Complaints Policy

Parkbury House surgery strives for excellence in all it provides and therefore the surgery values feedback from its patients on its services. We make every effort to give the best service possible care 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 would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.

If any patient who has contact with Parkbury House Surgery is not happy with the service they receive, we wish to know so that the service can be reviewed and improved.

We operate a complaints procedure as part of the NHS system. We hope that if you have a problem, you will use our complaints procedure. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever our stakeholders feel that has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve the services provided by our practice.

How to complain

You can make your complaint:

  • In person (by phone or face to face) – ask to speak to the Complaints Officer, in absence please ask to speak to the Assistant Practice Manager or Practice Manager. Please contact the surgery for an appointment to be arranged if required.
  • In writing through post or email – some complaints may be easier to explain in writing – please give as much information as you can, then send your complaint to the practice for the attention of the Complaints Officer as soon as possible. You could either post or email to info@nhs.net

What we will do

Our complaints procedure is designed to make sure that we settle any complaints as quickly as possible. We will deal with your complaint promptly. We will acknowledge receipt of a written complaint (and complaints sent by email) within 3 working days.

It will be unnecessary to send an acknowledgement if we are able to respond in full within 3 working days.

Depending on the complexity of the complaint and the need for investigation, we will send you a full reply within 40 working days of receipt. If we cannot send a full reply within 40 working days of receipt, we will tell you the reason why and let you know when we will be able to reply in full.

If you do not wish to complain directly to the practice or if you are not happy with the outcome of your complaint

You can refer the matter by contacting the NHS England through the Health Service Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is independent of government and the NHS. The contact details are as follows:

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP

Telephone: 0345 015 4033

Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

The PHSO undertakes independent investigations into complaints alleging that government departments and other public bodies in the UK, including NHS England, have not acted properly or fairly or have provided a poor service.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (or Health Service Commissioner for England) has the same powers as a court of law. NHS England therefore has a legal duty to co-operate fully with any inquiry or investigation that the PHSO carries out in relation to a complaint and to provide any relevant documents.

If you are unhappy with the Ombudsman’s decision, you can appeal directly to the PHSO. Details of how to do this can be found on the PHSO’s website.

Once the Ombudsman or one of their senior staff has considered the complaint and sent a response, their decision is final. They will acknowledge any further correspondence but unless you raise new issues that they consider significant, they will not send further replies.