Complaints Policy

Complaints Procedure and Further Information

Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily with the person concerned, often at the time they arise, and this may be the approach you try first.

Where you are not able to resolve your complaint in this way and wish to make a formal complaint you should do so as soon as possible after the event, giving as much detail as you can, as this helps us to establish what happened more easily. In any event, this should be:

• Within 12 months of the incident,
• or within 12 months of you becoming aware of the matter

If you are a registered patient you can complain about your own care. You are not normally able to complain about someone else’s treatment without their written authority. See below for what to do in this case.

You can send your complaint to:

Debbie Lambe
Practice Operations Manager
Two Rivers Medical Centre
30 Woodbridge Road East
Ipswich
IP4 5PB

• Telephone: 01473 907788
• Contact us online

If you do not wish to raise your complaint directly with the Practice, you may make your complaint directly to the commissioners of our service, Suffolk & North East Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB). Their contact details are;

• Tel: 0800 389 6819
• Email: complaints@snee.nhs.uk

Please note, you can only raise your complaint with one organisation, you cannot complain to both the Practice and the ICB.

What We Do Next

We do our best to settle complaints as swiftly as possible.

We aim to acknowledge receipt within three working days and to resolve the matter as soon as possible. We will try to give you some idea of how long that may take at the outset. You will then receive a formal reply in writing. If the matter is likely to take longer than this, we will let you know, and keep you informed as the investigation progresses.

When looking into a complaint, we attempt to see what happened and why, to see if there is something we can learn from this and make it possible for you to discuss the issue with those involved if you wish to do so.

When the investigations are complete, a final written response will be sent to you.

Where your complaint has been initially sent to an incorrect organisation, we will seek your consent to forward this to the correct person to deal with.

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 that they are unhappy with their treatment and that we can deal with someone else about it. In the event the patient is deceased, then 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.

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome you have the right to approach the Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman.

Their contact details are:

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Citygate
Mosley Street
Manchester
M2 3HQ

• Tel: 0345 0154033
• Website: Visit here to complain online or download a paper form. 

You may also approach Healthwatch for help or advice or POhWER for NHS Complaints Advocacy. The local Health Watch or call 03000 68 3000
POhWER or call 0300 456 2370