We truly make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our Practice.
However, we are aware that sometimes things can go wrong, resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would like to work with you to ensure the matter can be settled as quickly and as amicably as possible.
To have a complaint investigated, you need to complain within 12 months of the event happening, or ideally as soon as you first become aware of the issue you want to complain about. The time limit can be extended in special circumstances.
Interpreting Service:
We can arrange for a meeting with the Practice Manager and an interpreter for any patient whose first language is not English and needs help with their complaint.
How to make a compliment or complaint:
Whether you are happy or unhappy with the care and treatment that you have received, please do get in touch and let us know your views.
Receiving compliments, informal feedback or formal complaints is important to ensuring good quality healthcare in our Practice – helping us to find out more about what we’re getting right and what and where we can improve.
Adelaide Medical Centre endeavours to provide the best consideration of patient needs at all times. To help us make sure we provide the best possible care and attention, we offer patients the opportunity to tell us, informally, of any suggestions they have for the further improvement of their healthcare. Patients are encouraged to fill out our online “Compliments and Suggestions” form, or send an letter to the practice for the attention of the Practice Manager. Forms may be completed anonymously, but please include your information if a response is required and we will aim to discuss this with you within ten working days.
If you wish to make a formal complaint about any aspect of our service, patients are encouraged to fill out our online complaints form or write a letter to the Practice, alternatively you can request a meeting (telephone or face to face) which will be minuted. We will acknowledge your concerns within three working days of receipt and initiate a full internal investigation on your behalf. A written explanation will be sent to you within ten working days but should the investigation take longer, you will be kept informed. On receipt of the written explanation, you will be offered the opportunity to meet in order to discuss the outcome further if this is desired.
Via website: complete form below
Letter Address: Adelaide Medical Centre, Adelaide Road, Andover, SP10 1HA
Call 01264 351144 to arrange a meeting with the Practice Manager
If you feel you do not want to contact the surgery directly, then you can contact the NHS South East Complaints Hub team on:
NHS Frimley ICB, Aldershot Centre for Health, Hospital Hill, Aldershot, GU11 1AY
Tel: 0300 561 0290
Email: Frimleyicb.southeastcomplaints@nhs.net
If you are making a complaint please state: ‘For the attention of the complaints team’ in the subject line.
Who can complain:
Complainants may be current or former patients, or their nominated or elected representatives (who have been given consent to act on the patients behalf).
Patients over the age of 16 whose mental capacity is unimpaired should normally complain themselves or authorise someone to bring a complaint on their behalf.
Children under the age of 16 can also make their own complaint, if they’re able to do so.
If a patient lacks capacity to make decisions, their representative must be able to demonstrate sufficient interest in the patient’s welfare and be an appropriate person to act on their behalf. This could be a partner, relative or someone appointed under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 with lasting power of attorney.
Complaint Process:
Stage One – Early, local resolution
We will try to resolve your complaint by way of internal investigation and provide you with a report of this within 10 working days if possible. We will communicate this to you if the timescale if unachievable, due to staff absences, complaint complexity etc. If you are dissatisfied with our response, you can ask us to escalate your complaint to Stage Two.
Stage Two – Investigation
We will take note and review your feedback to our first complaint response and further investigate.
We will again acknowledge your response within 3 working days and we will give you our decision as soon as possible, with the aim being within 10 working days.
Stage Three – Complain to the Ombudsman
If, after receiving our final decision, you remain dissatisfied you may take your complaint to the Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman is independent of the NHS and free to use. It can help resolve your complaint, and tell the NHS how to put things right if it has got them wrong.
The Ombudsman only has legal powers to investigate certain complaints. You must have received a final response from the Practice before the Ombudsman can look at your complaint and it will generally not look into your complaint if it happened more than 12 months ago, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Address:
Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman
Tower 30
Millbank
London SW1P 4QP
Phone: 0345 015 4033
Email: retrieve from their website https://www.ombudsman.org.uk/
Organisations that can help you make a complaint about health services:
Further information from Citizens Advice
Hampshire Hospitals Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
The Customer Care Office
Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital
Aldermaston Road
Basingstoke
Hampshire
RG24 9NA
Tel: 01256 486766
Email: pals@hhft.nhs.uk
Confidentiality:
All complaints will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Where the investigation of the complaint requires consideration of the patient’s medical records, we will inform the patient or person acting on his/her behalf if the investigation will involve disclosure of information contained in those records to a person other than the Practice or an employee of the Practice.
We keep a record of all complaints and copies of all correspondence relating to complaints, but such records will be kept separate from patients’ medical records.
Statistics and reporting:
The Practice must submit to the local primary care organisation periodically/at agreed intervals details of the number of complaints received and actioned.