We are committed to providing high quality care and treatment to all our patients. We understand however, that there may be occasions when you feel that things haven't gone so well which may result in you feeling that you would like to raise a complaint about our service.
Our Practice Manager will be happy to deal with any complaints that you may have and will fully explain the procedure and ensure that your concerns are dealt with appropriately.
Further information relating to the practice complaints procedure is available from our Reception team or by following the links below to our complaints leaflet. We will be happy to arrange a meeting with the Practice Manager for any patient who needs help with their complaint. We can also arrange an interpreter if this is required.
Complaints Procedure (DOCX, 18KB)
Complaints Procedure for Children and Young people (DOCX, 100KB)
Complaints Form
Third Party Consent Form
We hope that most problems can be resolved easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be resolved in this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know in writing as quickly as possible to enable us to investigate the matter and establish what happened.
If this is not possible please let us have details of your complaint as follows:-
- Within 6 (six) months of the incident that caused the problem
- Within 6 (six) months of you discovering that there is a problem, provided this is within 12 (twelve) months of the incident
All complaints will be treated in strictest of confidence. If you decide to make a complaint it is our policy that you will not be discriminated against.
Who can make a Complaint
- Current or former patients or their nominated representatives
- Children who are under the age of 16, if they feel able to do so
If you are unable to make a complaint and have a representative who acts on your behalf then your nominated representative must be able to demonstrate sufficient interest in your welfare and be an appropriate person to act on your behalf.
Where the Complainant is Not the Patient
If you are making a complaint on behalf of someone else we keep strictly to the rules of confidentiality which we are required by law to follow.
We will need to ascertain whether the patient has consented to the complaint being made and that the person acting on their behalf is authorised to do so.
In this case the person whom the complaint relates to must give their consent for a complaint to be raised on their behalf. A third party consent form must be completed and submitted before the complaint will be investigated further. This form can be requested from Reception or completed by following the link above. If the person whom the complaint relates to is unable to give consent then the appropriate documentation must be in place to allow us to continue with the complaint.
Two-Stage Complaints Procedure
We operate a two-stage complaints procedure. We will always try to resolve your complaint as quickly as possible however; in some circumstances the issues you have raised may require a more detailed investigation. If this is the case we will notify you and update you with the progress of our investigation as we move through the process.
Stage One: Early, Local Resolution
We will acknowledge and try to resolve your complaint quickly, within five working days if we can. If you are dissatisfied with our response, you can ask us to consider your complaint at the stage two level.
Stage Two:
We look at your complaint again if you are dissatisfied with our response at stage one.
Some complaints, if they are complex and need a detailed investigation, will be dealt with immediately under Stage Two.
We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days. We will give you our decision as soon as possible. This will be after no more than 20 working days unless there is clearly a good reason for needing more time.
If you wish to make a complaint you can do so by:-
- Asking to speak with the Practice Manager
- In writing to the Practice Manager
- By email to Fife.cmpfeedback@nhs.scot – addressed to the Practice Manager
When we receive your written complaint we will:-
- Acknowledge your letter or complaints form within three working days from the date of receipt
- Investigate your complaint as quickly as possible and inform you of any problems with doing so. This will normally be within twenty working days, depending on the nature of the complaint. During our investigation we will look into what happened and what went wrong, allow you to discuss the issues in your complaint fully if you would like to do so and look into what we can do to ensure the problem does not happen again
- Once our investigation is complete we will respond to you in writing and/or if appropriate offer a meeting with you and those involved in the complaint
Your Rights
If after receiving our final decision on your complaint, you remain dissatisfied with our decision or the way we have handled your complaint, you have the option to contact the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO):-
Scottish Public Service Ombudsman (SPSO)
Bridgeside House,
99 McDonald Road,
Edinburgh,
EH7 4NS
Telephone: 0800 377 7330
Email: ask@spso.org.uk
Website: www.spso.org.uk
In addition you may wish to contact the Patient Advice and Support Service (PASS) who are an independent service providing advice and support to patients who wish to provide feedback or make a complaint about NHS treatment. You will find information about PASS on their website, http://www.patientadvicescotland.org.uk/ or by contacting your local Citizens Advice Bureau.
Feedback, Comments and Suggestions
To allow us to continue to improve the service that we provide to our patients we welcome your feedback, comments and suggestions. We are also happy to hear about a positive experience that you may have had within the Practice.
Feedback, comments and suggestions may be given by:-
- Completing the Feedback from and putting it into our dedicated suggestion box in the Reception area. This form is available from Reception
- Asking to speak with the Practice Manager
- Emailing Fife.cmpfeedback@nhs.scot.
- In writing to: - The Practice Manager, Cowdenbeath Medical Practice, 173 Stenhouse Street, Cowdenbeath, KY49DH