Comments, Suggestions, Complaints?
We aim to provide a high standard of service at all times and we hope you find your visit to the surgery a pleasant one.
This page explains what to do if you have a suggestion for improving the quality of service or if you would like to make a comment or complaint about the level of service you have received.
COMPLAINTS FOR SWAN PHARMACY
We are receiving an increasing number of complaints regarding Swan Pharmacy, the pharmacy is a completely separate entity to Swan Surgery and as such we are unable to deal with any complaints about their service. Our reception team are not there to help resolve issues with the pharmacy, and abuse towards them will not be tolerated.
Please email any complaints regarding Swan Pharmacy to:
rehan@pharmasurge.co.uk
If this does not resolve your complaint you can escalate your issue with the regulatory body for pharmacies:
General Pharmaceutical Council – Report a concern
COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS
We value your comments and suggestions. We are committed to learning lessons from concerns and use them to review the services we offer and to look at ways of improving services at the surgery, to do that we also need to know what we do well.
All staff are here to help and they will do their best to deal with any of your concerns.
COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
We try to offer you the very best service we can at all times but we recognise there may be occasions when you feel this has not happened.
We like to handle complaints ourselves since most arrive from misunderstandings. It is best for all concerned to put things right as quickly as possible.
The way a complaint is dealt with depends on its nature.
If you have a compliment, concern or wish to make a complaint you can do this in a variety of ways;
In Person – if you feel comfortable discussing your complaint with a member of staff, please do. Your complaint will be listened to and hopefully resolved, however we may ask that you put your complaint in writing in order to investigate the complaint fully.
In writing – Please address your complaint to;
Kevin Whomes Swan Surgery Northgate Business Park Northgate Street Bury St Edmunds Suffolk IP33 1AE
By Email – kevin.whomes@nhs.net this is a direct address for Kevin Whomes, Business Manager.
If you have put your complaint in writing or an email to the Business Manager. You will receive a written acknowledgement within 10 working days which may be a full reply, the offer of a meeting to discuss the investigation of your complaint, or a letter outlining how your complaint will be dealt with together with timescales involved.
Complaining on behalf of someone else
We keep to the strict rules of medical and personal confidentiality. If you wish to make a complaint and are not the patient involved, we will require the written consent of the patient to confirm they are unhappy with their treatment and that we can deal with someone else about it. In the event the patient is deceased, they we may agree to respond to a family member or anyone acting on their behalf or who has had an interest in the welfare of the patient.
Where the patient is incapable of providing consent due to illness, accident or mental capacity, it may still be possible to deal with the complaint. Please provide the precise details of the circumstances that prevents this in your covering letter.
Please note, we are unable to discuss any issue relating to someone else without their express permission, which must be in writing, unless the circumstances above apply. You may also find that if you are complaining on behalf of a child who is capable of making their own complaint, we may ask that the child contact us to lodge their complaint. We may still need to correspond directly with the patient, or may be able to deal directly with the third party. This depends on the wording of the authority provided.
Dissatisfied with the outcome?
If you prefer not to raise your complaint with the practice directly, or you are still dissatisfied following the investigation of your complaint, you can contact Suffolk & North East Essex Integrated Care Board (SNEE ICB) as follows:
By Post – Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS), Endeavour House, Russell Road, Ipswich, IP1 2BX
By Email – sneeicb.complaints@nhs.net
By Phone – 0800 389 6819
They will then investigate your complaint.
SUFFOLK HEALTHWATCH
This provides confidential advice and support, helping you to sort out any concerns you may have about the care we provide, guiding you through the different services available from the NHS.
INDEPENDENT REVIEW
If the doctor or patient is dissatisfied with the outcome of the complaints procedure a request for review may be made to the ombudsman.
The contact details are:
By Post – The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4QP
By Phone – 0345 0154033
By Email – phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
Website – www.ombudsman.org.uk
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8:30 –17:30
PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY
We will respect our patients’ privacy and confidentiality.
Every person working for the NHS has a legal duty to keep information about patients confidential and not pass it on to a third party. If you want your medical records to be released to a third party you will need to complete and sign a consent form.
Surgery staff will not divulge patient information, including test results, dates of appointments and which doctor you have been seen by, to anyone other than the patient without the patients signed consent. This includes family members of the patient.
In order for our staff to abide by this policy you may be asked personal details to identify yourself when contacting the surgery.
SHARING INFORMATION
Information is shared with other NHS organisations and services if it is relevant to your ongoing medical care
PATIENTS’ CHARTER
Patients’ Rights To General Medical Services
Patients have the right to:
- Be registered with a General Practitioner
- Be offered a health check on joining the Practice
- Receive emergency care at any time from the practice
- Receive appropriate drugs and medicines
- Be referred for a specialist opinion where appropriate
- Have the right to review their medical records subject to the provision of the
- Access to Medical Records Act 1990
- Choose whether to take part in medical student training
- Receive a copy of the Practice leaflet setting out the services that the Practice offers
- Receive a full and prompt reply to any complaints about the services provided by the Practice.
