Complaints Procedure

1. Our commitment

We hope to sort most problems out quickly and informally, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned – so please do tell us straight away. Where that is not enough, we operate a formal complaints procedure that meets the standards expected of a CQC-registered practice.

Making a complaint will never affect the care you receive from us.

2. How to complain

You can raise a complaint in whichever way suits you:

• In person or by phone: 020 7736 7557 (Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm).
• By email: [email protected].
• In writing: The Practice Manager, Basuto Medical Centre, 29 Basuto Road, Fulham, London SW6 4BJ.

Please be as specific as you can – dates, times and the people involved all help. Ideally raise your complaint as soon as possible; where that is not possible, please do so within 12 months of the incident, or within 12 months of discovering you have a problem.

3. Complaining on behalf of someone else

We keep strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of another patient, we will need their signed authority before we can discuss their care, unless they are unable to provide it because of illness or incapacity. For children, the complaint should come from a parent or guardian with parental responsibility.

4. What we will do

We will acknowledge your complaint in writing within 2 working days of receiving it.

The Practice Manager will investigate the circumstances and you will receive a full written response – what we found, the reasons for our decision, and an apology where one is due – within 20 working days of receipt. If the investigation needs longer, we will explain why and tell you when to expect our response.

Where something has gone wrong, we will also tell you what we are changing to stop it happening again. Every complaint is recorded in our complaints register and reviewed so the practice learns from it.

5. If you are not satisfied

If you are unhappy with our response, tell us – we will offer you a meeting with the registered manager to discuss the outcome.

You may also contact our regulator, the Care Quality Commission, at cqc.org.uk or on 03000 616161. The CQC does not investigate individual complaints but wants to hear about the quality of care at the services it regulates.

6. Contact details

The Practice Manager · Basuto Medical Centre · 29 Basuto Road, Fulham, London SW6 4BJ · 020 7736 7557 · [email protected]

Basuto Medical Centre is the trading name of Basuto Medical Practice Limited (company number 16690271), registered with the Care Quality Commission (location ID 1-25543862637).