Concierge Medical Practice Limited: Complaints and Comments Procedure
Everyone has the right to expect a positive experience and a high standard of care. In the event of concern or complaint, patients have the right to be listened to, treated with respect, and assured that their complaint will be managed properly and fairly.
Concierge Medical Practice recognises that:
- Good complaint handling is essential to providing high-quality, safe care.
- Complaints provide valuable feedback, offering an opportunity to improve services and strengthen trust.
- We are committed to a culture of openness, transparency, and learning from incidents, including complaints.
- To provide a service that meets the needs of our patients and consistently strives for excellence.
- To welcome suggestions and feedback from patients and staff about the safety, quality, and effectiveness of our services.
- To operate an effective, fair, and accessible complaints system.
- To ensure staff understand and comply with this procedure.
- To treat all complaints with sensitivity and confidentiality.
- To maintain complete and separate records of complaints and associated correspondence (kept apart from medical records).
- To continuously monitor, review, and learn from complaints.
Concierge Medical has nominated:
- Practice Manager (Mrs Joanne Louhaichi) as the Responsible Person, ensuring compliance and follow-up action.
- Directors of Concierge Medical as Complaints Managers, responsible for handling and considering complaints.
Most concerns can often be resolved informally with the staff member involved, at the time they arise. If you remain dissatisfied or prefer to make a formal complaint, please do so in writing as soon as possible, ideally within a few days of the event.
Complaints must normally be made within:
- 12 months of the incident, or
- 12 months of becoming aware of the issue.
- You can make a complaint about your own care. If you wish to complain on behalf of someone else, written consent from the patient is required (see section below).
Complaints should be addressed to:
Mrs Joanne Louhaichi
Practice Manager
Concierge Medical Practice
Lynley House, Moreton Paddox, Warwickshire CV35 9BU
We strictly follow rules of medical and personal confidentiality. If you are not the patient, written consent is required from the patient confirming they authorise you to act on their behalf.
If the patient is unable to provide consent due to illness or incapacity, please provide details of the circumstances in writing. In such cases, we will consider how best to proceed.
What Happens Next?
- We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days of receipt (verbal or written).
- Where a complaint is made verbally, we will make a written record and provide you with a copy.
- You will be offered a meeting (in person, phone, or video) to discuss how the complaint will be handled, your preferred communication method, and expected timelines.
During this stage, we will:
- Clarify how you wish to be addressed and contacted.
- Ascertain if advocacy support is required.
- Identify if any reasonable adjustments are needed (e.g. disability access, communication preferences).
- Review your concerns in detail and agree on the desired outcome (apology, explanation, remedial action).
- Set realistic expectations where appropriate.
- Agree a plan of action and timeline.
Investigation:
- The complaint will be investigated by the next senior person not involved in the matter.
- Complaints will be resolved within 28 working days where possible. If longer is needed, you will be kept updated throughout.
- A written response will be provided, including:
- A summary of the complaint and findings.
- An explanation of any errors or shortcomings.
- Details of action taken to put things right.
- An apology, if appropriate.
- What will happen next to prevent recurrence.
- Your right to escalate the complaint further if dissatisfied.
If you remain dissatisfied after our final response, you may contact the following organisations:
Care Quality Commission (CQC)
03000 616161 | www.cqc.org.uk | enquiries@cqc.org.uk
General Medical Council (GMC)
0161 923 6602 | www.gmc-uk.org | gmc@gmc-uk.org
Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS)
020 7536 6091 | www.iscas.cedr.com | info@iscas.org.uk
Patients’ Association
www.patients-association.org.uk
Citizens Advice Bureau
www.citizensadvice.org.uk
Concierge Medical reserves the right to take proportionate action where a complainant’s behaviour is unreasonable, aggressive, or abusive. This may include:
- Appointing a single point of contact.
- Restricting the method or frequency of communication.
- Requiring a witness at all meetings.
- Refusing to re-investigate previously closed matters.
- Returning irrelevant or abusive correspondence.
- All such decisions will be explained to the complainant in writing.
Where a complaint names a specific staff member:
- They will be informed of the complaint.
- They may be removed from contact with the complainant during the investigation.
- They will be asked to provide a factual report.
- Findings may be addressed through training, supervision, or disciplinary processes.
- All complaints will be recorded in a dedicated complaints register.
- Complaints will be monitored to ensure timely resolution and learning.
- An annual review will be undertaken to evaluate the complaints system, compliance, and improvements made.
- Summaries may be reported to the CQC as required.