Complaint 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 GP surgery, please let us know. This includes Primary Care Network staff working as part of our GP surgery. We operate a complaints procedure as part of an 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 when they arise and with the person concerned. For example, by requesting a face-to-face meeting to discuss your concerns.

In the first instance please discuss your complaint with the staff member concerned. Where the issue cannot be resolved at this stage, you can write to Hannah Northall (Practice Manager) at:

Horseley Heath Surgery,
14 Horseley Heath,
Tipton,
DY4 7QU

or

Tandon Medical Centre,
Kent Street,
Dudley,
DY3 1UX

E-mail address: [email protected]

Hannah will try to resolve the issue and offer you further advice on the complaints procedure.

The practice will acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days and look into your complaint as soon as possible. At this stage you should be offered an explanation or a meeting with the person(s) involved.

When we look 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 ensure this doesn’t happen again.

Escalating further
The practice management team hope that your concerns will be addressed through the discussions with us via the Practice Complaints Procedure. However, if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us, or you are dissatisfied with the response received from us, you can contact any of the following 2 bodies:

Patient Experience Team
Birmingham and Solihull NHS Cluster,
7th Floor,
Triplex House,
Eckersall Road,
Kings Norton,
Birmingham,
B38 8SS
Tel: 0800 389 8391

Independent Complaints and Advocacy Service (ICAS)
Unit 2.1,
Clarendon Business Park,
Clumber Avenue,
Nottingham,
NG5 1AH
Tel: 0115 962 1776 

If you have a genuine concern about a staff member or regulated activity carried out by this Practice then you can contact the Local CCG via:
Time 2talk – [email protected]
Quality & safety – Sandwell & West Birmingham CCG – 0121 612 4110
or the Care Quality Commission on 03000 616161, or alternatively visit the following website: http://www.cqc.org.uk

Complaining on behalf of someone else

We take medical confidentiality seriously. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we must know that you have their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.

Complaining to NHS England

We hope that you will use our Practice Complaints Procedure if you are unhappy. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our GP surgery.

However, if you feel you cannot raise the complaint with us directly, please contact NHS England. You can find more information on how to make a complaint at https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/complaint/complaining-to-nhse/.

Unhappy with the outcome of your complaint?

If you are not happy with the way your complaint has been dealt with by the GP surgery and NHS England and would like to take the matter further, you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). The PHSO makes final decisions on unresolved complaints about the NHS in England. It is an independent service which is free for everyone to use.

To take your complaint to the Ombudsman, visit the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman website or call 0345 015 4033.