We are continually looking to turn feedback from our patients into real improvements in the services we provide. We use it to focus on the things that matter most to our patients, carers and their families. We would like to hear from you if you have a suggestion on how we can do things better to improve our patients’ experiences. We’d also like to hear from you if you are pleased with the service you’ve received. We’ll let the staff involved know and share the good practice across our teams.

Positive Feedback

We often hear from patients when they feel something has gone wrong, and this is very important. However, it is just as important that we hear from you when you feel something is being done well. This helps us to know what we are getting right and helps with continuous improvement of our services. Positive feedback is a real morale boost for everyone and reminds us all of why we love working in the NHS. Our patients are our priority always, and hearing about how we have helped people really does make our day. If you would like to share some positive feedback with us you can do so in one of the following ways:

• In writing – you can write to the Practice Manager by sending a letter to either surgery site. Address details can be found on our contact us page.
• Via the website – please use the “feedback” link above to send us an electronic feedback form via the website.
• Over the telephone – Please contact the practice on 01579 324 252 and you will be put in touch with the most appropriate member of the team.
• In person – You can pass your feedback on to our reception team at the surgery, it will then be shared with the management and wider teams.

Making a complaint

If you have a complaint or concern about any of the services provided at the practice please let us know.

Our aim is to resolve issues 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. 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

Within 12 months of discovering that you have a problem

You can make your complaint:

• In writing – you can write to us by sending a letter to either surgery site. Address details can be found on our contact us page. Please include as much information as possible to help with our investigations.
• Via the website – please use the “feedback” link above to send us an electronic feedback form via the website.
• Over the telephone – Please contact the practice on 01579 324 252 and you will be put in touch with the most appropriate member of staff to handle your issue.
• In person – a face to face meeting can be booked with an appropriate member of the team if your complaint cannot be handled any other way.

How we will handle your complaint:

Our complaints procedure is designed to make sure that complaints are resolved as quickly as possible.

We shall acknowledge your complaint within two working days and aim to have investigated your complaint and provided a response to you within four weeks from the date that you raised it with us.

When we investigate your complaint, we aim to find out what happened and what went wrong, make sure you receive an apology where appropriate, identify any improvements that can be made to our services, and look at how we can prevent the issue from happening again.

Complaining on behalf of someone else:

Please note that the rules of medical confidentiality apply when making a complaint. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we will need to confirm that you have their permission to do so. We may obtain their consent either verbally over the telephone or by writing to them, at which point they will be made aware that you have submitted a complaint on their behalf. Our response to the complaint will be sent to the patient unless they specifically request that we send it to someone else.

We hope that if you have a problem you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe that this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and the opportunity to improve our practice.

Help with making a complaint:

If you need help to make a complaint you can contact the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS), who support people who wish to complain about the NHS. The contact details are:

ICAS

17 Dean Street
Liskeard
Cornwall
PL14 4AB

Telephone: 01579 345193

What you can do if you are not happy with the outcome of your complaint:

If you remain dissatisfied with the response to your complaint, you have the right to ask the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to review your case. They can be contacted on 0345 015 4033. For more information you can visit www.ombudsman.org.uk.