Comments, complaints and suggestions

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

Making a complaint

If you have any complaints or concerns about the service that you have received from the doctors or staff working for this practice, please let us know.

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. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint:

• Within 6 months of the incident that caused the problem; or
• Within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided that is within 12 months of the incident.

[Denise Skelton] will be pleased to deal with any complaint. She will explain the procedure to you and make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly. You can make your complaint:

In person – ask to speak to [Denise Skelton]

In writing – some complaints may be easier to explain in writing - please give as much information as can, then send your complaint to the practice for the attention of the to [Denise Skelton] as soon as possible

If your compliant is about Denise Skelton, please address your compliant to Dr J Gormley or Dr P McCloskey.

What we shall do

Our complaints procedure is designed 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 when you raised it with us. We shall then be in a position to offer you an explanation, or a meeting with the people involved. The investigation should not take anymore than 20 days in total.

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

make sure you receive an apology, where appropriate

identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.

At the end of the investigation your complaint will be discussed with you in detail, either in person or in writing.

Complaining on behalf of someone else

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

Confidentiality

All complaints must be treated with the strictest confidence.

Where the investigation of the compliant requires the consideration of the patient's medical records, the Complaints Officer must inform the patient or person acting on his/her behalf if the investigation will involve disclosure of information contained in those records to a person other than the Practice or employee of the Practice.

The Practicde must keep a record of all complaints and copies of all correspondence relating to complaints separate from the patient medical records.

HSCB

Patients have the right to complain directly to the Health and Social Board who may if agreed by all parties, act as an "honest broker" in the dispute resolution process. The role of the "honest broker" is that of an intermediary between two parties- the HSCB does not take over the investigation or resolve the complaint directly.

Help us get it right

We constantly try to improve the service we offer.

Please let us know when you think we have done something well or if you have any suggestions as to how we can do something better.

The Old Schoolhouse Medical Centre

 Dr P McCloskey, Dr S Kelly ,Dr J Draffin & Dr C Doyle

1 Antrim Road
LURGAN
Co.Armagh
BT67 9BW

Tel 028 38311900