Complaints Policy

We always value feedback from patients, whether it’s about our services, staff, service you’ve received, the website, or anything related. This applies to staff as well as patients. It helps us to improve, and we really do try to take on board any suggestions made. In that way you will be happier, as well as the other people we look after. 

Please also tell us where we have done well so that we can continue to maintain our high standards and not rest on our laurels. There is a comments and suggestions box at our desk in reception, where you can fill out a Friends and Family Test card. 

Dealing with complaints can at times be stressful and difficult; this is why we believe in a good system for dealing with complaints, supported by all practice staff. This policy not only outlines how you can make a complaint, comment or suggestion, but also outlines the complaints procedure so that everyone working in the practice is familiar with it.  It is much better that we deal with comments, suggestions and complaints within the practice rather than allowing a grumble to turn into something that becomes unnecessarily big and ugly, and unnecessarily involves the Health Care Commission.

Comments and suggestions are valuable. Patients often have good ideas about ways of improving things that we are too close to the work to see for ourselves.

How patients can make a complaint, comment or suggestion

We want patients and staff to express comments, suggestions and complaints to the practice when they feel dissatisfied with the service provided. Please write to us soon after your experience of the situation about which you wish to complain. 

There are several ways of doing this:

Talk to us

• 02476 223565
• Ask to speak to our Practice Manager, Karin Bruce or Chris Longbottom. Whilst the Practice Manager is responsible for administering the complaints system, any member of our team can be the first point of contact for someone who wishes to complain.  All members of our staff will be familiar with the content of the practice complaints leaflet, and copies are available for patients.

Write to us

• The Practice Manager, Complaints & Comments, Jubilee Healthcare, 41 Westminster Road, Coventry CV1 3GB.

Contact Us Online

• Complete our secure online form

If you do not feel able to raise your complaint with us, or you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation, we suggest that you please contact NHS England

What the practice will do

We will acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within 28 working days of the date when you raised it with us. We will advise you if it is taking longer than this. We shall then be in a position to offer you an explanation, or a meeting with the people involved.

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 this is appropriate;
• identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.

Did you know….

We regularly discuss complaints at a team meeting on Thursdays. but we also compile a year end summary sheet showing all complaints received in the previous 12 months. Although we handle each complaint as and when it is received (i.e. in a timely fashion), the purpose of this annual meeting is for confirmation and an overall review.

We look back periodically to see what people have complained about or commented on, whether complaints have led to improvement in patient services, or whether there is further action we should take.

We also review the way the complaints system itself is working. We welcome comments from staff on the operation of the system at any time.  The meeting is chaired by the Practice Manager who also records the discussion in the minutes. The purpose of this annual meeting is to:

• Ensure the right course of action has been taken;
• Review learning outcomes for the practice or individuals;
• Ensure tweaks to our practice systems have occurred (in order to make things better).

When things get heated up

When you are in a situation with which you are unhappy, undoubtedly emotions will fly high between you and the other person. These feelings can sometimes be so high that they can stop you from saying what you really want to say.  If you are ever in this situation we would suggest writing a complaint a day or two after the situation to allow these feelings to settle.  You will then be in a better position to rationally collect your thoughts and be able to really express what you want to say.

How long do patients have to complain?

Try and raise the issue shortly after the situation – ideally within a few 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;
• within 6 months of discovering that there is a problem, provided this is within 12 months of the incident. 
• If greater than 12 months, please justify the delay.