policy on zero tolerance. Anyone attending the practice who abuses the GPs, staff or other patients be it verbally, physically or in any threatening manner whatsoever, will risk removal from the practice list. In extreme cases we may summon the police to remove offenders from the practice premises.

This practice operates a ZERO TOLERANCE approach towards violence and abuse of staff and property.

The following are examples of behaviour which are not acceptable:

• Violence towards staff, patients or visitors
• Threats or threatening behaviour
• Excessive noise, eg loud or intrusive conversation, or shouting
• Racist or sexist behaviour or language
• Malicious allegations relating to members of staff, patients or visitors
• Abusing alcohol or drugs on the premises
• Drug dealing
• Willful damage to surgery property
• Theft

 New patients registering will be asked to sign a zero tolerance form.

By registering at this practice, you agree to behave appropriately and understand that by performing any of the above you will be removed from the practice list, and details of the incident will be passed on to the Kent Primary Care Agency.