OUR COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

If you have a complaint or concern about the service that you have received from your practice or any of the staff working here, please let us know.  We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of a NHS system for dealing with complaints. 

How to complain

We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned.  If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible – ideally, within a matter of days or at most a few weeks – because this will enable us to establish what happened more easily. Complaints should be made; 

• Within 12 months of the matter which caused the problem; or
• Within 12 months of becoming aware you have something to complain about. 

You should write to or email the Patient Experience Manager, Mrs Caroline Rhodes or your practitioner if you wish to raise a concern or make a formal complaint. He/she will explain the complaints procedure to you and will make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly. It would be helpful if you can give us specific details of what you feel went wrong and what outcome you would like. You can either email your concern / complaint to us at b83008linghousemc@nhs.net or send it to our address at Ling House Medical Centre, 49, Scott Street, Keighley, BD21 2JH.

What we shall do 

We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and offer to discuss your concerns and agree the way forward with you. We will investigate your complaint and aim to provide you with our findings within a time frame agreed with you.

When we look into your complaint, we shall aim to: 

• find out what happened and what went wrong.
• make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would find this helpful.
• make sure you receive an appropriate apology.
• identify what we can learn from your complaint and what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again in order to improve our services. 

Complaints should be resolved within 6 months.

If you are complaining on behalf of someone else 

Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of confidentiality.  If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have his or her permission to do so.  A note signed by the person concerned will be needed unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.

If you do not feel able to raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your complaint you can contact West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board Complaints Team, White Rose House, West Parade, Wakefield, WF1 1LT, Telephone 01924552150 wyicb.pals@nhs.net

Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO)

If you do remain dissatisfied, you can approach the PHSO with your complaint. This should be done within 12 months of the final outcome of the practice complaints procedure. You can contact the PHSO, Citygate, Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3HQ or telephone 0345 015 4033

Independent help and support

You may also like to contact ICAT the Independent Complaints Advocacy Team who can offer you independent help and support in making a complaint. The helpline number to contact on 01274 770118