< Back to policies & procedures

Suggestions and Complaints

Image of a person leaving feedback

Suggestions

We would also like to hear from you if you have been pleased with the service you’ve received. We’ll let the staff involved know and share the good practice with our teams.

If you have any suggestions of how we can make things better to improve our patient's experiences then please let us have your thoughts and ideas.

MAKE A SUGGESTION

Complaints

We are sorry if you have not been completely satisfied with the care we have provided at Paxton Green. Please let us have any feedback so that we can investigate what happened and feedback to you. We can then use your experience to make improvements in our service.

Please see our complaints procedure below for advice on how to make a complaint and how we will deal with your concerns.

MAKE A COMPLAINT

Image of a filles for compalints

Complaints Procedure

Making a complaint

We hope you always find that our services are effective, well run and meet your needs. Our doctors, nurses and the rest of the team aim to be friendly, professional and efficient.

If you have any suggestions to make about how we do things now or changes and improvements which could be made, please let us know by

 

How to complain

You need to make your complaint within 12 months of the incident that caused the problem or within 12 months of discovering that you have a problem relating to a specific incident.

It is best to tell a member of staff about any concerns or problems as soon as they arise and we will try and sort them out.

If you wish to make a complaint, please let us have details of your complaint as soon as possible so we can find out what happened. It helps us if you can give us as full details as possible. You can make a complaint by completing our secure online form. 

Make a complaint

 

What we will do

  • We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint in writing within three working days
  • We will look into your complaint to find out what went wrong
  • Invite you to a meeting to discuss your problem, if this is appropriate
  • Identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again

We operate a complaints procedure as part of the NHS system for dealing with complaints. The practice complaints procedure meets national criteria.

 

Complaining on behalf of someone else

Medical records are protected by the Data Protection Act 1998. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else we need to know that you have their permission to do so.

A letter giving explicit consent and signed by the person concerned will be required unless they are incapable (i.e. due to illness) of providing this. If they are not capable of doing this the representative must be able to demonstrate sufficient interest in the patient’s welfare and be an appropriate person to act on their behalf.

 

Getting Help

POhWER

POhWER is a charity that can provide free independent advocacy services for patients, offering impartial support when you are making a complaint.

They can help to draft a letter, arrange interpreting as and when appropriate and arrange to accompany you to a meeting.

Contact details for POhWER:

NHS England

If you prefer, you can phone or write to the complaints department at NHS England:

 

If you are not satisfied

If you are not satisfied with the way we have dealt with your complaint, you can contact the Health Service Ombudsman on 0345 015 4033.

 

Remember

  • We want you to let us know if you are unhappy or have a suggestion about how we can do things better.
  • All complaints are treated in the strictest confidence.
  • Making a complaint will not affect your treatment or care.