The Grange &
Colton Mill Medical Centres
Leaflet for Complaints procedure
Patients/ Complainants
Complaints
leaflet for patients
This
leaflet gives you details of the practice's Complaints Procedure which has been
developed by the doctors and staff at this practice. As you know everyone at the practice aims to
give you the best possible service but complaints can sometimes arise. In the
event of this happening, we want you to know that we will deal with your complaint
politely, speedily and fairly. Our Practice Manager, Mrs. Pam Spetch, is in charge of the complaints system; in her
absence the Practice Administrator Mrs
What
do I do if I wish to make a complaint?
First of all, call into the surgery and
tell one of the receptionists that you wish to make a complaint. They will
listen to you and confirm the details of the complaint. They will then fill in the
details of the complaint on a form. If you are complaining on behalf of a
patient you will be asked to get a consent form signed by the patient to
enable you to pursue the complaint on
their behalf. They will also ask you for the following information:
Name
Address
Telephone
number
when you are available to receive a telephone call from the
Practice Manager
If you do not have a telephone Mrs. Spetch will write to you about your complaint. Finally, the
receptionists will ask you to sign the complaint form.
What
happens when this form is completed?
The receptionist will give you a complaints
leaflet and go through it with you to ensure that you understand it. She will
also tell you that the Practice Manager, Mrs. Spetch,
will contact you within two working days. For example, if you make the
complaint on a Monday then Mrs. Spetch will contact
you by Wednesday. However, if you make the complaint on a Friday, Mrs. Spetch will contact you on the following Monday as the
practice does not work on Sundays. In Mrs Spetch’s
absence the Assistant Manager, Mrs Lorraine Long, will respond to your complaint.
What
happens if I cannot get to the practice?
If you cannot get to the practice, you
can telephone with the details of your complaint and the receptionist will fill
in the form as usual and pass it on to Mrs. Spetch.
What
if I want to make a complaint and I do not have a telephone?
If you do not have a telephone and you
want to make a complaint, you can write to Mrs. Spetch,
the Practice Manager, who will then follow up the complaint with you. Her
address is at the end of this leaflet.
What
happens after I have made the complaint?
After you have made the complaint, you
can expect to hear from Mrs. Spetch within two
working days. When she contacts you, Mrs. Spetch will
check the details of your complaint and she may then be able to provide you
with an explanation. If you are satisfied with this, then Mrs. Spetch will write you a letter confirming the explanation.
What
happens if I am not satisfied at this point?
If you are not satisfied with this and
feel that more should be done then Mrs. Spetch will
investigate the complaint further. She will send you a letter to confirm this
and at the same time offer you some dates and times at which a meeting between you could take place.
Normally this would be within three weeks of the date on which you first
complained and a stamped addressed envelope would also be sent to you for your
reply. If you cannot make any of the suggested days or times please say when
you could attend a meeting and Mrs. Spetch will make
the arrangements.
Where
would this meeting take place and who will be at the meeting?
These meetings normally take place at the
practice. Mrs. Spetch usually attends these meetings
on her own but if the complaint is about medical care a doctor also attends.
Can
I bring anyone with me to this meeting?
Yes. It is a good idea to bring someone
with you to this meeting. You can bring a relative or a friend but if you feel
unable to do this and still want someone there then you can contact the Community
Health Council or the Leeds Advocacy Project and they will be able to advise
you. Their addresses are at the end of this leaflet.
What
happens at this meeting?
Mrs. Spetch
will ask you about the complaint, listen to what you
have to say and then discuss the various points, providing further explanation.
If you are satisfied at this point, Mrs. Spetch will
send you a letter confirming this.
What
happens at this point if I am still not satisfied?
Mrs. Spetch
will give you details of who deals with complaints about General Practice and
where to send any correspondence to. The South Primary Care Trust deal with
complaints form patients who are registered with Leeds GPs. Mrs Spetch will confirm the situation about your complaint in a
letter to you and also confirm the South Primary Care Trust details with you. .
Can
I go straight to the South Primary care Trust (PCT) with my complaint?
Yes, you can go directly to the PCT with
your complaint but if the complaint can be solved through an informal procedure
with the practice you may find this easier and far more satisfactory.
If
I am making a complaint about the practice, will they refuse to see me if I
need to see the doctor ?
No member of staff will refuse to see you
whilst you are making a complaint or indeed after you have made a complaint
against the practice. Whilst we regret that a complaint has been
made,
all the staff want to do is to give you the best possible care.
What
if I am not really sure that I want to make a complaint but I do want to say
something about my care, what
can I do?
There are a couple of things that you can
do. First of all, you can still ask to see Mrs. Spetch
and discuss it with her. She will be pleased to help you do this. If you then
wish to make a complaint, she will fill in the form and investigate it.
Secondly, you can seek advice from the Community Health Council, the Leeds
Advocacy Project orthe South PCT. Their addresses are
at the end of this letter. Once again if you do decide that you want to make a
complaint they will help you do this.
Addresses
and telephone numbers
Mrs Pam Spetch
Grange Medical Centre,
999,
Telephone numbers: 0113 2951800
Complaints Adviser,
Primary Care Complaints Unit, Complaints Officer.
South Primary Care Trust Community Health Council,
1st Floor navigation
House,
8,
Quayside Business park,
Tel: 0113 3059674
The Grange
and
Start
of investigation - guidelines for the first letter.
Dear
Thank you for speaking to me on the
telephone today. I sincerely regret that you have had cause to complain about
______________________________________________(fill in
the broad area of the complaint). As you know we have agreed
_______________________(fill in the details of the
agreement).
I am pleased that you are happy about the
way in which your complaint has been resolved. but if
you have any further queries about this complaint please do contact me.
Yours sincerely,
Pam Spetch
(Mrs.)
Practice Manager
The
Grange and
Outcome guidelines letter.
Dear
Thank you for speaking to me on the
telephone today. I sincerely regret that you have had cause to complain about............................(fill in the broad area of the
complaint). As you know we have agreed that I will investigate your complaint
further. This will take me .......................(specify time). If it is convenient
for you, I would like to meet you on _______________________(day
and date) at _______ (time) at the ________________ (place). If the suggested
dates and times are not convenient for you, could you please suggest some
alternative dates and times? I enclose a stamped addressed envelope for your
reply.
I look forward to hearing from you but if
you have any further queries about this complaint, please do contact me.
Yours sincerely,
Pam Spetch
(Mrs.)
Practice Manager
The
Grange and
Investigation
of complaint
Staff
statement
Name of staff member
_______________________________________________________
Complainants details
Please write or print legibly
Name of
patient_____________________________________________________________
Patient’s address____________________________________________________________
Name of complainant
______________________________Title _____________________
Address
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Post code
__________________________________________________________________
Telephone number
__________________________________________________________
Dates and times available to receive telephone
calls _______________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Date complaint received
_____________________________________________________
Time complaint registered
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Practice
Manager's introductory statement
It is important that we know what happened from
all the differing points of view so in your own words, please say what you know
about the complaint. To help you we know
that it happened on (day and
date) at (give time) and the
complainant says that ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Signature of staff
member_____________________________________________________
Signature
of Practice Manager ________________________________________________
The
Grange and
Complaints
procedure
Registration of complaint
Complainants details
Please write or print
legibly
Name of complainant ______________________________Title
_____________________
Address___________________________________________________________________
Name of
patient_____________________________________________________________
Address
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Post code
__________________________________________________________________
Telephone number
__________________________________________________________
Dates and times
available to receive telephone calls _______________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Date complaint received
_____________________________________________________
Time complaint
registered ___________________________________________________
Method of registration(in person/by telephone) _________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Details
of complaint
Please give brief details of the complaint
preferably in the complainant's own words. We need to know what happened, when
it happened, where it happened and who was involved.
Signature of
complainant ____________________________________________________
Complaints
leaflet given (circle appropriate answer)
Yes/No/Refused
Explanation
given (circle appropriate answer)
Yes/No/ Declined to listen
Signature
of person receiving the complaint (written
legibly) _________________________
Patient
consent form completed
Yes/ No ________________________________
PLEASE GIVE THE COMPLAINANT THE COMPLAINTS
LEAFLET AND EXPLAIN TO THEM WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT.
The
Grange and
Complaints
procedure
Record
of meeting with complainant
Complainants details
Please write or print legibly
Name of complainant
______________________________Title _____________________
Address ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Name of
patient_____________________________________________________________
Address____________________________________________________________________
Post code
__________________________________________________________________
Telephone number
__________________________________________________________
Date complaint received
_____________________________________________________
Time complaint registered
___________________________________________________
Method of registration(in
person/by telephone) _________________________________
Date and time of meeting
____________________________________________________
Meeting venue
_____________________________________________________________
Present at the meeting
______________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Details
of the meeting
Please give brief
details of the meeting. We need to know what happened during this meeting and
what was the outcome.
Explanation
given (circle appropriate answer)
Yes/No/Declined to listen
Complaint
resolved (circle appropriate answer)
Yes/No
Referred
to FHSA (circle appropriate answer)
Yes/No
Referred
elsewhere (circle appropriate answer)
Yes/No Referred
to _____________
Individualised
letter sent (circle appropriate answer) Yes/No Date
sent _____________
Practice Manager's signature _______________________________________________
The Grange and
Consent form
I consent to ( name
of representative)________________________
to
represent me, to pursue my complaint with the Practice.
Signed (patient)______________________________