Suggestions Comments and Complaints

Cherry Medical Practice 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. Dr S Tandon is the practice’s Clinical complaints Lead.

  • Could you easily get through on the telephone?
  • Did you get an appointment with who 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 a member of the reception team. Where the issue cannot be resolved at this stage, please contact our Practice Administrator, Danielle Perkins, or Reception Manager, Emma Heywood, 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 in writing. 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 12 months of the incident that caused the problem or within 12 months from when the complaint comes to your notice.

The Practice will acknowledge your complaint within three working days.

The Practice may arrange a meeting with you to discuss the complaint, to agree with you how the complaint is going to be investigated and the timescale for this to be completed.

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

Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else

Please note that Cherry Medical Practice 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.

Complaining to Other Authorities

The practice management team hope that if you have a problem you will use the Practice Complaints Procedure.

However, if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us, you can contact any of the following 3 bodies:

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 0300 061 6161, or alternatively visit the following website: www.cqc.org.uk.

PALS, ICAS and Ombudsman

Patient Advisory Liaison Service (PALS)

PALS provide a confidential service designed to help patients get the most from the NHS. PALS can tell you more about the NHS complaints procedure and may be able to help you resolve your complaint informally. Find your local PALS office.

Independent Complaints and Advocacy Service (ICAS)

ICAS is a national service that supports people who want to make a complaint about their NHS Care or treatment. Find your local ICAS service.

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 www.ombudsman.org.uk or Textphone (Minicom): 0300 061 4298