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 a 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 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 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 specific as possible about your complaint
What we will do
We shall acknowledge your complaint within three working days. Once we have looked into your complaint, 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:
- Make it possible for you to discuss the problem with the Practice Manager
- Find out what happened and what went wrong
- Make sure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate
- Identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t 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 their permission to do so. A letter signed by the person concerned will be needed, unlessthey are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.
Further Help & Advice
Greater Manchester NHS Independent Complaints Advocacy (ICA)
5th Floor Arthur House, Chorlton Street, Manchester, M1 3FH
Tel: 0808 802 3000
Wigan Citizens Advice Bureau
Wigan Life Centre, The Wiend, Wigan, WN1 1NJ
Tel: 0844 826 9713
Patient Advisory Liaison Service (PALS)
Wrightington Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust
Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, Wigan, WN1 2NN
Tel: 01942 822376 Email: [email protected]
Complaining to the Health Care Commission
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 right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our practice. However, if you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation you should contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on 0345 0154033.
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: https://www.cqc.org.uk.
