COMPLIMENTS
At the Steel City General Practice, we work really hard to try and support you with your health needs. It is really gratifying to know when we are doing a good job as all too often the NHS is taken for granted.
Please pass on any praise for a job well done with a kind word or positive feedback to any member of the team. This really brightens our day and reinforces the fact that our actions can really make a difference in people’s lives.
We do recognise that occasionally, we don’t get it right…
MAKING A COMPLAINT
We take complaints very seriously. If you have any concerns about the Service that you have received from the Doctors or staff working for this Practice, please let us know. This is the only way we can improve things. We have found that most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily if addressed at the time they arise.
If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a more formal complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible; ideally within a matter of days (or at most weeks), because this will enable us to establish what happened more easily. If this is not possible, please do let us have the details of your complaint within 12 months of the incident or of discovering that you have a problem. You can make your complaint in person via any of our trained reception teams, who will take down the details and pass them on to our Practice Manager, Lisa Ripley.
Alternatively, click here.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
Our procedure is designed to ensure that we address any complaints as quickly as possible. We shall acknowledge your contact within 3 working days and aim to have looked into your concerns within 10 working days of the date that you raised them with us.
We should then be in a position to offer you an explanation as to what happened or went wrong; a meeting with the people involved (and if appropriate, facilitate an apology), and an explanation of what we can do to address the problem and make sure the issue doesn’t arise again.
At the end of the investigation, your complaint will have been discussed with you in detail, either in person or in writing.
COMPLAINING ON BEHALF OF SOMEONE ELSE
Please note that we adhere strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have his/her permission to do so and that they are aware their medical information may be shared. A note signed by the person concerned is usually required, unless they are incapable* of providing this.
*When a complaint is made on behalf of someone else due to the individual dying, being on behalf of a child, because the individual is physically or mentally incapable of making the complaint themselves. In these situations, the Practice must be satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for this method of representation and that the third party is genuinely acting in the best interests of the individual.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NEXT
We really do hope that following the above practice complaints procedure will give us the best possible chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and the opportunity to improve our Practice. However, should you feel that we have not addressed your concerns in the right way, you can also contact:
NHS Complaints Team
NHS England PO Box 16738 Redditch, B97 9PT
Tel: 0300 311 2233 (Open Monday – Friday; 8am – 3pm)
e-mail: england.contactus@nhs.net and address FAO the Complaints Manager
https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/complaint/complaining-to-nhse/
Sheffield Advocacy Hub
www.sheffieldadvocacyhub.org.uk/
Tel: 0800 035 0396
e-mail: info@sheffieldadvocacyhub.org.uk
If you still feel that your complaint has not been resolved please contact:
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower London, SW1P 4QP
Tel: 0345 015 4033
