Comments & Complaints

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If you have a complaint about the service you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working in this practice, please let us know.

We will respond to your complaint in line with the NHS Complaints Procedures. The main emphasis of the NHS Complaints Procedure is on local resolution.

We hope that we will be able to resolve any issues that you may raise. 

Making a Complaint

Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily with the person concerned, often at the time they arise, and this may be the approach you try first.

Where you are not able to resolve your complaint in this way and wish to make a formal complaint you should do so, preferably in writing as soon as possible after the event and ideally within a few days, giving as much detail as you can, as this helps us to establish what happened more easily. In any event, this should be:

• Within 12 months of the incident,
• or within 12 months of you becoming aware of the matter

If you are a registered patient you can complain about your own care. You are not normally able to complain about someone else’s treatment without their written authority. See the separate section for what to do in this case.

Send your written complaint:

Bryony Reed, Quality Manager
Station Medical Centre
Station approach
Hereford 
HR1 1BB

You may also make your complaint directly to NHS England, who commissions our service:

• By telephone: 03003 11 22 33
• By post: NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT

Find more information about complaining on the NHS website

What We Do Next

We aim to settle complaints as soon as possible.

We will usually acknowledge receipt within 5 working days, and aim to resolve the matter as soon as possible but will give you some idea of how long that may take at the outset. You will then receive a phone call or a formal written reply in writing, or you may be invited to meet with the person(s) concerned to attempt to resolve the issue. If the matter is likely to take longer than this we will let you know, and keep you informed as the investigation progresses.

When looking into a complaint, we attempt to see what happened and why, to see if there is something we can learn from this, and make it possible for you to discuss the issue with those involved if you wish to do so.

When the investigations are complete, a final written response will be sent to you.

Where your complaint involves more than one organisation (e.g. social services) we will liaise with that organisation so that you receive one reply, or advise that you contact them directly. Where your complaint has been initially sent to an incorrect organisation, we will seek your consent to forward this to the correct person to deal with.

The final response letter will include details of the result of your complaint and also your right to refer the matter further to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (details shown elsewhere on this website) if you remain dissatisfied with the response.

Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else

We keep to the strict rules of medical and personal confidentiality.

If you wish to make a complaint and are not the patient involved, we will require the written consent of the patient to confirm that they are unhappy with their treatment and that we can deal with someone else about it. In the event the patient is deceased, then we may agree to respond to a family member or anyone acting on their behalf or who has had an interest in the welfare of the patient.

Where the patient is incapable of providing consent due to illness, accident or mental capacity, it may still be possible to deal with the complaint. Please provide the precise details of the circumstances that prevent this in your covering letter.

Please note that we are unable to discuss any issue relating to someone else without their express permission, which must be in writing, unless the circumstances above apply. You may also find that if you are complaining on behalf of a child who is capable of making their own complaint, we will expect that child to contact us themselves to lodge their complaint.

We may still need to correspond directly with the patient, or may be able to deal directly with the third party. This depends on the wording of the authority provided.

If You Are Dissatisfied With the Outcome

You have the right to approach the Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman.

Their contact details are: The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Millbank Tower, 30 Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP
Tel: 0345 0154033
Website: Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman

Make a complaint to the Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman

You may also approach Healthwatch or the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy (IHCA) for help or advice;

Make a complaint to the Local Healthwatch