Suggestions, Comments and Complaints

We always try to provide a service to our patients that meets their needs and expectations. Tell us what we do best, where we don’t meet expectations, or any ideas and suggestions you may have by completing our friends and family test.

If you have a complaint or concern about any of the service(s) you have received from the practice you have a choice to:

  • Complain directly to ourselves by contacting the practice
  • Patient experience team, Derbyshire community healthcare trust (DCHS)
  • POhWER NHS complaints advocacy service
  • Complain to NHS England

How to Complain

We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, 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 advise that you contact either ourselves or NHS England as soon as possible, ideally within a matter of days or at most a few weeks, as this will enable the investigating body to establish what happened more easily.

Ripley Medical Centre

If you wish to complain directly to the practice please contact the practice.

Alternatively you may ask for an appointment with the practice manager in order to discuss your concerns.

The practice manager will explain the complaints procedure with you and will ensure your concerns are dealt with promptly. To ensure that your complaint is dealt with effectively and efficiently and in a timely manner it would benefit the manager if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.

What Happens Next?

The practice will acknowledge your complaint with three working days. Then we will look at your complaint, we will:

  • Investigate the matter and ascertain what went wrong
  • Discuss with the parties involved their account of the incident
  • Identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again
  • Write back to you with an apology (if appropriate) and a full explanation of the investigation, findings and actions taken by the practice

This process will be done in a speedy, efficient and timely manner and you will be informed of our findings in writing.

If you are unhappy with the findings from the investigation you have the right to ask for a meeting to discuss further. Please contact the practice manager to arrange.

Patient Experience Team DCHS

Email: DCHS.PatientExperienceTeam@nhs.net

Tel: 01773 525119

POhWER

POhWER delivers information, advice, support and advocacy services throughout England.

Website: www.pohwer.net

Tel: 03004 562370

NHS England

If you wish to complain directly to NHS England please address your complaint to:

By post:
Complaints Department
NHS England
PO Box 16738
Redditch
B97 9PT

Email: england.contactus@nhs.net

Please write ‘for the attention of the complaints manager’ in the subject line.

Tel: 03003 112233 (Monday to Friday 08:00-18:00, excluding English Bank Holidays)

Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else

Please note that the NHS keeps strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else it is a requirement to have written consent from the person involved to enable either us or NHS England to discuss the issue with the third party. If the person is unable to give written consent then the matter will be discussed on how best to obtain permission from the individual.