Contact the practice

How to make a complaint

If you are unhappy with the treatment or service you have received from IC24, you are entitled to make a complaint. Feedback helps us to improve the quality of our service so please let us know what happened so that we might try and put it right or to explain what happened and why.

Who can complain?

• A patient
• A relative, carer or any persons who are affected or likely to be affected by the action, omission or decision of IC24 (with the consent of the patient and/or appropriate documentation providing proof they are able to act on the patient’s behalf)
• A complaint can be made by a representative where the patient: has died, is a child; is unable to make the complaint themselves due to a physical or mental incapacity (within the meaning of the Mental Capacity Act 2005); or has requested a representative to act on their behalf (as long as consent is provided from the patient). This includes a Member of Parliament.

When should you complain?

• A soon as possible, while memories are still fresh
• Usually, IC24 will only deal with complaints made within 12 months of the event, or within 12 months of you establishing that you had something to complain about. There is discretion to extend this time limit where it would be unreasonable in the circumstances of a particular case for the complaint to have been made earlier and where it is still possible to investigate the facts of the case.

How do you make a complaint?

• You can make a complaint, in person, directly to a member of staff.
• You can make a complaint by telephone directly to the practice by calling 01273 778622, and if you are unable, we will write down your complaint and any questions you would like to ask and send you a copy by it.
• You can email your complaint to shipstreetsurgery@nhs.net
• You can send a letter to:

65-67 Ship Street

Brighton

East Sussex

BN1 1AE

• Alternatively, you may make a complaint to the Quality, Safety & Governance team at IC24.
• You can email your complaint to ic24.sussexqualityprimarycare@nhs.net
• You can send a letter to:

IC24 Ltd

Kingston House

The Long Barrow

Orbital Park

Ashford

Kent

TN24 0GP

What information do we require for us to investigate a complaint?

• Your full name, address, email address (if you have one) and a daytime telephone number.
• Your preferred method of communication.
• The full name, address, date of birth and telephone number of the patient if it is someone other than yourself.
• We will need to ensure we have appropriate consent for us to investigate the complaint and send to those involved in the investigation on a need to know basis.
• Details of what happened (with dates and times if possible) and any questions you would like answered. We can help you do this if you are unable to do so.
• What outcome you would like as a result of raising your complaint.

How we will handle your complaint

• We will contact you within three working days of receiving your complaint to agree how your complaint will be investigated and obtain consent (if applicable).
• We will provide you with a copy of this leaflet explaining the process for making a complaint.
• We will investigate your complaint as quickly and effectively as possible and your complaint will be passed by the quality, safety and governance team to the relevant manager for investigation.
• We will keep you informed about the progress of the investigation.
• We aim to provide you with a full written response or the communication method of your choice (for example a meeting, telephone call) within 25 working days from the date that we receive consent. If we anticipate a delay in responding, we will discuss this with you, the reason for the delay and negotiate a revised timescale.
• When the investigation is completed, we will contact you (usually via a written response) to let you know the outcome and tell you about any improvements that have already been made, or will be made, as a result of your complaint.

Our principles for complaint handling

When dealing with your complaint we will:

• make sure you are listened to and treated with courtesy and empathy at all times
• apologise for how we have made you feel
• promise that you are not disadvantaged as a result of making a complaint
• ensure that your complaint is investigated promptly, honestly and openly
• acknowledge mistakes where they have happened and apologise for them
• use the feedback and lessons learned from complaints in our efforts to improve the care we provide.
• analyse the themes and trends of complaints and share with the Integrated Care Boards (ICB) which will assist in improving our services.

If you are dissatisfied with our response

We would very much like to resolve your complaint at this stage. If you are not happy with our response then please contact us and we will discuss with you what else we might be able to do to resolve your complaint. These options may include the following which is the decision of yourself:

• You can meet with us to try to reach a satisfactory outcome. We call this a Resolution Meeting. If you feel that it would benefit you to have someone to accompany you to such a meeting, and to put your views across/assist you in doing so, you can contact the NHS Complaints Advocacy Service. They are a completely impartial and an independent organisation. Their contact details are at the end of this leaflet.
• We would also be happy to prepare a further response or arrange for you to speak via the telephone with the investigator/manager to see if we might be able to resolve your concerns.
• You also have the option of asking the Health Service Ombudsman to review your complaint. Contact details below.

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Address: Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP

Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk

Call: 0345 015 4033

Useful Contacts

Advocacy Services:

If you would like any support regarding your complaint during this time, you may wish to contact your local advocacy service who will be able to assist you. Their service is free, independent, and confidential

Brighton & Hove: POhWER

Address: PO Box 17943, Birmingham, B9 9PB

Call: 0300 456 2370

Email: pohwer@pohwer.net

Website: https://www.pohwer.net/

Website: https://www.theadvocacypeople.org.uk/

Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England.  They make sure that the care people receive meets essential standards of quality and safety and encourage ongoing improvements by those who provide or commission care. Members of the public may contact the Care Quality Commission at any time in order to inform them of any concerns.

Address: Care Quality Commission, Finsbury Tower, 102-105 Bunhill Row, London, EC1Y 8TG

Website: www.cqc.org.uk

Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk

Call: 03000 616161

Healthwatch England

Healthwatch England is the independent ‘consumer voice’ for health and social care in England.  Working with a network of 152 local Healthwatch, they ensure that the voices of consumers and those who use services reach the ears of the decision makers. They are unable to investigate individual complaints but they do monitor feedback and can also sign-post you to the appropriate organisation.

Website: www.healthwatch.co.uk

Email: enquiries@healthwatch.co.uk

Call: 03000 683000