Practice Complaints Procedure

 If you are unhappy or concerned about the provision of service you have received or experienced from Aitune Medical Practice, as a patient of our practice you have the right to complain. Aitune Medical Practice believes this will give us the best opportunity to improve services for our patients.

How to complain

 Aitune Medical Practice hopes that most problems can be resolved easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. However, if you feel your problem cannot be resolved in this way, you have the right to make a complaint.  We would advise you to put this in writing to Aitune Medical Practice as quickly as possible, because this will enable us to establish what has happened more easily. If it is not possible, please let us have the details of your complaint  

• Within six months of the incident that caused the problem.
• Within six months of discovering that you have a problem provided this is within twelve months of the incident.

 All complaints should be made in writing and addressed private and confidential to Mr Jacob Cooke, Practice Manager. Alternatively you can ask for an appointment with Mr Cooke in order to discuss your concerns. During that appointment the complaints procedure will be explained to you and your concerns documented to ensure they can be dealt with effectively.  

What we shall do

 Aitune Medical Practice will acknowledge your complaint within two working days, and endeavour to have a written explanation to you within ten working days from the date you raised it with us. (Aitune Medical Practice will write to you if it appears it will take longer than ten working days to investigate.)    During those ten working days Aitune Medical Practice will:- 

• Establish and document what happened and what went wrong
• Identify the root causes of the problem to ensure the problem never happens again
• Ensure you receive a written apology, where appropriate
• Arrange a meeting for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you wish

Confidentiality

Aitune Medical Practice keeps strictly to the rule of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we need to have written consent from that person, unless they are incapable of providing this.

Further Action

If you are unhappy with the outcome of your complaint, or the way your complaint has been dealt with, you can take your complaint further by contacting the following agencies:-

PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Services)
Freephone 0800 783 7279

Complaints Manager
Derbyshire County Primary Care Trust
Babington Hospital
Derby Road
Belper
DE56 1WH
Telephone 01773 525099

Healthcare Commission
Finsbury Tower
103-105 Bunhill Row
London
EC1Y 8TG
Telephone 020 7448 9200
http://www.healthcarecommission.org.uk