Suggestions, Comments and Complaints

We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice. We welcome suggestions about ways of improving our services to patients. If you have any suggestions or comments to make please complete our online form.

Making a Complaint

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, preferably in writing as soon as possible after the event and ideally within a few days, 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 the separate section in this leaflet for what to do in this case.

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 it covers all of the necessary aspects.

Send your written complaint to: Katie Etheridge (Primary Care Business Manager) via our online form, in person at the surgery or to cmicb-sth.marshallscrossroadsurgery@nhs.net.

Complaints – NHS Cheshire and Merseyside for further information or contact the complaints team as below.

Telephone: 0800 132 996

Email: enquiries@cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk

Post: Patient Experience Team
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside
No 1 Lakeside
920 Centre Park Square
Warrington
WA1 1QY

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

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
30 Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP

Telephone: 0345 0154033

Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk/making-a-complaint

You may also approach PALS, Healthwatch or the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy for help or advice;

The local Healthwatch can be found at:

www.healthwatch.co.uk

The IHCA can be contacted at: www.seap.org.uk/services/nhs-complaints-advocacy

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) is based at St Helens Hospital – 0151 430 1376