Complaints in General Practice

STAGE 1: Local Resolution• You can complain verbally or in writing.

• A large health centre will normally have a complaints manager. The manager should make a written record of your complaint.

• A smaller centre, or practice, may not have a complaints manager, but they will still have someone who is responsible for dealing with complaints.

Time Limit

The time limit for a complaint is normally:

• 12 months from the date that the event happened, or

• 12 months from the date that you first became aware of it.

STAGE 2: Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

• If your complaint is not resolved successfully after the above attempts, you can complain to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (P&HSO).

• The Ombudsman is independent of the NHS and government.

Your RightsYou have the right to:

• have your complaint dealt with efficiently, and properly investigated

• know the outcome of any investigation into your complaint

• take your complaint to the independent Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman if you're not satisfied with the way the NHS has dealt with your complaint

• make a claim for judicial review if you think you've been directly affected by an unlawful act or decision of an NHS body, and

• receive compensation if you've been harmed.

Top ten Common themes for complaints

• Clinical care and treatment, including delays in referral or diagnosis and GP attitude

• Removal of patients from GP lists • Safety • Care surrounding a death • Nursing care / attitudes• Unsafe discharge from hospital and service

coordination • Cleanliness and healthcare associated infection• Record keeping-• Out-of-hours GP services

To AVOID complaints one of the most important factors for a doctor

is to LISTEN

Dealing with a complaint

• Review the nature of the complaint & the evidence (if prior prep possible)

• Listen to their story• Apologise for their distress• Explain what you will do to investigate/change

matters• Provide a Practice complaints leaflet• Make appropriate changes