Complaints Procedure

If you have any complaint or concern about the service that you have received from the doctors or staff working for this practice you are entitled to ask for an explanation. We operate an informal, in-house complaints procedure to deal with your complaints. This procedure does not deal with matters of legal liability or compensation. In some cases the in-house procedure is not an appropriate form to investigation, in which case you will be referred to the appropriate authority.

This procedure does not affect your right to make a formal complaint to South West London ICB or NHS England if you so wish. Nor does it affect your right to seek compensation in law.

Your complaint should be addressed to our practice manager, Ellie Roberts, who will ensure that it is investigated thoroughly and as speedily as possible. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 3 working days. We aim to report back to you within a maximum of 21 working days although, in some cases, more time may be required. Any delays to our response will be communicated with you.

Please note that the practice must ensure strict adherence to the rule of medical confidentiality. We cannot provide confidential information without appropriate authority if you are not the patient in question.

We can help you to write down your complaint if you feel you need help to do so or you may contact us or write to us in the post. Please do not hesitate to contact a member of the management team who will be pleased to assist you should you require any assistance in raising your concerns. 

Your complaint will then be investigated by a member of the management team or practice partners. It is possible that, as a first step, the investigator will contact you directly to ensure that he or she fully understands your complaint. The investigator will then interview appropriate members of the practice staff and may inspect relevant documents.

At the conclusion of the investigation you will be sent a full written response and you will be invited to a meeting with your GP and/or Practice Manager as appropriate, where your complaint will be discussed with you in detail should you wish to do so. Our written response will also include details regarding your rights to escalate the matter further should you remain dissatisfied with our response.

All complaints against members of staff are discussed at staff training sessions and practice meetings to enable us to improve our service to our patients.

In the event that you are not happy with the finding of the practice’s investigation, you have the right to refer your complaint to the health Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is independent of government and the NHS. Her service is confidential and free. There are time limits for taking a complaint to the Ombudsman, although she can waive them if she thinks there is a good reason to do so.

If you have questions about whether the Ombudsman will be able to help you, or about how to make a complaint, you can contact them via the helpline on 0345 015 4033 or via the Ombudsman website.