How To Make A Complaint

Complaints Procedure

Every patient has the right to make a complaint about the treatment or care they have received at Barnoldswick Medical Centre.

If you have a complaint or concern about the service that you have received from the practice or any of the staff working here, please let us know.

We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of an NHS system for dealing with complaints.

How to complain

If you have a complaint or concern about the service that you have received from the practice or any of the staff working here, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of a NHS system for dealing with complaints.

Most complaints can be resolved at a local level often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible – ideally, within a matter of days or at most a few weeks – because this will enable us to establish what happened more easily. Complaints should be made;

Within 12 months of the matter which caused the problem; or
Within 12 months of becoming aware you have something to complain about.

You should contact or write to Mrs L Jackson, Patient Services Manager if you wish to raise a concern or make a formal complaint. She will explain the complaints procedure to you and will make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly. It would be helpful if you can give us specific details of what you feel went wrong and what outcome you would like.

What we shall do

We shall acknowledge your complaint within five working days, we will investigate your complaint and aim to provide you with our findings within a time frame agreed with you.

When we investigate 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 find this helpful.
Make sure you receive an appropriate apology.
Identify what we can learn from your complaint and what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again in order to improve our services.

Complaining on behalf of someone else

Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have his or her permission to do so. A third-party complaint form is available from reception.

Final Response

We will issue a final response to all complainants which will provide full details and the outcome of the complaint.

Complaining to The Integrated Care Board

We would encourage patients to speak with the Patient Services Manager in the first instance to give the Practice the opportunity to try and sort any problems or complaints for you.

If you do not feel able to raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your complaint you can contact Lancashire and Cumbria Integrated Care Team.

Telephone: 0800 032 2424
Email: mlcsu.lscpatientexperience@nhs.net
Write to: Level 3, Christ Church Precinct, County Hall, Fishergate Hill, Preston PR1 8XB

Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO)

If you do remain dissatisfied, you can approach the PHSO with your complaint. This should be done within 12 months of the final outcome of the practice complaints procedure. You can contact the PHSO, Milbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP or telephone 0345 015 4033.