We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice. If however you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the staff/practitioners at Woodside clinic please let us know. We operate a complaint procedure in line with national guidelines.

HOW TO COMPLAIN

We hope that we can sort most problems out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If you wish to make a formal complaint, please do so as soon as possible, ideally within a matter of a few days. This will enable us to establish what happened more easily. If doing that is not possible your complaint should be submitted within

• 12 months of the incident that caused the problem;
• or within 12 months of discovering that you have a problem.

You should address your complaint in writing to the Pratik Visaria. He will make sure that we deal with your concerns promptly and in the correct way. You should be as specific and concise as possible.

COMPLAINING ON BEHALF OF SOMEONE ELSE

We keep strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are not the patient, but are complaining on their behalf, you must have their permission to do so. An authority signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness or infirmity) of providing this.

WHAT WE WILL DO

We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and aim to have fully investigated within 10 working days of the date it was received. If we expect it to take longer we will explain the reason for the delay and tell you when we expect to finish. When we look into your complaint, we will investigate the circumstances; make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned; make sure you receive an apology if this is appropriate, and take
steps to make sure any problem does not arise again. You will receive a final letter setting out the result of any practice investigations.

You may be aware that as of 1 April 2010 changes were made to the complaints process and PALs. You can choose who you make a complaint to. You can either complain directly to Woodside clinic Pratik Visaria, or ask the organization in charge of the local NHS to investigate any concerns on your behalf.

If you’re still unhappy, you can refer the matter to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, who is independent of the NHS and government. Call 0345 015 4033

If you remain unhappy at the end of local resolution, you can ask the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) to review your complaint. The PHSO is completely independent and will check that Woodside Clinic has done everything possible to resolve your complaint. If the PHSO thinks that more can be done, they may ask Woodside Clinic to look again at your complaint. You can contact the PHSO in these ways:

• by calling 0345 0154033 (Mon-Fri
  8.30am to 5.30pm)
• by emailing
  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
  
• by faxing 0300 0614000 or
• by writing to: The Parliamentary and Health Service, Ombudsman, 11th Floor Millbank Tower, London SW1P 4QP.