Making a complaint

Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily, often at the time they arise with the person concerned and this may be the approach you try first.

Where you are not able to resolve your complaint in this way and wish to make a formal complaint you should do so, preferably in writing as soon as possible after the event and ideally within a few days, as this helps us to establish what happened more easily. In any event, this should be within 12 months of the incident, or within 12 months of you discovering that you have a problem.

State your case clearly giving as much detail as you can. Send your written complaint to:

The Practice Complaints Manager

The Morris House Group Practice

239 Lordship Lane

Tottenham London,

N17 6AA

What we do next

We look to settle complaints as soon as possible, will acknowledge receipt within 3 working days, and aim to have looked into the matter as soon as we can thereafter. You may then receive a formal reply in writing, or you may be invited to meet with the person(s) concerned to attempt to resolve the issue. If the matter is likely to take longer than this we will let you know, and keep you informed as the investigation progresses.

When looking into a complaint we attempt to see what happened and why, and also to see if there is something we can learn from this. When the investigations are complete your complaint will be determined and a final response sent to you.

Where your complaint involves more than one organisation (e.g. social services) we will liaise with that organisation so that you receive one coordinated reply. We may need your consent to do this. Where your complaint has been sent initially to an incorrect organisation, we may seek your consent to forward this to the correct person to deal with.

The final response letter will include details of the result of your complaint and also your right to escalate the matter further if you remain dissatisfied with the response.

Complaining on behalf of someone else

We keep to the strict rules of medical and personal confidentiality. If you wish to make a complaint and are not the patient involved, we will require the written consent of the patient to confirm that they are unhappy with their treatment and that we can deal with someone else about it. Where the patient is incapable of providing consent due to illness or accident it may still be possible to deal with the complaint.

Please provide the precise details of the circumstances which prevent this in your covering letter. We may still need to correspond direct with the patient, or may be able to deal direct with the third party, and this depends on the wording of the authority provided.

Assistance with your complaint

If you need assistance in making your complaint, you can contact the NHS Complaints Advocacy Service on:

Helpline: 0300 330 5454

Textphone: 0786 002 2939

Fax: 0330 088 3762

Website: http://nhscomplaintsadvocacy.org

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome

You have the right to approach the Ombudsman.

The contact details are: The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Millbank Tower,

Millbank,

London,