Raising a concern or making a complaint

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We hope we can sort out most problems easily and quickly. Anyone who raises a concern or makes a complaint will be treated with courtesy and receive appropriate support throughout the handling of their complaint. If you do complain this will not adversely affect your care or any further treatment you may have. ​ Anyone can raise a concern or make a complaint. You can complain about services or treatments you receive, or you can complain on behalf of another person. If you are making a complaint on behalf of someone else, please ask for their permission before you get in touch with us. We need to protect patient confidentiality.

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How we deal with your complaint

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Our complaints process follows the same complaints legislation as all NHS organisations to make sure that concerns are dealt with quickly, efficiently and fairly. We will:

• Acknowledge your complaint within three working days

• Agree with you how we will try and resolve your issues

• Discuss how long it should take and how we will keep you informed of our progress

• Find out what happened/what went wrong and make sure you receive an apology where appropriate

• Make it possible for you to discuss the problems with those concerned if you would find this helpful

• Learn from your complaint and improve our service so that the problem does not happen again.

If you are unhappy about any aspect of the care or service you received, you should first make your complaint directly to the clinic or medical centre where you were seen. They will try to resolve your complaint promptly.

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When can I complain?

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If you have a complaint or concern we need to know as soon as possible so we can find out what happened more easily, ideally within a matter of days or at the most a few weeks. You must get in touch within 12 months of the issue or within 12 months of becoming aware that you have something to complain about. This time limit can be extended, depending on circumstances, as we treat each complaint or concern individually.

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What if I'm still not happy?

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• We will make every reasonable effort to try and resolve your complaint or concern. If you are not happy with the response you receive let us know as soon as possible. We can meet you to discuss the matter further, carry out more investigation, or suggest you contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman for help. The Ombudsman can review the way your complaint has been handled within 12 months of the final outcome.

• You can contact the Ombudsman via the following methods:
  Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk
  Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
  Telephone: 0345 015 4033
  Address: The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP

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