If you wish to make a complaint or suggest how the Practice can improve its service, please contact the Practice Manager. Most problems are simple misunderstandings and can be sorted out by discussion with the people concerned.

If you have a complaint or concern 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 an 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, often 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 or at most a few weeks – because this will enable us to establish what happened more easily. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint:

• Within 6 months of the incident that caused the problem, or
• Within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided this is within 12 months of the incident.

Complaints should be addressed to Mrs L Akers, Practice Manager or any of the Doctors.

Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with Mrs Akers in order to discuss your concerns. She 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.

What Shall We Do:

We shall acknowledge your complaint within two working days and aim to have looked into your complaint with ten working days of the date when you raised it with us. We shall then be in a position to offer you an explanation or a meeting with the people involved. When we look into your complaint, we shall aim to:

• Find out what happened and what went wrong
• Make it possible 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 we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again

Complaining On Behalf Of Someone Else:

Please note that we keep strictly 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 needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.
If you wish to complain, please contact Mrs Lorraine Akers, Practice Manager.

Complaining to the Primary Care Trust:

We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our Practice Complaints Procedure. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our Practice.

This does not affect your right to approach Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale Primary Care Trust if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the result of your investigation.

You should contact:

Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale Primary Care Trust
Patient Advice and Liaison Services
Swinton Grange
MALTON
YO17 6QR
Tel (01653) 600800

The Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS) will help resolve concerns, provide information and listen to your comments or suggestions.