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Complaints

Complaints of a non-medical nature will be handled in their entirety by the Patient Experience Director.

Stage 1
A face to face meeting is essential for an examination with the clinician/surgeon to determine the nature and cause for complaint. A selection of dates will be offered to the complainant to book an appointment. The complaint will not proceed to the next stage if you do not attend a follow-up appointment. We will also share before and after photos with the patient for their reference, prior to their appointment. We will provide the complainant with a questionnaire that must be completed and returned to the clinic prior to the follow-up appointment. The purpose of the questionnaire is to help the patient and clinic understand the nature of the complaint.

Once the complaint has been received it is recorded in the Complaints Register and the Patient Experience Director will send an acknowledgement email/letter within 2 working days, to the complainant (if the complaint is received via email then the acknowledgement is returned via email and likewise for a letter).

A detailed response will then be made within 20 working days of receiving the complaint. During that time the Practice will conduct an investigation to find out what has happened and whether there is any need for action that can be taken to put things right. If at the end of those 20 working days we are still conducting our investigations we will notify you of the position and keep you fully informed until our investigations have been concluded.

If the complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome of the investigation and they wish to escalate their complaint to Stage 2, they must do so in writing, within 6 months of the final response to their complaint, at Stage 1.

Stage 2
If the complaint is escalated to Stage 2, the Registered Manager will acknowledge the request for a review, within 2 working days.

A full response, of the formal review, will be provided within 20 working days, or if the issues are too complex to complete the investigation within 20 days, the complainant will be informed of any delays.

If at this stage, the complainant, is still dissatisfied, with the response to their complaint, they may then escalate their complaint to Stage 3, and the Stage 2 letter will signpost them to The Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service, ISCAS.

Click here for more information on the ISCAS Patient Guide for making Complaints.

Stage 3
The complainants have the right to an independent adjudication of their complaint. Requests for independent external adjudication should be made in writing, to ISCAS within 6 months of receipt of the Stage 2 review letter.

The complainant must also be aware that the independent adjudicator has the final decision and will bring the complaint process to a close. All complaints must be tracked in the complaint’s log, with every stage detailed, dated and conclusions clearly noted.

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