Last updated:
Monday, 20. October 2008
Access patient leaflets/health
advice from www.patient .co.uk.
Patient Complaints
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 - 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 because this will enable us to establish what happened more easily. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have the details of your complaint:
· within 6 months of the incident which caused the problem
· 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, Mrs Christine Thorpe, or any of the doctors. Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with Christine Thorpe in order to discuss your concerns. She will explain the complaints procedure to you and make sure your concerns are dealt with promptly. If you wish to write to the Practice Manager by email, you may do so by using the following address: bmp@lpct.nhs.uk or christine.thorpe@lpct.nhs.uk
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 you receive an apology, where this is appropriate
· identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not 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 note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.
Complaining to the Health Authority - If you wish to complain we hope 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 this does not affect your right to approach the local health authority if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation. In these circumstances you should contact:
NHS Complaints & Practitioner Performance Manager, Lincolnshire Shared Services, Cross O’Cliff, Bracebridge Heath, Lincoln LN4 2HN, telephone 515319, for further advice.
You may also like to contact Patients Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) tel 0845 602 4384 or
ICAS - Independent Complaints Advocacy Service tel: 0845 650 0088
Lincolnshire Health Service Complaints Agency 24 hr telephone 0845 8505085