COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE 

PATIENT INFORMATION  

If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the doctors, nurses or any of the staff working in Rock Healthcare, please let us know.  We have in operation a practice complaints procedure as part of the NHS system for dealing with complaints.  Our procedure meets the national criteria. 

Making your complaint to the practice in no way prejudices your right to complain to the Complaints Department at NHS Bury ICB should your complaint not be resolved to your satisfaction. 

If you feel you wish to make a complaint about the services we provide for you at Rock Healthcare this leaflet outlines the procedure for dealing with these problems.  We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned.  However, if your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like to know as soon as possible (ideally within a matter of days or at most a few weeks) 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 12 months of the incident that caused the problem or 
• If later, within 12 months of becoming aware that you have cause for complaint. 
  
   
  
  Complaints should be directed preferably in writing to the Practice Manager. Postal address: Rock Healthcare, Moorgate Primary Care Centre, 22 Derby Way, Bury, BL9 0NJ.  
  
  Email address: bardoc.governance@nhs.net 
  
   
  
  Alternatively, you can complete a verbal complaint with any member of staff. Full details of your complaint will be taken and the complaints procedure will be explained to you. 
  
  

If you are complaining on behalf of somebody else, their written consent must be obtained for us to investigate the complaint. You can utilise the complaint form for this purpose.  Sometimes however this is not possible, for example, if the person has died or the person is not capable of providing written consent.  The Practice Manager will liaise with you under these circumstances. 

We shall acknowledge your complaint within three working days, beginning on the date we receive the complaint, and aim to have looked into your complaint within ten working days of the date when you raised it with us.   Where this is not possible due to exceptional circumstances we will inform you in writing that it has not been possible to complete the investigation but will do so as soon as possible and then provide you with a written summary of the investigation and its conclusions or invite you to an appointment for a meeting to discuss the problem further. 

The matter will be investigated thoroughly and confidentially, after which we will be in a position to offer you an explanation or an appointment for a meeting to discuss the problem further.  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 explanation where this is appropriate 
• Identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again. 
  
   
  
  If our investigation requires any person other than an employee of Rock Healthcare to consider relevant contents of your medical records, this will not be disclosed without you being informed and your consent obtained. 
  
   
  
  We aim to address your concerns fully and hope by the end you will feel that the matter has been dealt with satisfactorily.  We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and the opportunity to improve our Practice.  However, if following our investigation you would like further help or advice, you may contact the Complaints Department at NHS Bury ICB within 2 months of the original complaint.  
  
  

If you still remain dissatisfied with the response to your complaint, you have the right to progress your complaint to the second stage of the complaints procedure by writing to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). The PHSO is completely independent of the NHS and Government.   

Our Practice Procedure cannot deal with questions of legal liability or compensation.   

If you feel your complaint has not been handled satisfactorily by the Practice you can take your complaint to the Health Service Ombudsman. Helpline: 0345 015 4033 Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk   

If you are not happy about your care or treatment but you do not want to make a formal complaint straightaway, you can speak to the Practice Manager at Rock Healthcare who will aim to address your issues satisfactorily.  If you do not wish to do this, you can speak to the Patient Service Team on 0161 212 6270. Or alternatively you can email them on patientservices.gmcsu@nhs.net they may be able to resolve your concerns quickly and confidentially and, if this is not possible, will advise you about the complaints procedure.