How to Make a Complaint

At Church Street Partnership, we are committed to providing high quality care. We encourage feedback and take complaints seriously. This page explains how to raise a concern, how it will be handled and your options if you are not satisfied with the response.

Your Rights

You have the right to make a complaint about any NHS care, treatment or service. This is protected by the NHS Constitution. Complaints are used to improve services, and you will be treated with respect and confidentiality throughout the process.

Complaints may relate to:

NHS services provided by the practice (GPs, nurses, allied health professionals)
Services funded by the NHS but delivered by private providers or overseas
NHS services you access elsewhere (hospital, dental, mental health, community, NHS 111 etc)

Who Can Complain

A complaint can be made by:

The patient or person affected
Someone acting on their behalf, with written consent
A parent, guardian, or carer if the patient is a child or lacks capacity

Complaints on behalf of someone else are handled in accordance with Gillick competence and legal capacity rules.

Time Limits

Complaints should normally be made within:

12 months of the incident, or
12 months of becoming aware of the issue

Exceptions may be made if there are valid reasons for the delay and it is still possible to investigate the complaint fairly.

Complaints About Church Street Partnership

If you are unhappy with any aspect of care or service at our practice, we encourage you to raise your concerns early.

In the first instance, please speak to a member of staff (reception team, nurse or GP involved in your care) as we may be able to resolve the issue quickly and informally.

If you wish to make a formal complaint, please contact our Practice Manager at: css.managers@nhs.net

Formal complaints will be handled by:

Practice Manager: Sarah Carter

Clinical Lead: Dr Zohra Qureshi

We will:

Acknowledge your complaint promptly
Contact you to discuss your concerns and agree next steps
Inform you of the expected timescale for a formal response

Most complaints are resolved within three working days, however complex complaints may take longer. You can request all communication to be in writing, if preferred.

All complaints are handled confidentially, in a fair, unbiased and transparent manner. Raising a complaint will not affect your care or treatment.

Complaints About Other NHS Services

Church Street Partnership cannot investigate complaints about services provided elsewhere, such as hospitals, mental health services, dental practices, NHS 111 or out of hours services.

For these complaints, you should contact the service provider responsible or their Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) if available or the local Integrated Care Board (ICB) which has it’s own complaints procedure Herts & West Essex ICB complaints procedure.

Independent Review or Escalation

If you are dissatisfied with the response after local resolution (whether from our practice or another NHS provider), you can escalate your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, who are independent of the NHS.

Contact details:

Address: Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4QP

Telephone: 0345 015 4033

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

Please note: complaints are handled in line with UK GDPR and NHS confidentiality rules.