Complaints Procedure

We hope you will never have cause for a serious complaint but if you do, we have a Complaints Procedure to try and resolve your problem quickly.  The practice will strive to deal with complaints in a methodical and efficient manner.

How To Complain:

If you have a complaint please contact the Practice in writing or by telephone.  We will explain the complaints procedure to you and make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly.

It would be most helpful for the practice if this were within a matter of days, or at most weeks, after the event.  The practice would expect complaints to be made:

• Within 6 months of the date of the incident that caused the problem

Or

• Within 6 months of the date of discovering the problem, provided that is within 12 months of the incident.

Dr Colgan is responsible for the effective management of the complaints procedure on behalf of all GP’s working in the surgery.

What We Shall Do:

We shall acknowledge your complaint within two working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within ten working days of the date you raised it with us.  A copy of each complaint will be forwarded to Dr Colgan.  Written detailed notes of the complaint will be taken from those involved and compared with the notes from you.  We shall them be in a position to offer you an explanation, or a meeting with the people involved.

Details and correspondence relating to the complaint will be kept in a separate file from your medial notes to ensure confidentiality.

Complaining On Behalf Of Someone Else:

Please note that we keep to the rules of medical confidentiality.  If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have their permission to do so.  A note signed by the person concerned will be required.

Department of Health

We would hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our Practice Complaints Procedure.  We believe that this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our Practice.  If you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the result of your investigation then you should contact the DoH Complaints Officer.

Complaints Officer

Directorate of Integrated Care

12-22 Linenhall Street

Belfast

BT2 8BS

Legal Liability:

Our Practice procedure is not able to deal with questions of legal liability or compensation.