We are continually looking to turn patient feedback into real improvements in the services we provide. We use it to focus on the things that matter most to our patients, carers and their families.
Giving feedback
To provide feedback:
- fill out a feedback form
- take part in the Friends and Family Test
- leave a review on the NHS website
- phone us on 01452 522695
GP patient survey
Please see the results of our GP patient survey.
You can also compare how well we are doing with other GP practices.
Making a complaint
Comments, complaints and suggestions are a good way for us to learn about how to improve our service. If you want to make a complaint, comment or suggestion about out service please write to: Mrs G Hawlins, practice manager.
We would ask that this facility is not used purely to contact the surgery about a matter that could be dealt with more quickly by one of our reception team. Responses will be dealt with as quickly as possible. Please phone the surgery if your problem is more pressing.
Your comments will be treated in confidence and will not put your care at risk. If you are unsure whether you want to make a complaint but you would still like to resolve an issue, you can call Community Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).
This service can help you with advice, information and support.
Phone
08000 151 584
Making a complaint
Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily, often at the time they arise with the person concerned 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, preferably in writing as soon as possible after the event and ideally within a few days, 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 discovering that you have a problem.
State your case clearly giving as much detail as you can.
If you are a registered patient you can complain about your own care. You are unable to complain about someone else’s treatment without their written authority. See the separate section in this leaflet.
We are able to provide you with a separate complaints form to register your complaint and this includes a third-party authority form to enable a complaint to be made by someone else. Please ask at reception for this. You can provide this in your own format providing this covers all the necessary aspects.
Send your written complaint to:
Mrs G Hawlins
Practice manager
Longlevens Surgery
19b Church Road
Longlevens
Gloucester
GL2 0AJ
Raising a complaint with the use of AI
We want to hear about your complaint in your own words. We know some people find Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT helpful when completing forms but please be aware that AI-generated text can sometimes make complaints too complicated or include legal references that are not relevant. This may increase the time it takes us to review your complaint, or we may need to ask you to resubmit it. We follow the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman – Good Complaint Handling standards. Information about using AI to raise a complaint, has been taken from their guidance.
When you bring a complaint to us, we need to understand your personal experience and how the issues have affected you. Simple, clear language that explains what happened to you will always be more helpful than complicated, formal writing.
We know some people find AI tools useful to support with their writing. It is important to remember the risks of sharing your information with AI tools. Providers of these tools may use it to train their AI systems and may process it in different countries. Avoid entering sensitive personal information unless you are confident about how it will be used and protected.
Here are some suggestions to get the best results from AI tools while making sure it still sounds like you and your complaint:
- Keep your prompts focused on your experience and how it made you feel. A prompt is a question or instruction that you type into an AI tool to tell it what you want help with. You can use these examples (from the PHSO website) of useful AI prompts to help with your complaint
- Do not ask AI to add legal arguments, use formal legal language or reference laws to try and make your complaint sound more ‘official’.
- It is important to check any AI-generated text to make sure it reflects your own personal experience and contains accurate facts.
What we do next
We look to settle complaints as soon as possible.
We will acknowledge receipt within 3 working days, and aim to have looked into the matter within 10 working days. You may then receive a formal reply in writing, or you may be invited to meet with the person(s) concerned to attempt to resolve the issue. 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 would like to do so.
When the investigations are complete your complaint will be determined and a final response sent to you.
Where your complaint involves more than one organisation (e.g. social services) we will liaise with that organisation so that you receive one coordinated reply. We may need your consent to do this. Where your complaint has been sent initially to an incorrect organisation, we may seek your consent to forward this to the correct person to deal with.
The final response letter will include details of the result of your complaint and also your right to escalate the matter further if you remain dissatisfied with the response.
Complaining on behalf of somebody 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.
Please ask at reception for the Complaints Form which contains a suitable
authority for the patient to sign to enable the complaint to proceed.
Where the patient is incapable of providing consent due to illness or accident it may still be possible to deal with the complaint. Please provide the precise details of the circumstances which prevent this in your covering letter.
Please note that we are unable to discuss any issue relating to someone else without their express permission, which must be in writing, unless the circumstances above apply.
We may still need to correspond direct with the patient, or may be able to deal direct with the third party, and this depends on the wording of the authority
provided.
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome
You have the right to approach the Ombudsman. The contact details are:
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
Phone
0345 0154033
Website
www.ombudsman.org.uk
If the service user does not wish/feel able to talk with the Practice for whatever reason they have the option of contacting:
NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) www.nhsglos.nhs.uk
You may also approach PALS for help or advice;
The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) is based at Gloucestershire PCT provide confidential advice and support, helping you to sort out any concerns you may have about the care we provide, guiding you through the different services available from the NHS
GUIDE and Community Patient Advice Liaison Service (PALS)
The practice complaints manager is Mrs G Hawlins, practice manager.