Patient Information
Introduction
At Birchwood Medical Practice we make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice. However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling 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.
We are continually striving to improve our service. We appreciate that people often do not like to complain, but assure you we do want to know if you are not satisfied. If you have a comment, complaint or suggestion, please tell any member of staff who will assist you. We have a campaign that we believe in called “You Said, We Listened, We Took Action” which is committed to ongoing service improvement.
Receiving of complaints
Who can complain? The Practice may receive a complaint made by, or (with his/her consent) on behalf of a patient, or former patient, who is receiving or has received treatment at the Practice, or:
(a) Where the patient is a child:
- by either parent, or in the absence of both parents, the guardian or other adult who has care of the child;
- by a person duly authorised by a local authority to whose care the child has been committed under the provisions of the Children Act 1989;
(b) Where the patient is incapable of making a complaint; by a relative or other adult who has an interest in his/her welfare.
We must observe the rules of medical confidentiality. This means that we can only accept a complaint on behalf of someone else if we have written authority of the person concerned, that is, unless the person is incapable, through illness, of providing this as indicated in (b) above.
Should you wish for someone to complain on your behalf, please complete our consent form and in section 3 indicate how you wish the access to your sensitive medical and non-medical information to be limited e.g. for the purposes of responding to a complaint about my medical record care.
Your complaint does not have to be in writing. Access to being able to make a complaint is important and ensures that we are receiving feedback as easily as possible.
Please ask our staff member to take the details of your complaint if you are making it verbally.
What is the time limit for making a complaint?
The period for making a complaint is normally:
(a) 12 months from the date on which the event which is the subject of the complaint occurred; or
(b) 12 months from the date on which the event which is the subject of the complaint comes to the complainant’s notice.
To whom should I complain initially?
If you are unhappy with our services please tell a member of our staff. Often the problem can be sorted out straight away. We aim to resolve informal complaints within 48 hours.
If you prefer not to talk to the member of staff involved in your care, you can contact the management team. You can make a complaint digitally through our website – Please click here to ensure our Management Team receives your complaint.
Our Procedure
We aim to acknowledge your verbal or written complaint within three working days. In most cases, we will offer you the opportunity to meet face-to-face to discuss your concern.
We will also ask you what you would like to happen as a result of your complaint, such as an apology, a new appointment, or an explanation. Whenever possible, we try to speak to you directly about your concerns and may arrange to meet with you to hear your experience firsthand.
We will then agree on a plan of action and assess and agree on the timescales in which we will respond to your complaint. We will communicate this to you in our acknowledgement of the complaint.
Your complaint will be fully investigated. This involves finding out what has happened by talking to the staff involved, reviewing medical records, available video and telephone call recordings, and taking any necessary action and learning to prevent it from happening again.
If it is not possible to deal with your complaint within the agreed period, we will write to you explaining the reason for the delay. The sooner you make a complaint, the easier it is to investigate and the more likely it is that the complaint can be resolved.
Alternatively, if you’d rather not raise the issue directly with the practice, you can direct your concerns to:
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB)
Tel: 0300 311 22 33
Email: bnssg.customerservice@nhs.net
BNSSG ICB Floor 2, North Wing, 100 Temple Street, Bristol BS1 6AG
If you are not satisfied with our response
If you remain unhappy following the response, you can complain to the Health Service Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is completely independent of the NHS and Government. You can:
Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
Write: City Gate, 51 Mosley St, Manchester M2 3HQ
Keeping your complaint confidential
Any personal data and information collected in relation to your concern or complaint is treated as strictly confidential and only made available to people who are involved in the investigation.
Information about the nature of the complaint is used to monitor the quality of care and may be followed up with the professionals concerned where problems are identified.
The fact that you have complained will not be recorded on your medical records.
ADVOCACY
Some patient’s may find it difficult to make a complaint directly to the Practice or to the NHS. They can seek advice or get support from the following:
Healthwatch
Healthwatch is the local champion for patients and the public. They are there to listen to your feedback, and to make sure that local services know what people expect from them. They also want to hear about times when you have experienced excellent care.
Telephone : 0117 2690400
www.healthwatchbristol.co.uk
Or you can text them (use ‘Bris’ followed by your message) to: 07860021603
POhWER Bristol
Email: pohwer@pohwer.net
Website : Bristol | Home | POhWER
Telephone: 0300 456 2370 (charged at your standard network rate)
They welcome calls via Relay UK (the national speech to text telephone relay service for people who are deaf, have hearing loss or speech impairment.)
Text: send the word ’pohwer’ with your name and number to 81025
Post: PO Box 17943, Birmingham, B9 9PB