Complaints

Complaints Policy and Procedure

The Village Surgery, Timperley

1. Introduction and Statement of Intent

The Village Surgery, Timperley is committed to providing high-quality, safe, and effective care to all our patients. We recognize that there may be times when patients feel our service has fallen short of their expectations. We welcome all feedback, including complaints, as a valuable opportunity to learn, improve our services, and prevent future issues. This policy ensures that all complaints are handled fairly, transparently, and promptly.

2. How to Make a Complaint

Patients or their authorized representatives can make a complaint in the way that is most comfortable for them:

• Verbally: Where possible, concerns raised verbally will be dealt with promptly and informally by a member of staff or a clinician. If the concern cannot be resolved immediately, or if the complainant wishes to make a formal complaint, the matter will be handled under the formal complaint’s procedure.
• In Writing: Addressed to the Practice Manager, Mrs L Moore.
• Electronically: Via the practice’s designated email address or website contact form

• Email: thevillagesurgery@nhs.net
• Website: https://thevillagesurgerytimperley.nhs.uk/contact/

If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we must 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.

3. Time Limits for Making a Complaint

Complaints should ideally be made as soon as possible after the event. Complaints should be made within:

• 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.

The Practice Manager has the discretion to waive this time limit if there are good reasons for the delay and it is still possible to investigate the complaint effectively.

4. Our Complaints Process and Timeframes

• Acknowledgment: All formal complaints will be acknowledged in writing within 3 working days of receipt.
• Investigation: The Practice will conduct a thorough and objective investigation. We will aim to provide a full written response within 28 working days. If the investigation takes longer, we will provide the complainant with regular updates and an amended timeline.
• Resolution: The final response will include a clear explanation of what happened, an apology if appropriate, and if required an outline of what actions the practice has taken to prevent the issue from happening again.

5. Significant Events, Learning, and Continuous Improvement

The Village Surgery operates a strict “no-blame” culture. We view complaints not as criticism, but as vital tools for clinical and administrative governance.

• Significant Event Analysis (SEA): If a complaint highlights a serious failing, near-miss, or a risk to patient safety, it will automatically trigger a Significant Event Analysis.
• Weekly MDT Meetings: We are fully committed to learning from significant events. All significant events and escalated complaints are discussed at our weekly multi-disciplinary practice (MDT) meetings.
• Actionable Outcomes: These MDT discussions ensure that the entire clinical and administrative team can analyse the root cause of an incident, share perspectives, and agree on actionable learning outcomes.
• Audit and Review: Agreed changes to protocols or systems are logged, and implemented

6. Confidentiality

All complaints are treated with the strictest confidence. Information regarding the complaint will only be shared with staff members who are directly involved in the investigation or the resulting MDT learning process. Complaints are kept entirely separate from patient medical records.

7. Complaining to NHS England

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

However, if you feel you cannot raise the complaint with us directly, please contact NHS England. You can find more information on how to make a complaint at https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/complaint/complaining-to-nhse/.

8. Escalation: Taking a Complaint Further

If a patient remains dissatisfied with the outcome of our internal investigation, they have the right to escalate their complaint.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) If the local resolution is exhausted and the complainant is still unsatisfied, they can contact the PHSO:

• Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk
• Telephone: 0345 015 4033
• Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
• Address: Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Citygate, Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3HQ

9. Need help making a complaint?

If you want help making a complaint, Healthwatch Trafford can help you find independent NHS complaints advocacy services in your area.