Practice Complaints Procedure

If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the doctors or the staff in the practice, please let us know.  We operate a complaints procedure as part of the NHS system for dealing with complaints.

How to Complain
We hope that most issues 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.  This will enable us to establish what happened more easily. We would prefer the complaint to be put in writing in your own words so we can ascertain the essence of your complaint more clearly, but if you are not happy to put your complaint in writing, please set your main points out verbally to our Complaints Manager who will process the complaint under the terms below.

How the Practice Proceeds with a Complaint
We shall acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days. The practice will endeavour to provide a full response within 10 working days of receipt of the letter of complaint; however, it is acknowledged that given the complexity of investigating complaints, in most cases this is likely to be 25 working days.  Should there be a delay beyond 25 working days, we will send a holding letter explaining the reasons for the delay and giving you updated information of when you should hear by.

We aim to offer you an explanation and a meeting with the people involved.  When investigating your complaint we shall do the following:

•	Investigate what happened and what went wrong
•	Allow you to discuss the problem with the people concerned
•	Provide an apology where this is appropriate
•	Ensure the problem does not happen again

After 1 July 2023 if you want to make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner you will now contact South West London Integrated Care Board instead of NHS England. 
You can do this by:
Telephone: 0800 026 6082 
E-mail: contactus@swlondon.nhs.uk 
Writing to us at: NHS South West London ICB, 120 the Broadway, Wimbledon London SW19 1RH
NHS Complaints Advocacy Service www.nhscomplaintsadvocacy.org. 0300 330 5454 Your local Healthwatch may also be able to help you  https://www.healthwatch.co.uk/   

Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else
Due to the strict rules of confidentiality, if you are complaining on behalf of someone else we have to know that you have permission to do so.  

If the person you are complaining on behalf of is an adult or a child competent in making their own decisions written consent by this person may be needed.  If you are uncertain about the confidentiality rules please enquire at the surgery and we will make every effort to clarify this.

Beyond the Practice Complaints Procedure
We hope that if you have a problem you will use our complaints procedure.  We believe this will enable us the best opportunity to put right whatever has gone wrong and improve services within our practice.

If however, you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the results of our local practice based investigation you may seek further advice from an independent body such as the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (IHCA) www.seap.org.uk/services/nhs-complaints-advocacy 0330 440 9000. NHS Complaints Advocacy Service  www.nhscomplaintsadvocacy.org  Telephone number 0300 330 5454

If you remain dissatisfied, you may seek intervention of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.  https://www.ombudsman-services.org/complain-now
Telephone no: 0345 015 4033.