Suggestions and complaints
We make every effort to provide the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice. However, we value constructive comments, compliments or complaints and will act on these to improve our service to you. Please contact the Practice Manager, Aileen Sellars who will aim to resolve any issues as quickly and amicably as possible. A complaints leaflet is available from reception and explains the process for making a complaint.
Making a Complaint
Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily with the person concerned, often at the time they arise, and this may be the approach you try first.
Where you are not able to resolve your complaint in this way and wish to make a formal complaint you should do so, preferably in writing as soon as possible after the event and ideally within a few days, giving as much detail as you can, as this helps us to establish what happened more easily. In any event, this should be:
- Within 12 months of the incident,
- or within 12 months of you becoming aware of the matter
Send your written complaint in the first instance to
The Practice Manager,
Wragby Surgery,
Old Grammar School Way,
Wragby,
Market Rasen,
LN8 5DA
If you are a registered patient you can complain about your own care. You are not normally able to complain about someone else’s treatment without their written authority. See the separate section below for what to do in this case.
What We Do Next
We aim to settle complaints as soon as possible.
We will usually acknowledge receipt within three working days and try to get a response to you within 20 working days. If it cannot be done in 20 days, you will be notified and given an indication of response time. You will then receive a formal reply in writing, or you may be invited to meet with the person(s) concerned to attempt to resolve the issue.
When looking into a complaint, we attempt to see what happened and why, to see if there is something we can learn from this, and make it possible for you to discuss the issue with those involved if you wish to do so.
When the investigations are complete, a final written response will be sent to you.
Where your complaint involves more than one organisation (e.g. social services)
we will liaise with that organisation so that you receive one coordinated reply. We may need your consent to do this. Where your complaint has been initially sent to an incorrect organisation, we may seek your consent to forward this to the correct person to deal with.
The final response letter will include details of the result of your complaint and also your right to refer the matter further to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (details shown below) are dissatisfied with the response.
Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else
We keep to the strict rules of medical and personal confidentiality. This means that you may not usually complain on behalf of anyone else. However, there are circumstances where it may be appropriate for you to make a complaint on behalf of someone else:
- If the patient is incapable of providing consent due to illness, accident or mental capacity, please provide the precise details of the circumstances in your covering letter.
- If the patient is a child and not capable of making their own complaint.
- If the patient is deceased, we may be able to respond to a family member or someone acting on their behalf.
We may still need to correspond directly with the patient (if applicable), or may be able to deal directly with the third party. This depends on the wording of the authority provided.
You may also make your complaint directly to NHS England, who commission our service:
By telephone: 0300 311 22 33
By email: england.contactus@nhs.net
By post: NHS England, PO Box 16738,
Redditch, B97 9PT
However, they usually prefer that you contact the surgery in the first instance to try to resolve the complaint directly.
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome
You have the right to approach the
Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman.
Their contact details are:
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
30 Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
Tel: 0345 015 4033
Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk
www.ombudsman.org.uk/make-a-complaint
(to complain online or download a paper form)
You may also approach PALS, Healthwatch or the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy
for help or advice;
The local Healthwatch can be found at:
www.healthwatch.co.uk
The IHCA is able to be contacted at:
www.seap.org.uk/services/nhs-complaints-advocacy
The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
are based at Lincoln, Louth or Grimsby
https://www.ulh.nhs.uk/patients/pals/