Who should I complain to?
Tell someone close to the cause of your complaint such as a doctor, nurse, receptionist, or practice manager as soon as possible (within 6 months of the incident, or within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem). It is often possible to sort out the problem at once. This is called Local Resolution.1 You can telephone or write to the practice complaints officer or to the individual concerned. If Local Resolution fails, you may ask the Health Care Commission to consider the complaint. Such a request must be made within 2 months (or as soon as practicable) following any response provided by the practice.
GP out-of-hours-service
Complain to your Primary Care Organization (PCO) or your own GP. If your complaint is about availability or organization of health care services, contact the Complaints Officer of your local PCO.
How quickly will the complaint be dealt with?
Within 2 working days is the aim. For written complaints and cases where more detailed investigation is required, your complaint will be acknowledged in writing within 3 working days and the aim is to respond fully in 20 working days.
What do I do if I am unhappy with the reply?
You may request an Independent Review. You must ask for this within 28 calendar days from the date of the letter responding to your complaint. You will be asked to write a letter to The Convener of the NHS Trust responsible for the service saying why you are still dissatisfied. The convener is a specially trained member of the NHS Trust and, having taken advice, will decide whether to refer the complaint back for further Local Resolution, possibly suggesting Conciliation or to set up an Independent Review panel to consider the complaint; (Complaints Officers can explain to you how these processes work). You will be advised of the Convener's decision within 20 working days of your request (10 working days if about GPs, Chemists, or Opticians).
Should an Independent Review Panel be set up, this will consist of the Convener, an Independent Lay Chairperson, and one other person nominated by the NHS Trust. The Panel will investigate the complaint and talk to everyone involved, seeking the specialist advice it needs. You will then be sent a report, including the Panel's conclusions.
What do I do if I am still unhappy?
You may request an investigation by the Health Service Commissioner (ombudsman) who is independent of the NHS and the Government. NB: the General Medical Council can be involved with a complaint whether or not it relates to an NHS patient.
Clinical governance and continuous quality improvement
Complaint systems are only a part of clinical governance, a system, which links continuing professional development, multidisciplinary learning, audit, risk management, and critical incident reporting. It is a framework through which the NHS is accountable for continuously improving the quality and safeguarding high standards of care by creating an environment in which excellence will flourish’. The sequence is: defining quality assuring accountability improving quality.
It is one mechanism by which the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) operates. Its areas of priority are partly set by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) and health improvement programmes (HImP).
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