We value our patient’s opinions and welcome all comments and suggestions, verbal and written.
You can contact us through the NHS Choices website, by email, in person at the surgery or you can write to us. We hope that you will be pleased with the services that we offer, so please let us know what we are getting right and wrong.
We know that sometimes you may feel we do not get things right, so we have a complaints procedure which meets NHS guidelines. An explanatory leaflet is available from our reception staff or can be downloaded on our webpage (see below). We hope that most problems can be resolved easily and quickly, at the time they arise and with the person concerned. However, should you wish to make a complaint, please let us know as soon as possible after the problem occurs, this will help us look into the problem quickly and prevent it happening again.
If you remain unsatisfied with your experiences at the surgery then you may raise a formal complaint to be investigated further. Complaints can be raised up to 12 months from the date on which the event occurred, or 12 months from the date at which you become aware of the issue.
A complaint may be raised to either the Practice directly or to the NHS England complaints team.
A complaint can be made to the Practice in the following ways:
- Post - Letters can be posted or handed in to the Reception desk marked for the attention of the Practice Manager.
- Email - Emails can be sent to sheccg.farlane@nhs.net marked for the attention of the Practice Manager.
- Telephone - Complaints can be discussed with the Practice Manager via telephone at a mutually convenient time. Please indicate if you wish this to be arranged with appropriate contact details.
We aim to acknowledge receipt of complaints within 3 working days and aim to provide a full response within a further 10 days from this. We will aim to respond in the same manner which your complaint was made.
A complaint can be made to NHS England in the following ways:
- Post - NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT
- Email - england.contactus@nhs.net - Please state 'For the attention of the complaints team' in the subject line
- Telephone - 0300 311 2233 (8.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday, except Wednesdays when lines open at 9.30am. Closed on bank holidays)
Further information can be found at www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/complaint/complaining-to-nhse
Registering a complaint for someone else
Anyone may make a complaint on behalf of someone else and act as their representative if they are unable to do so themselves. In order to proceed with the complaint, we do require consent from the person to whom the complaint relates to that they wish us to speak to the representative. In order to avoid any delay, this is best provided as a signed written statement alongside the complaint.
What to do if you remain unsatisfied
If you have received your response from the Practice or NHS England and still remain unhappy or disagree with the decision, you have the right to contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. If you have any questions about whether the Ombudsman may be able to help you, or about how to log you complaint, please contact their helpline on 0345 015 4033 (calls are charged at a local rate wherever you are in the UK) or email phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk. Further information on the services the ombudsman can provide can be found at www.ombudsman.org.uk.
Download our Complaints leaflet (DOC, 41KB)