Who Can Make a Complaint
A complaint can be made by a person who has directly been affected by an omission or action.
A complaint can be made on behalf of a person following them using the service.
A complaint can be made by:
- By telephone or in person and made verbally. In any case a written record of the complaint that describes the issues requiring investigation must be kept. This must be agreed with the complainant and ideally signed.
- In writing either by email or by letter. This should be addressed to the manager.
There is a two-stage process:
Stage 1 – Local Resolution
Complaints of a non-medical nature will be handled in their entirety by the Clinic Manager.
In the case of a treatment-related complaint, the matter will be discussed with the relevant practitioner/s and may require you to attend an additional consultation with that practitioner or an external independent practitioner.
The objective of this is to provide an explanation or a solution to your concerns. Our aim is to provide you with a full written response within 14 working days or where this is not possible, an explanation as to the cause of the delay.
Written Response
If the complainant wishes to receive a written response it should address the matter, acknowledging all points raised by the complainant. The response should include an explanation of how the complaint has been considered, the conclusions reached in respect of each specific part of the complaint, details of any necessary remedial action and any actions taken or will be taking as a result of the complaint.
The complainant should be informed at the end of the letter how to access the next stage of the complaints process if the complainant remains unsatisfied.
Stage 2 – Independent Review
If the complainant is dissatisfied, they should have the option to escalate their complaint to the Independent complaints Service this would be ISCAS the independent sector complaints adjudicator.
Complaints to the independent complaints service should be in writing within 6 months of the final response letter received at stage 1.
The complaint will be kept on file/ database and maintained to include all details of the investigation and outcome by the manager.
will hold a comprehensive record of any investigations including correspondence such as emails, letters and telephone discussions with time and date stamps where possible.
Any actions implemented to improve the service as a consequence of a complaint should be recorded.
The objective of the complaint’s procedure is not to apportion blame but to investigate the complaint with the aim to satisfy the complainant and learn from lessons for improvements in delivering a safe and responsive service.
Recommendations made as a result of the investigation or any findings made by the manager should be addressed accordingly.