Complaints

Please note that Chilcote Surgery keeps strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality.  If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, the Practice needs to know that you have their permission to do so.  A note signed by the person concerned will be required, unless they are incapable of providing this due to illness or disability.

From 1 July 2023 patients who wish to make a complaint about primary care services in Devon should contact the local integrated care board (ICB), NHS Devon, for advice and signposting.

This includes GPs, dentists, opticians, and community pharmacy services.

In all cases NHS Devon will recommend a complainant raises their concerns or complaint directly with the healthcare provider: this is the organisation where the patient received the NHS service, for example a GP surgery or dental surgery.

NHS Devon will support patients and their representative with any concerns or complaints regarding primary care services in Devon, however, unless directly concerning the commissioning of the service will recommend any complaints are handled with the provider directly.

Contact details

• Telephone: 0300 123 1672
• Email: d-icb.patientexperience@nhs.net
• Post: Patient Advice and Complaints team, Pomona House, Edginswell Business Park, Oak View Close Torquay TQ2 7FF

Contact information can also be found on the One Devon website: www.onedevon.org.uk/contact-us/patient-advice-and-complaints/

CONTACTING THE CARE QUALITY COMMISSION

If you have a genuine concern about a staff member or regulated activity carried on by this Practice then you can contact the Care Quality Commission on 03000 616161, or alternatively visit the following website:http://www.cqc.org.uk.

ICAS & OMBUDSMAN

NHS COMPLAINTS INDEPENDENT ADVOCACY SERVICE (ICAS)

ICAS is a national service that supports people who want to make a complaint about their NHS Care or treatment. Your local ICAS service can be found on http://www.seap.org.uk/services/.

OMBUDSMAN
If you are not happy with the response from this practice, you can refer your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman who investigates complaints about the NHS in England. You can call the Ombudsman’s Complaints Helpline on 0345 015 4033 or email phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk or Textphone (Minicom): 0300 061 4298 or write to The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP. Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk.

LET THE PRACTICE KNOW YOUR VIEWS

Chilcote Surgery is always looking for ways to improve the services it offers to patients.  To do this effectively, the Practice needs to know what you think about the services you receive.  Tell us what we do best, where we don’t meet your expectations plus any ideas and suggestions you may have.  Only by listening to you can the Practice continue to build and improve upon the service it offers.  We would encourage you to complete the Friends and Family Test the next time you visit the practice, or from our website.

• Could you easily get through on the telephone?
• Did you get an appointment with the practitioner you wanted to see?
• Were you seen within 20 minutes of your scheduled appointment time?
• Were our staff helpful and courteous?

PRACTICE COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

If you have a complaint about the service you have received from any member of staff working in this Practice, please let us know.  The Practice operates a Complaints Procedure as part of the NHS system for dealing with complaints.  Our complaints system meets national criteria.

Note: If you make a complaint it is Practice policy to ensure you are not discriminated against, or subjected to any negative effect on your care, treatment or support.

HOW TO COMPLAIN

In the first instance please discuss your complaint with the staff member concerned.  Where the issue cannot be resolved at this stage, please contact Practice Management team who will try to resolve the issue and offer you further advice on the complaints procedure.  If your problem cannot be resolved at this stage and you wish to make a formal complaint, please let us know as soon as possible, ideally within a matter of days.  This will enable the Practice to get a clear picture of the circumstances surrounding the complaint.

If it is not possible to raise your complaint immediately, please let us have details of your complaint within the following timescales:

• within 12 months of the incident that caused the problem
  OR
• within 12 months of discovering that you have a problem

The Practice will acknowledge your complaint within three working days and agree with you how your complaint will be investigated.  At this stage you should be offered an explanation or a meeting with the person(s) involved.  When the practice looks into your complaint it aims to:

• Ascertain the full circumstances of the complaint
• Make arrangements 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 the practice can do to make sure the problem does not happen again