Every patient has the right to make a complaint about the treatment or care they have received at Meadowbridge Surgery. We understand that we may not always get everything right and by telling us about the problem you have encountered, we will be able to investigate and where appropriate improve our services and patient experience.

Most complaints can be resolved at a local level. Please speak to a member of staff if you have a complaint; all our staff are trained to handle complaints effectively. Alternatively, ask to speak to Mrs Diane Lavery, Practice Manager.

A complaint can be made verbally or in writing. A complaints pack is available from reception or you can click the buttons above to download from the website.

The time constraint on bringing a complaint is 6 months from the occurrence giving rise to the complaint and no longer than 12 months, or 6 months from the time you become aware of the matter about which you wish to complain and no longer than 12 months.

Mrs Diane Lavery, Practice Manager will respond to all complaints within 3 business days. Dr Lavin investigates all clinical complaints and Mrs Lavery administrative complaints. A response letter will be issued within 10 days. Complainant will be advised if there will be any delay.

Meadowbridge Surgery will investigate all complaints effectively and in conjunction with extant legislation and guidance. Complaints are held separately from the patient’s healthcare record.

Meadowbridge Surgery will ensure that all complaints are investigated with the utmost confidentiality and any documents.

Meadowbridge Surgery allows a third party to make a complaint on behalf of a patient. The patient must provide consent for them to do so. A Third Party Patient Complaint Form is available at reception or click the button above to download the form.

Contact details for organisations that can offer support to complainants:

Michael Cruikshanks
Strategic Planning and Performance Group
Department of Health (DoH)
Complaints Office
12-22 Linenhall Street
Belfast, BT2 8BS
Complaints line number – 028 9536 3893
PCC email: [email protected]

If you have difficulty in approaching the Practice to address your complaint, the SPPG/DOH offer an honest broker role, where they can give assistance and advise to you on taking your complaint forward.

Patient and Client Council (PCC)

Bronte Mayo
Patient and Client Support Officer
Northern Area Office
79 Chichester Street
Belfast, BT1 4JE
email: [email protected]
Freephone 0800 917 0222

The role of the PCC in complaints investigations is solely as an advocate for the complainant. This is distinctly different to that of the Board’s complaints staff acting as an ‘honest broker’ or intermediary between complainants and Practices to help achieve resolution of complaint.

Ombudsman

Ms Margaret Kelly
Northern Ireland Public Service Ombudsman (NIPSO)
Progressive House
33 Wellington Place
Belfast, BT1 6HN
Tel: 0800 343424

The Ombudsman gives advice and assistance if you feel that local resolution has been exhausted. However, the complainant must approach NIPSO within six months of receiving the Practice final response.

If a patient wishes to make a verbal complaint Mrs Lavery will complete a Complaint Details Form, commencing the Procedure from this date.

If a written complaint is received, the Procedure starts from the date of receipt. The Practice is required to forward an anonymised copy of all written complaints to the Health and Social Care Board for monitoring purposes.

• All complaints, verbal or written, are entered in the Practice Complaints Register, given a unique identity number and date tracked.
• Complaints are acknowledged in writing within 3 working days.
• Administrative complaints are investigated by Mrs Lavery. Clinical complaints are investigated by Dr Lavin.
• Findings are discussed at Partners’ meeting and suggestions for improvement implemented.
• A written report is provided within 10 working days. If this is not possible, the reason for the delay will be explained and a revised date for the completion of the investigation given.

The patient can request a meeting with the Complaints Co-ordinators to discuss the complaint, investigation and findings. All issues regarding the complaint will be dealt with in strictest confidence. Future treatment will not be prejudiced in any way.

If the patient is not satisfied with the Practice response, please contact the Board Complaints Office. Please see the above tab, ‘Organisations Offering Support to Complainants’

Any person can complain about any matter connected with the practice. Complaints may be made by:

• a patient or client in writing or verbally
• former patients, clients or visitors using HSCB services and facilities;
• someone acting on behalf of existing or former patients or clients, providing they have obtained the patient’s or client’s consent;
• parents (or persons with parental responsibility) on behalf of a child;
• any appropriate person in respect of a patient or client who has died e.g. the next of kin.

Hopefully most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often when they arise and with the person concerned. If this is not possible, and you wish to formally make a complaint, let us know as soon as possible in order that we may find out what happened more easily.

We can however, consider complaints made within six months of the date of discovering the problem, provided this is within twelve months of the incident. If it is clearly reasonable in the circumstances to make a complaint after this and where it is still possible to investigate the facts of the case, we can consider extending this time limit.

If you wish to make a complaint, please speak or write to the Practice Manager (Mrs Diane Lavery). The complaints procedure will be explained to you and you will be given assurance that your concerns are dealt with promptly in an independent and unbiased manner. It will be helpful if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.

All complaints, verbal or written, are entered in the Practice Complaints Register, given a unique identity number and date tracked.

We shall acknowledge written complaints either orally or in writing, normally within two to three working days. We aim to have looked into your complaint within 10 working days from the date of receipt, if an honest broker is used this could extend to 20 working days.

Administrative complaints are investigated by Mrs Lavery. Clinical complaints are investigated by Dr Lavin. Findings are discussed at Partners’ meeting and suggestions for improvement implemented.

A written report is provided within 10 working days. If this is not possible, the reason for the delay will be explained and a revised date for the completion of the investigation given. The patient can meet with the Complaints Coordinators to discuss the complaint, investigation and findings.

All issues regarding the complaint will be dealt with in strictest confidence. Future treatment will not be prejudiced in any way.

In investigating your complaint we aim to:

• Find out what happened and what went wrong
• Enable you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this.
• Ensure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate.
• Identify what can be done to make sure the problem does not happen again.

If you are dissatisfied with our initial response, the SPPG/DOH offer a local resolution options which you may wish to investigate. Alternatively if you feel that local resolution has been exhausted you can take your complaint to the Patient/Client Council or the Complaints Ombudsman.

Staff is aware of their legal and ethical duty to protect the confidentiality of patients. These legal requirements are set out in the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998.

Complaints by a third party should be made with the written consent of the individual concerned.

There will be situations where it is not possible to obtain consent, such as:

• where the individual is a child and not of sufficient age or understanding to make a complaint on their own behalf
• where the individual is incapable (for example, rendered unconscious due to an accident; judgement impaired by learning disability, mental illness, brain injury or serious communication problems)
• where the subject of the complaint is deceased

Please see Consent Form & separate notes at the top of this page for further information.