Bampton Surgery - Complaints and Compliments

Compliments and Complaints

We hope you will be pleased with the service we provide. We would be delighted to accept any compliments from our patients.

We always try to give the best service possible, but there may be times when you feel this has not happened. This explains what to do if you feel you have a complaint about any of the services we provide or about one of the doctors or staff at the surgery. It is practice procedure not to deal with questions of legal liability or compensation.

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How to make a formal complaint

Complaints should be addressed to The Practice Manager, either in writing or verbally.

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. This must be either within 6 months of the incident that caused the problem; or within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided this is within 12 months of the incident.

We need to have details of your complaint in order that we can find out what happened and what went wrong; identify what we can do to ensure the problem doesn't happen again; make sure you receive an apology, if this is appropriate.

Please note that we have to respect our duty of confidentiality to patients and a patient's consent will be necessary if a complaint is not made by the patient in person.

We shall acknowledge the complaint within 2 working days and investigate it promptly. A written record of your complaint will be provided for you to agree and sign, even if your complaint is made verbally. You will normally be offered an appointment to discuss it within 7 working days of the date when you raised it with us. You may bring a friend or relative with you.

We should then be in a position to provide you with an explanation. We will try to address your concerns fully and discuss any actions that may be needed. We believe that this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our practice. By the end of the meeting we hope that you will feel satisfied that we have dealt with the matter thoroughly.

If however you feel the matter has not been dealt with adequately in the practice you may wish to pursue your complaint. In this case you should write to The Primary Care Trust.

Sally North/Julie Cartwright
Complaints & Clients Service Managers
Devon Primary Care Trust
Dean Clarke House
Southernhay East
Exeter EX1 1 PQ

Tel: 01392 207819

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service based at Devon Primary Care Trust
Dean Clarke House
Southernhay East
Exeter EX1 1PQ

Tel: 0845 1110080 between 9 am to 5pm Mon-Fri

PALS provide confidential advice and support, helping you to sort out any concerns you may have about the care we provide and guiding you through the different services available from the NHS

If you remain dissatisfied with the response to your complaint, you have the right to ask the Healthcare Commission to review your case. The Healthcare Commission is an independent body established to promote improvements in healthcare through the assessment of the performance of those who provide services. You can contact the Healthcare Commission at:

Healthcare Commission
Complaints team
Peter House
Oxford Street
Manchester M1 5AN

This service can be contacted by anyone using local NHS services at:
- Exeter Mobility Centre
- Honeylands Childrens Centre
- Mardon Neuro-Rehabilitation Centre
- Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Centre
- Royal Devon and Exeter Hospitals (Heavitree and Wonford)

You can telephone (01392) 402093, or fax 402092,
between 9.30am - 4.30pm Monday to Friday,
or e-mail: pals@rdehc-tr.swest.nhs.uk

The service is confidential, and can be contacted by post at:

Patient Advice and Liaison Service
Health Information Centre
Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (Wonford),
Barrack Road,
Exeter, EX2 5DW