Our Policy
At The Village Practice, we want to make sure that anyone using our service has a first class experience of us and that they are treated in a caring manner and with dignity and respect. We will always be prepared to listen to what you have to say and you can be assured that we will also be open and honest about any service failures. You can be assured we will always offer remedies to prevent problems recurring and will let you know what they are.
We promise to make sure your comments and complaints remain confidential, if that’s what you would like and we will make sure that we investigate fully and fairly any complaints or concerns you have, We will also ensure that where possible, our investigations are conducted by someone not directly involved in the complaint and that all investigations are transparent and methodical and we will focus on learning from our mistakes to improve the service you receive
Informing us of comments or complaints
We encourage any comments both positive and negative and we have a number of ways to let us know.
- Call and speak with one of the managers. This is always recommended as any urgent medical attention can be handled immediately whilst also being able to address any concerns you may have.
- Friends and Family Test – This is available on our website under ‘Have your say’ or in the waiting room.
- NHS Reviews – Search for the Village Practice and you can leave a review.
- Email the Practice Manager directly at [email protected] or the practice email at [email protected]
The designated lead for complaints in the Practice is Anastasia Remos, our Practice Manager. You can contact her to discuss any issues either formally or informally by email directly to her [email protected] or by phone 020 7700 6464.
If you wish your details to be kept anonymous from other members of staff please let us know when you contact us.
Complaints must be received within 12 months of the incident which caused the problem or within 12 months from the date which the event that is the subject of the complaint came to light to ensure we can investigate thoroughly and get all the facts.
If you would prefer, you can come and talk to us in person. Please call first to ensure you can be seen quickly.
What happens Next
Your complaint will be acknowledged within 3 working days.
We will look into your complaint to find out:
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- What went wrong.
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- Make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this.
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- Make sure you receive an apology, where appropriate
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- Identify what we can do to ensure that the problem does not happen again.
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- At the end of the investigation your complaint will be discussed with you in person or in writing. A full reply will be sent as soon as possible that will include any improvements we have made to the service following your complaint. This will depend on the complexity of the complaint and whether other agencies are involved. You will be kept up to date regarding the progress.
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- If you are still not happy you can contact the practice and another member of Senior staff will review the complaint to see if there is anything that has been missed.
Help With Making Your Complaint
Please ask the Practice Manager, Anastasia Remos, who will be happy to help. However if you feel unable to ask her then please contact
The NHS Complaints Advocacy Service at:
[email protected] or telephone 0300 330 5454, Fax 0330 088 3762, Text phone 0786 002 2939
If you feel you cannot contact the practice directly
You can send details of your complaint to NHS England
NHS England
PO Box 16738,
Redditch B97 9PT
Tel: 0300 311 22 33
Email: [email protected]
If you are still not satisfied
If you are still not satisfied with the handling or response to your complaint you have the right to ask the Health Service Ombudsman to investigate the complaint on your behalf.
Please see the details below from their website:
Contact details for the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
If you need to make a complaint about a UK government department, or one of its agencies or the NHS in England
Customer Helpline
Tel: 0345 015 4033
Problems with your hearing or speech?
You can contact us from a textphone (minicom) on 0300 061 4298. (Calls to these numbers cost the same as a call to a UK landline.) You can also call us on Text Relay.
If you have any special requirements for us to communicate with you, please let us know and we will make adjustments if we can. For example, we can use simple language or communicate using a signed video.
The Helpline is open 8:30am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday.
Help in other languages
We strive to make our service as accessible as possible to everyone. If English is not your first language and you would prefer to speak to us in your own language, please let us know. We can get an interpreter on the telephone almost instantly. Just get in touch with us and tell us which language you speak.
Request a call back
If you would like us to call you back, please text ‘call back’ with your name and your mobile number to 07624 813 005. The text will be charged at your standard text rate. Standard text rates are set by your mobile network operator and charges may vary. Please check with your operator if you are not sure how much this text will cost.
We will acknowledge your text at no cost to you and call you back within one working day during our office hours, again at no cost to you.
Email [email protected]
We’ll keep in touch with you in whichever way works best for you. However, we do need to make you aware that with email there is always a small risk of messages being intercepted. If email is your preferred way for us to contact you, please let us know. As a precaution, and for added peace of mind, we will password protect any sensitive documents we send you.
Fax 0300 061 4000
If you wish to make a Freedom of Information request please email [email protected].
Please note
All email communications with PHSO pass through the Government Secure Intranet (GSI), and may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for legal purposes.
Write to us
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower,
Millbank,
London,
SW1P 4QP
Complaining on behalf of someone else
Please note that we observe the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we must receive their permission to continue. A letter signed by the person concerned will be needed may be needed and in some circumstances, some form of identification. This is purely to preserve and protect the individual’s rights and information.