PRACTICE
COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
If you have a complaint or concern
about the service you have received from the doctors or any of the staff
working in this practice, please let us know. We operate a Practice
Complaints Procedure as part of the NHS system for dealing with complaints.
Our complaints system meets national criteria.
How to complain
We hope that most problems 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 inform us as soon as possible, preferably within a matter of
days, or at the most a few weeks. This will enable us to establish
what happened more easily. If it is not possible to do this, please
let us have details of your complaint:
within 6 months of the incident that
caused the problem; or
within 6 months of discovering that
you have a problem, provided this is within 12 months of the incident.
Complaints should be addressed to the Practice Manager or any of the
Doctors. Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with the
Practice Manager in order 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.
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 when you
raised it with us. 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 your receive an apology, where this is appropriate; |
| identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again. |
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 their permission to do so. A letter signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) to provide this.
We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting things right and an opportunity to improve our practice. This does not affect your right to approach the local Health Authority.
We also welcome feedback of a positive nature and are happy to receive suggestions or comments regarding the service we offer. We are continually working to maintain and develop the standard of service we provide for patients. Your help with this process would be much appreciated.
Practice Manager
The Coleridge Medical Centre
Canaan Way
Ottery St Mary
Devon EX11 1EQ
Tel: 01404 814447
Devon Primary Care Trust
Dean Clarke House
Southernhay East
Exeter
Devon EX1 1PQ
Tel: 01392 207819
The Patient Advice and Liaison
Service
Ottery St Mary Hospital
Keegan Close
Ottery St Mary
Devon EX11 1DN
Tel: 01404 816001
The Citizens Advice Bureau
Independent Complaints Advocacy Service
Tel: 0845 120 3782
Web site: www.adviceguide.org.uk
Healthcare Commission
FREEPOST NAT 18958
Complaints Investigation Team
Manchester
M1 9XZ
Tel: 0845 601 3012
Email:
complaints@healthcarecommission.org.uk
Web site:
www.healthcarecommission.org.uk
Devon Doctors On Call - Out of Hours Service
Should you wish to make a complaint concerning the Devon Doctors on Call GP
out of hours co-operative, please contact:
The Clinical Governance Support Officer
Devon Doctors On Call
Unit 10 Manaton Court
Matford Business Park
Exeter
Devon EX2 8PF
Tel: 01392 823636