NHS Fife - Bank Street Medical Group

Complaints procedure

Our aim is to provide the highest level of care to all our patients. We will always be willing to hear if there is any way that you think that we can improve the service we provide

We realise that occasionally things do not go as smoothly as we would like and that you may wish to make a complaint but please also let us know when we have done something well, or if you have any suggestions as to how we can do something better.

Making a complaint
If you have any complaints or concerns about the service you have received from the doctors, nurses or staff working for the practice, please let us know.

We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise 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. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint:

Within 6 months of the event you want to complain about; or
Within 6 months of realising you have a reason to complain (but no longer than 12 months after the event)

If you feel that the time limit should not apply to your complaint, please speak to the person dealing with this. Sometimes a complaint can be accepted after the time limits. Complaints may be made in person – please ask to speak to our Practice Manager – or in writing – some complaints may be easier to explain in writing. Please give as much information as you can, then send your complaint for the attention of the Practice Manager at the address on the back of this leaflet.

What we shall do
We would like to make sure that we settle any complaints as quickly as possible.

We shall acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within 10 working days of the date you raised it with us. We shall then be in a position to offer you an explanation, or a meeting with the people involved.

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 like this
Ensure that you receive an apology, where appropriate
Identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again.

Complaining on behalf of someone else

Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality.

You can complain for someone else if you:

Have their agreement to complain. A letter signed by the person will be needed unless they are incapable, because of illness, of providing this. Alternatively a pre-printed form (Authorisation to Make a Complaint) is available from the practice
Are a parent, guardian, or main carer and your child is not mature enough to understand how to make a complaint
Have a welfare power of attorney or a welfare guardianship for someone who cannot make decisions for themselves, and the order gives you the power to make a complaint about health care
Are a relative of, or someone with a relationship with, a patient who has died and you were concerned for their welfare
Are acting as an advocate for the patient

What you can do next
We hope that if you have a problem that you will use the procedure described. We believe that local resolution will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and the opportunity to improve our practice.

If you are dissatisfied with the way we are dealing with your complaint or the outcome of this you have the right to approach the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) to consider your complaint further. Please contact the SPSO for more information.

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO)
Freepost EH641
Edinburgh EH3 0BR

Phone: 0800 377 7330
Text message: 07900 494 372
Email: ask@spso.org.uk
Website: www.spso.org.uk

You may obtain a copy of the NHS leaflet ‘Making a complaint about the NHS’. There are copies of these within the practice. Copies can also be obtained by telephoning 0800 22 44 88, online at www.hris.org.uk or from your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

You may obtain a downloadable copy of the Complaints Procedure by clicking here. You can also get a copy of the Patients Complaint Form.