St. Bartholomew's Medical Centre Complaints Procedure
If you have
a complaint or concern about the service you have received from
the doctors or staff, 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
You can complain
verbally or by letter, both of which should be addressed to the
Practice Manager, Mrs Jane Marshall who will put them through
the relevant procedures.
VERBAL
COMPLAINTS
Verbal complaints
are dealt with informally and do not automatically go through
the official Complaints Procedure. If you are unhappy about the
way something was dealt with on your visit to the practice, ask
to speak to Mrs Jane Marshall or the senior person on duty and
they will see if it can be resolved informally. If this is unsatisfactory
in any way, you maintain your right to send us a written complaint
that will go in the official Complaints Procedure.
WRITTEN
COMPLAINTS
Please address
your written complaints to Mrs Jane Marshall.
We aim to acknowledge your complaint in two working days, and
give you a written response or an up-date in ten working days.
If your complaint concerns a member of staff or administrative
error, Mrs Marshall will investigate and liaise with you. If your
complaint concerns a doctor, Dr Burke will investigate
and reply to you. If your complaint concerns either Mrs Marshall
or Dr Burke, another senior person will be assigned to follow
it through.
COMPLAINING
ON BEHALF OF SOMEONE ELSE
If you are
complaining on behalf of another patient, 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. Please note that we keep strictly
to the rules of medical confidentiality.
COMPLAINTS
ABOUT THE OUT-OF-HOURS SERVICE
If you need
to make a complaint about OXEMS, please address it to: Sharon
Fennell, Oxford City PCT, Richards Building, Headington, Oxford,
OX3 7LG. OXEMS is the Oxford Emergency Medical Service
that provides a GP service between 6:30pm and 8am each weekday,
at weekends and at bank holidays.
WHAT
TO DO IF YOU ARE DISSATISFIED WITH THE PRACTICE PROCEDURE
We hope you
will use our practice complaints procedure in the first instance.
We believe this gives the best chance of putting right whatever
has gone wrong, and gives us the best opportunity of improving
the practice. If you feel you cannot raise your complaint with
us, or you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation,
you have the right to ask the Healthcare Commission
to review your case. The Healthcare Commission is an independent
body established to promote improvements in healthcare through
the assessment of performance of those who provide services. You
can contact them on 0845 601 3012 or write to
them at: Freepost NAT 18958, Healthcare Commission Complaints
Team, Oxford St, Manchester M1 9XZ.
Other NHS resources are:
The Patients Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) which is based
at The Primary Care Trust (telephone 01865 226785).
The
Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS) (01869 325535).
The Patient Services Team at the Oxford City Primary Care Trust
(01235 205585).
A leaflet about the National Health Service Executive Ombudsman
can be obtained by telephoning the Health Literature Line on 0800
555777. Leaflets are available in a variety of languages.
