We strive to provide an excellent service for our patients at all times. However, we recognise that there may be occasions when your expectations are not realised. The Practice aims to ensure that its complaints procedure is properly and effectively implemented and that patients feel confident that their complaints and worries are listened to and acted upon promptly and fairly.

Any comments made by patients are welcomed and are looked upon as an opportunity to learn, adapt, improve and provide better services. If you wish to make a comment or suggestion about the services provided you can write or discuss these with the Practice Manager. We hope that nothing occurs while you or your family are in our care that makes you concerned; however should you feel you have reason to be unhappy, we will deal with it in a proper manner.

If it is not possible to let us know at the time of the problem that has arisen, then please let us have details of your complaint within 6 months of the incident that has caused the problem, or within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided it is within 12 months of the incident.

Complaints should be addressed to the Practice Manager. Alternatively, you may ask for an interview with the Practice Manager.

We shall acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 3 working days and aim to respond to your complaint within 21 working days. We shall then be in a position to give you an explanation, or offer a meeting with those involved.

In investigating your complaint we shall aim to:

Find out what happened and 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;

Identify what we can do to ensure this problem does not happen again.

Complaints on Behalf of Someone

The Practice keeps strictly to the rules of patient confidentiality. If you wish to complain on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have permission to do so. Therefore we require a letter signed by the person concerned unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this or if they are a child.

Attached Staff or Other Services

We are pleased to accept your comments about Health Board staff attached to the Practice or other NHS services. However because we are not directly responsible for these services, then it will be necessary to forward your comments to the appropriate body.

The Practice believes that, wherever possible, complaints are best dealt with on a local level between the complainant and the Practice. If however you remain dissatisfied at the outcome at the local level, you may ask that the Ombudsman review your case.