Complaints Policy

Your suggestions to improve the service we provide to you are always welcome and we are trained to receive and act upon these.  If you have a concern or complaint about the service you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working in this practice, please let us know.  We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of the NHS system for dealing with complaints.  Our complaints system meets national criteria.

How to complain

We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, 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 – ideally, within a matter of days.  If it is not possible to do that, please let us have the details of your complaint:

• Within 12 months of the incident that caused the problem; or
• Within 12 months of discovering that you have a problem.

Complaints, written or verbally, should be addressed to Mrs Anita Mixides or Mrs Elaine Pope, Practice Manager Job Share, or any of the doctors. Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with your named GP or a Practice Manager to discuss your concerns. They will explain the complaints procedure to you and will make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly.  It will be a great help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint. 

Please contact us through any of the following:

If you would prefer not to complain directly to the Practice, you can contact Central East Integrated Care Board.

Central East Integrated Care Board
Gemini House
Bartholomew’s Walk
Cambridgeshire Business Park
Angel Drove, Ely
CB7 4EA
Visit the ICB website

Help with your complaint

If you need support on putting your complaint together, you can contact POhWER, a local, independent advocacy provider on 0300 456 2370.

What we shall do

We aim to acknowledge your complaint within three working days.   We will inform you of a realistic timescale for investigating the complaint and keep you updated if we need to revise this timetable. At the end of our investigation, we will offer you either an explanation in writing, telephone or a meeting with the people involved.

If you do not receive a response from us within 6 months of raising your concerns, you may refer your concerns to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Details are given below.

In considering your complaint, we will:

• Find out what happened and whether anything went wrong
• Make it possible for you to discuss the problems with those concerned, if you feel this would be beneficial.
• Make sure you receive an explanation and an apology, where this is appropriate
• Identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again

This procedure is not intended to apportion blame, to consider the possibility of negligence or to provide compensation.

Your care and treatment will not be compromised due to the complaint, and you will be treated with respect and courtesy throughout the process. Letters, documents and other items used during our investigation of the complaint will be held separately from your medical records for the statutory length of time. Currently, this is 10 years.

Complaining on behalf of someone else

If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, you must provide one of:

• Evidence of formal consent signed by the person concerned.
• A copy of a Power of Attorney for Health and Welfare
• A copy of a will showing your status as an executor.
• Evidence of parental responsibility or guardianship.

Unresolved complaint

We hope that most issues can be resolved by discussions between ourselves. If you feel we have not dealt with your complaint satisfactorily after these discussions, you can then ask ‘the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) to investigate your concerns.