Let the practice know your views
Limestone Surgery is always looking for ways to improve the services we offers to patients. To do this effectively, the practice needs to know what you think about the services you receive. Tell us what we do best, where we don’t meet your expectations plus any ideas and suggestions you may have. Only by listening to you can the practice continue to build and improve upon the service it offers.
All feedback that the practice receives is discussed with our patient representative group, to ensure that our actions are appropriate to the patient populations.
Giving feedback
To provide feedback:
- fill out a feedback form
- take part in the Friends and Family Test
- leave a review on the NHS website
- phone us on 01384 459044 or visit the surgery
Making a complaint
Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily, often at the time they arise with the person concerned and this may be the approach you try first.
Where the issue cannot be resolved at this stage, please contact the practice management team who will try to resolve the issue and offer you further advice on the complaints procedure. A complaints form is also available at the reception desk. If your problem cannot be resolved at this stage and you wish to make a formal complaints please let us know as soon as possible, ideally within a matter of days. This will enable the practice to get a clear picture of the circumstances surrounding the complaint.
If it is not possible to raise your complaint immediately, please let us have details of your complaint within the following timescales:
- Within 12 months of the incident that caused the problem or.
- Within 12 months from when the complaint comes to your notice.
The practice will acknowledge your complaint within three working days and throughout the investigation of your complaint you will be kept inform of the process and associated time lengths where possible.
When the practice looks into your complaint it aims to:
- Ascertain the full circumstances of the complaint.
- Make arrangements 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 the practice can do to make sure the problem does not happen again.
You can write to us with your complaint or complete the feedback form above.
Complaints can be sent in writing to:
Limestone Surgery
Cross Street
Dudley
West Midlands
DY1 1RN
We do ask that when you are making a complaint, please provide as much information as possible to enable complaints and concerns to be progressed appropriately.
Taking your complaint further
If you want to make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner, you will now contact the Black Country Integrated Care Board instead of NHS England.
You can do this by:
- Completing complaint form: Complaint Form :: Black Country ICB
- Writing to us at: Time2Talk, NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) Civic Centre, St Peter’s Square, Wolverhampton, WV1 1S
Find out more by visiting Customer services – Time 2 Talk.
Complaining on behalf of someone else
We keep to the strict rules of medical and personal confidentiality.
keeps strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, the practice needs to know that you have their permission to do so.
Confidentiality
All complaints must be treated in the strictest confidence.
Where the investigation of the complaint requires consideration of the patient’s medical records, the practice manager must inform the patient or person acting on his or her behalf if the investigation will involve disclosure of information contained in those records to a person other than the practice or an employee of the practice.
The surgery must keep a record of all complaints and copies of all correspondence relating to complaints but such records must be kept separate from the patient’s medical records.
The surgery has an annual review of complaints received within the year and the learning issues or changes to procedures which have arisen are documented.
NHS NHS complaints advocacy services
Complaints Advocacy Services is a national service that supports people who want to make a complaint about their NHS Care or treatment. OMBUDSMAN If you are not happy with the response from this practice, you can refer your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman who investigates complaints about the NHS in England.
You can call the Ombudsman’s Complaints Helpline on 0345 015 4033 or www.ombudsman.org.uk or Textphone (Minicom) 0300 061 4298.
Contact the Care Quality Commission
If you have a genuine concern about a staff member or regulated activity carried on by this Practice then you can contact the Care Quality Commission on 03000 616161, or alternatively visit the following website: www.cqc.org.uk.
Complaining to other authorities
The practice management team hope that if you have a problem you will use the practice complaints procedure. However, if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us, you can contact any of the following bodies:
- NHS Complaints Advocacy Services Telephone: 0300 456 2370
- Email: pohwer@pohwer.net
- Website: www.pohwer.net
- NHS England Telephone: 0300 311 2233
- Email: England.contactus@nhs.net
- Website: www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/complaint
Ongoing complaints
If you have an ongoing complaint placed on or after 1 July 2022, you will receive a letter from NHS England informing you that the Black Country ICB is now handling your complaint, this will include confirmation of your case handler.