Contact the Practice

Church Street Partnership

30a Church Street
Bishop's Stortford
Hertfordshire
CM23 2LY

Telephone: 01279 657636

Out of Hours: 111

Opening Times

Monday8:00am to 6:30pm
Haymeads Surgery reception closes at 12.30pm. Thorley Health Centre closes at 5pm daily.
Tuesday8:00am to 6:30pm
Haymeads Surgery reception closes at 12.30pm. Thorley Health Centre closes at 5pm daily.
Wednesday8:00am to 6:30pm
Haymeads Surgery reception closes at 12.30pm. Thorley Health Centre closes at 5pm daily.
Thursday8:00am to 6:30pm
Haymeads Surgery reception closes at 12.30pm. Thorley Health Centre closes at 5pm daily.
Friday8:00am to 6:30pm
Haymeads Surgery reception closes at 12.30pm. Thorley Health Centre closes at 5pm daily.
SaturdayClosed
SundayClosed

If you need help when we are closed

The main Church Street Partnership switchboard is open from 8am until 5pm. For urgent advice from your GP between 5pm and 6.30pm call 01279 657636 and follow the recorded message instructions.

If you need medical advice between 6.30pm and 8am weekdays, at weekends or bank holidays you should dial 111. You will connect to the NHS 111 service and your problem will be assessed by the call handler. You may be given self-help advice or advised to speak to a pharmacist.

For more serious conditions, a call handler from 111 will call you back and discuss the problem further. If you need to be seen before your own surgery reopens you may be offered an appointment with a GP or a home visit (at the discretion of the service).

Please note that the 111 service operates 24 hours a day and can provide general medical advice. If you are unsure if you need to see a GP, consider calling 111 first.

Accidents and Emergencies

A&E is for life-threatening situations such as a heart attack or stroke and for the care of people who show the symptoms of serious illness or who are badly injured.

Either call 999 and ask for an ambulance or ask someone to drive you to your nearest A&E department. Do not attempt to drive yourself.

Princess Alexandra Hospital: Hamstel Road, Harlow, Essex. CM20 1QX Tel: 01279 444455

Addenbrookes Hospital: Hills Road, Cambridge. CB2 0QQ Tel: 01223 245151

Please note the The QEII Hospital in Welwyn Garden City no longer has an A&E Department. There is now an Urgent Care Centre based there that operates 24hours a day, 7 days a week. See ‘Minor injuries’ section for details.

Minor Injuries

A nurse lead minor injuries unit operates at the Herts and Essex Hospital, Monday to Friday 9am to 4.30pm (last registration).

They can treat:

  • minor injuries,
  • cuts and burns,
  • sprains and strains,
  • suspected fractures.

They cannot treat:

  • children under 2 years of age,
  • dressing changes or stitch removal,
  • cold symptoms, ear infections or sore throat,
  • abdominal or chest pain.

For further advice, visit the Minor Injuries website or telephone the unit on 01279 655191 ext4298.

Minor Injuries Unit Leaflet

Urgent Care Centre

An Urgent Care Centre is available at the QEII Hospital in Welwyn Garden City from 8am to 10pm daily.

Queen Elizabeth II hospital, Howlands, Welwyn Garden City, Herts. AL7 4HQ Telephone: 111

Adults and children of all ages with minor injuries or minor illnesses can go to the Urgent Care Centre. No appointment is necessary.

The Urgent Care Centre will treat:

  • Muscle and joint injuries – such as strains, sprains, sudden back or neck pain, tendonitis and soft tissue injuries.
  • Suspected fractures and broken bones.
  • Bites, stings, cuts, bruises and grazes.
  • Burns and scalds.
  • Foreign bodies stuck in ears or noses.
  • Minor eye injuries.
  • Minor head injuries.
  • Minor illness that cannot wait until your GP surgery is next open.

Physical accessibility

Our surgery is accessible to patients using a wheelchair. There are disabled parking bays in the public car park next to the surgery. We can arrange interpretation and translation services for patients who do not speak English. Please let us know when booking for an appointment.

How to make a complaint

You have the right to make a complaint about any aspect of NHS care, treatment or service, and this is firmly written into the NHS Constitution.

The information on this page will guide you through the NHS complaints arrangements, as well as the core requirements for NHS complaints handling laid out in legislation.

The NHS encourages feedback because it’s used to improve services. If you wish to share your views and experiences, positive or negative, simply speak to a member of staff. If you’re unhappy with an NHS service, it’s often worthwhile discussing your concerns early on with the provider of the service, as they may be able to sort the issue out quickly.

Most problems can be dealt with at this stage, but in some cases you may feel more comfortable speaking to someone not directly involved in your care.

If you wish to make a complaint please see our Practice Complaints Procedure for more details.

You can also contact the Practice Manager at css.managers@nhs.net

Considering making a complaint but need help?

Many issues can be resolved quickly by speaking directly to the staff at the place where you received care or accessed a service. Some people find it helpful to talk to someone who understands the complaints process first and get some guidance and support. You’ll find a Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)in most hospitals. If your complaint is relating to secondary care (a specialist or hospital), please contact the PALS Department directly for that service.

You can speak with a PALS member, who’ll try to help you resolve issues informally with the hospital before you need to make a complaint. PALS can be particularly helpful if your issue is urgent and you need action immediately, such as a problem with the treatment or care you receive while in hospital. If you’re making, or thinking about making, a complaint, someone from the independent NHS Complaints Advocacy Service can help you. An advocate will also be able to attend meetings with you and review any information you’re given during the complaints process. You can seek advice from an NHS complaints advocate at any stage of the process. If you decide you need some support, it’s never too late to ask for help. Your local council will be able to tell you who the advocacy provider is in your area.

Who do I make my complaint to?

Knowing who to complain to can seem confusing, especially if more than one organisation is involved. If you need help, you could get information from your local Healthwatch or from an NHS complaints advocate.

How do I find the commissioner?

Contact NHS England for complaints about primary care services (GPs, dentists, opticians or pharmacists). NHS England also commissions military health services and some other specialised services.

Find out more on the NHS England website

Contact your local Integrated Care Board (ICB) for complaints about secondary care, such as hospital care, mental health services, out-of-hours services, NHS 111 and community services like district nursing, for example.

Every ICB will have its own complaints procedure, which is often displayed on its website.

Find contact details for ICB’s

Contact your local authority if your complaint is about public health organisations, which provide services that prevent disease, promote health and prolong life.

Complaining about adult social care services

If you’re unhappy with a social care service, care home or home care and you’re paying for your own care, you may want to speak to the service provider first. But if you want to make a complaint, the organisations that provide these services will have their own complaints arrangements. If your care is funded or arranged by your local authority, you may wish to raise the issues with the care provider in the first instance. If you’d prefer not to do that, you can raise your concerns directly with the local authority.

Find out more about social care

Making a complaint

Complaints should normally be made within 12 months of an incident or of the matter coming to your attention. This time limit can be extended provided you have good reasons for not making the complaint sooner and it’s possible to complete a fair investigation. This will be a decision taken by the complaints manager in discussion with you. You can make a complaint verbally, in writing or by email. If you make your complaint verbally, a record of your complaint will be made and you’ll be provided with a written copy.

If you’re complaining on behalf of someone else, include their written consent with your letter (if you’re making your complaint in writing) as this will speed up the process. But consent is not required if you’re making a complaint in the name of:

If you’d like support, you can always contact your local NHS Complaints Advocacy service.

What to expect

You should expect an acknowledgement and the offer of a discussion about the handling of your complaint within 3 working days of receiving your complaint. If you accept, the discussion will cover the period within which a response to your complaint is likely to be sent. There’s no set timeframe, and this will depend on the nature of your complaint. If, in the end, the response is delayed for any reason, you should be kept informed. If you made a complaint but do not receive a response or decision for more than 6 months, you should be told the reason for the delay.

Once your complaint has been investigated, you’ll receive a written response. The response should set out the findings and, where appropriate, provide apologies and information about what’s being done as a result of your complaint. It should also include information about how the complaint has been handled and details of your right to take your complaint to the relevant ombudsman.

Not happy with the outcome?

If your problem persists or you’re not happy with the way your complaint has been dealt with locally, you can complain to your local health services commissioning group, Hertfordshire & Essex Integrated Care Board

HWEICB Patient Experience Team – You can contact the patient experience team by email at hweicbwe.patientfeedback@nhs.net or call the team on 01992 566122.

https://hertsandwestessex.icb.nhs.uk/patient-experience/patient-experience-1. 

You may also wish to complain to the relevant ombudsman. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman makes final decisions on unresolved complaints about the NHS in England. This organisation is independent of the NHS. For more information, call 0345 015 4033 or visit the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman website.

Health and Social Care Ombudsman

Online:  https://www.ombudsman.org.uk/making-complaint

Telephone: 0345 015 4033