Dr's McVerry, McGee Farnon Practice Complaints Procedure

Listening Acting Improving

We operate a practice complaints procedure for dealing with Practice Complaints from Patients.

Our aim is to give you the highest possible standard of service and we try to deal swiftly with any problems that occur.

Complaints Procedure

If you have a complaint or are concerned about the Health Service treatment you have received from your Doctor or any of the Staff employed by this practice, please let us know.

A complaint can be described as an expression of dissatisfaction by one or more members of the public about an organisation’s action or lack of action, or about the standard of service provided by or on behalf of an organisation.

How to Complain

We hope that most problems can be resolved easily and swiftly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be resolved in this way and you wish to make a complaint, let us know as soon as possible by verbally discussing this with the reception team or clinician who will pass this onto the practice manage or alternitively you can put it in writing FAO the Practice manager.

What We Will Do

Complaints can usually be resolved by the initial staff member hearing your complaint, i.e. reception staff or clinician.  The focus at Stage 1 is to respond quickly and try to resolve your complaint by reaching a mutually satisfactory outcome, this will hopefully be achieved by listening and understanding your concern and where appropriate, offering an apology for a delay or an error, or taking the time to explain a process or correct a misunderstanding.

If your complaint cannot be reolved by the initial staff member hearing your complaint, please advise the staff member of this, we will then acknowledge your complaint in writing within 3 working days. We will then investigate and respond to your complaint in writing within 20 working days, the Practice Manager may also call you in order to establish further details regarding your complaint.

Should it not be possible for us to respond fully within 20 working days we will notify you of the reasons for this and also provide an estimated time scale of our final response.

In Investigating your complaint, we aim to:

• Find out what happened and/or what went wrong
• Enable you to discuss the problem with those concerned (if you would like this)
• Ensure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate, and
• Identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not reoccur.

Complaining to your Health and Social Services Board

We hope that if you have a problem, you will make use of our Practice Complaints Procedure.

We believe that this will ensure the best opportunity to rectify whatever has gone wrong and improve our practice.

This does not affect your right to approach the Health Social Care Board if you feel that you cannot raise your complaint with us. You can contact the The Health Social Care Board’s Complaints Manager at the following address:

Health and Social Care Board

12-22 Linenhall Street

Belfast

BT2 8BS

If, on conclusion of the Practice’s investigation you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to refer your complaint to the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman - This usually must be sent within 6 months our our final complaint response.

The Ombudsman’s contact details are as follows:

Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman

Progressive House 33 Wellington Place

Belfast

BT1 6HN

Freephone: 0800 343 424
Email: nipso@nipso.org.uk

Making a Complaint on behalf of Someone Else

Please note that in accordance with GDPR Legislation, if you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we require a signed letter of consent from the individual involved.

Compliments, Concerns, or Comments Feedback

If you have any comments or concerns that you would like to put to us or if you like to let us know that what we are doing meets with your approval, you can address your concern in writing to our Practice Manager Clare Keenan