Complaints Procedure
We endeavour to give you the best service possible at all times, however there may be occasions when you wish to express dissatisfaction. We operate a complaints procedure to deal with you complaints
If you have a complaint we would encourage you to tell the member of staff wo you are dealing with, either face to face or by telephone. If you cannot reach an agreement or find it hard to approach a member of staff and wish your complaint to be dealth with more formally, then ask to speak to one of the following Practice Managers:
Mrs Susan Young, Castlederg Group Surgery, 13A Lower Strabane Road, Castlederg, Co. Tyrone
Mrs Michelle McNulty, Newtownstewart Medical Centre, 5 Millbrook Street, Newtownstewart, Co. Tyrone
Mrs Fiona Colreavy, Ederney Surgery, Erne Drive, Ederney, Co. Fermanagh.
In the case of a written complaint, it will be acknowledge within 3 working days of receipt, and after investigation we will write to you within 10 days advising of our findings and any changes which have been made to avoid a recurrence of the problem. Please note that under the HSC Complaints Procedure (April 2009) anonymised copies of all written complaints and their respectie responses are required to be forwarded copied to the Health & Social Care Board, 12-22 Linenhall Street, Belfast, BT2 8BS for monitoring purposes.
Timescales
Complaints should be made within 6 months of the event or within months after becoming aware of the cause for complaint, but no longer than 12 months after the event.
Health & Social Care Board
Some people with complaints about family practitioner services may not wish to approach the Practice directly. If this is the case, please contact the Board Complaints Officer for advice and assistance. The Board can act as an 'honest broker' or intermediatry between you and the Practice to hopefully resolve your complaint at Practice-level. Address your complain to:
Mr Michael Cruikshanks
Deputy Complaints Manager
Corporate Services
12-22 Linenhall Street
Belfast BT2 8BS
Tel: 028 95363266 complaints.hscb@hscni.net
Patient and Client Council
You can be support throughout the complaints process by the Patient & Client Council (PCC), which can act as an advocate for you. The PCC can be contacted at complaints.pcc@hscni.net or on Freephone: 0800 917 0222.
NI Public Services Ombudsman
If your complaint cannot be resolved at Practice-leve, you retain the right to approach the NI Public Services Ombudsman, 33 Wellington Place, Belfast, BT1 6HN (tel: 0800 34 34 24) or nipso@nipso.org.uk
If you choose to do so, this should be within 6 months of receiving the final response from the Practice.
Reviewed April 2017