From 1 July 2023 the way members of the public make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner is changing.
There are two ways to make a complaint:
- Members of the public can complain to the healthcare provider: this is the organisation where they received the NHS service, for example a GP surgery or dental surgery.
- Members of the public can complain to the commissioner of the service: this is the organisation that paid for the service or care received.
After 1 July 2023 if members of the public want to make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner, You will now contact Mid and South Essex integrated care board instead of NHS England.
The contact details are as follows:
- Telephone: 01268 594444
- E-mail: Mseicb.complaints@nhs.net
- Writing to us at: Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System · Phoenix House, Christopher Martin Road, Basildon, Essex, SS14 3HG
Complaints Procedure
If you have any complaints or concerns about the service that you have received from the doctors or staff working for this practice, please let us know. 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 dealt with in this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible – ideally within a matter of days or at most a few weeks – because this will enable us to establish what happened more easily. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint within 12 months of the incident or event occurring.
You can make your complaint:
- In person – ask to speak to Ambica – telephone: 01268 562444
- In writing – some complaints may be easier to explain in writing - please give as much information as you can, then send your complaint to: swanwood.partnership@nhs.net or to Swanwood Partnership, Market Avenue, Wickford, Essex, SS12 0AG
- Note: emails are received in the admin office. If your communication is sensitive or confidential, we recommend a telephone call or letter marked addressee only.
What we will do
Our complaints procedure is designed to make sure that we settle complaints as quickly as possible and is compliant with the NHS Complaints Procedure. We will aim to acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and will respond in full after investigating and discussing your concerns with the relevant members of staff.
When we look into your complaint, we shall aim to:
- find out what happened and what went wrong
- make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this
- make sure you receive an apology, where appropriate
- identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again
At the end of the investigation your complaint will be discussed with you in detail, either in person or in writing.
Complaining on behalf of someone else
Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have his or her permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.
What you can do next
We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe that this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and the opportunity to improve our practice.
Download the Complaints Information Leaflet (DOCX, 92KB)