If you have a complaint or concern about the services you have received from the doctors or any practice staff, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of a NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets national criteria.
How to Complain
We hope that the majority of complaints and concerns can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time that 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 or at most a few weeks – because this will enable us to establish what happened more easily. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have the details of your complaint:-
- Within 6 months of the incident that caused the problem; or
- Within 6 months of becoming aware that you have something to complain about.
Complaints should be addressed to Suzanne Smith or any other member of staff in her absence. Alternatively you may ask for an appointment with her to discuss your concerns. She will explain the complaints procedure to you and will make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly. It will be a great help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.
Complaints procedure Complaints Form
What We Shall Do
We shall acknowledge your complaint within two working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within ten working days of the date you raised it with us, wherever possible. We shall then be in a position to offer you an explanation, or a meeting with the people involved. When we look into your complaint, we shall aim to:-
- Find out what happened and what went wrong
- Make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this
- Make sure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate
- Identify what we can do to ensure the problem does not happen again
Complaining on behalf of someone else
Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have his or her permission to do so. A note signed by the person will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.
Complaining to NHS England
We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our complaints procedure. We believe that this will give the best and quickest chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our practice. However, this does not affect your right to approach the local Health Authority if you feel that you cannot raise your complaint with us. NHS England is responsible for purchasing primary care services such as GPs, dentists, pharmacists, optical services and some specialised services, and you should contact them if you wish to complain about any of these services.
When you contact NHS England via email (
You should provide as much information as possible to allow NHS England to investigate your complaint, such as:
- your name and contact details
- a clear description of your complaint and any relevant times and dates
- details of any relevant healthcare providers or services
- any relevant correspondence, if applicable
