If you have a complaint about the service you have received from any member of staff working in this practice, please let us know. The practice operates a Complaints Procedure as part of the NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets national criteria.

If you make a complaint, it is practice policy to ensure you are not discriminated against, or subjected to any negative effect on your care, treatment or support.

How to complain

The partners and staff at Watton Medical Practice strive to get things right, however with busy services, mistakes can happen. If they do, it is important that we put things right as quickly as possible and to use the experience to improve services and prevent future problems. With this in mind, we try to have a robust approach to dealing with complaints. Our aim is to listen, respond and improve.

If you feel that you have the need to make a complaint, we are always happy to listen. Please ask to speak to a member of staff or our complaints lead who will endeavour to resolve your problem. If you prefer to document your complaint, the reception staff will give you a complaints form and will assist you with the process or alternatively, you can put this in a letter directly addressed to the complaints lead.

This local resolution enables full investigation, review, learning and direct feedback for your complaint. The practice aims to acknowledge your complaint within three working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within 25 working days of the date you raised it with us.

At this stage you should be offered an explanation or a meeting with the person(s) involved. When the practice looks into your complaint it aims to:

• Ascertain the full circumstances of the complaint
• Make arrangements for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this
• Make sure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate
• Identify what the practice can do to make sure the problem does not happen again

Complaining on behalf of someone else

Watton Medical Practice keeps strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, the practice needs to know that you have their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be required, unless they are incapable of providing this due to illness or disability.

Complaining to other authorities

The practice management team hope that if you have a problem you will use the Practice Complaints Procedure. However, if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us, or you are dissatisfied with the response received from us, you can contact any of the following 3 bodies:

Norfolk Patient Advisory Liaison Service (PALS)

PALS provide a confidential service designed to help patients get the most from the NHS. PALS can tell you more about the NHS complaints procedure and may be able to help you resolve your complaint informally. Your local PALS office can be found by phoning 0800 587 4132.

Norfolk and Waveney CCG
Lakeside 400
Old Chapel Way
Broadland Business Park
Norwich
NR7 0WG

Telephone: 01603 595857

Independent Complaints and Advocacy Service (ICAS)

ICAS is a national service that supports people who want to make a complaint about their NHS Care or treatment. Your local ICAS service for Norfolk:

POhWER
PO Box 14043
Birmingham
B6 9BL

Telephone: 0300 456 2370

Minicom: 0300 456 2364

Website: www.pohwer.net

Email: pohwer@pohwer.net

Care Quality Commission

If you have a genuine concern about a staff member or regulated activity carried on by this practice then you can contact the Care Quality Commission on 03000 616161 or alternatively visit www.cqc.org.uk

Ombudsman

As a last resort, if you are not happy with the response from this practice, you can refer your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman who investigates complaints about the NHS in England. You can call the Ombudsman’s Complaints Helpline on 0345 015 4033 or visit www.ombudsman.org.uk or textphone (Minicom) 0300 061 4298.

NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB)

You can raise your complaint to NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB as the commissioner of General Practice services in our area.

You can raise a complaint with NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB by:

Telephone: 01603 595857

Email: nwicb.complaintsservice@nhs.net

Post: NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB
County Hall,
Martineau Lane,
Norwich,
NR1 2DH

For more information about NHS Norfolk and Waveney’s Complaints process, please visit their website.

Please note that you cannot raise the same complaint to both organisations at the same time. You should first raise your complaint with Watton Medical Practice and only if you are unsatisfied with their response raise it to the ICB.