Any patient has the right to make a complaint about the services they have received at Kingston Health Centre.
Complaints raised will not affect the patient’s ongoing treatment at the practice or appear in their medical record.
All complaints will be treated with the strictest confidence.
How to make a complaint
Complaints can be made verbally or in writing. Patients are asked to speak to a member of the practice team or send an e-mail to
A complaint can the submitted by a third party on behalf of a child (up to 18years)
- By a parent or legal guardian
- By a person authorised by the local authority where the care of the child is under the provisions of the Children Act, 1989
- By a person authorised by a voluntary organisation by which the child is being accommodated
Complaints can be submitted by a third party on behalf of an adult
- Where the patient has given consent for a third party to act on their behalf
- Where there is mental or physical incapacity
- Has delegated authority to another such as a registered Power of Attorney
- Where the patient has died
- By an MP acting on behalf of by instruction from constituent.
How the complaint will be dealt with
It is always better to try and deal with the complaint at the earliest opportunity as it can often be resolved quickly. Complaints should be released ideally within 12 months of the incident or discovering that a problem has happened.
Our complaints manager will at knowledge receipt of your complaint within 3 working days and will explain what will happen along with the estimated timescale to report back to you.
The practice will investigate the complaint with a view to resolving it speedily and efficiently. The length of time to conclude an investigation will vary depending on circumstances. We will keep you in touch with progress if the investigation is taking longer than anticipated.
A full investigation will be undertaken and you will receive a written response.
You will also have the opportunity to attend a meeting to discuss your complaint.
There is discretion to extend the time limits for initiating the complaints process beyond 12 months if there is good reason why the complaint could not be raised earlier.
The complaint response
You will receive a written response which will include
- A clear statement of the issues, Investigation and findings giving clear evidence-based reasons for decisions where appropriate.
- Where errors have occurred a full explanation, apology and confirmation about what will be done to put it right or prevent a further incident happening.
- A statement of the right to escalate the complaint together with the relevant contact details
Further actions if you are not satisfied with the outcome.
The practices response will advise that if you are not satisfied you can escalate the complaint to the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman. Further information is available on their website
Confidentiality during the complaints procedure
All complaints are treated in the strictest confidence.
Where an investigation requires us to disclose information in your records to a person who is not employed by Kingston Health Centre we will inform you and seek your consent In advance.
The practice will keep a record of all complaints and correspondence relating to complaints. These records are kept securely and separate from your medical records.
Annual Complaints Report
Information about complaints received will be compiled into an annual report. This can be made available to any person who requested under the Freedom of Information Act.
This will include
- Statistics on a number of complaints received
- Known referral to the Ombudsman
- Subject matter / categorisation
- Learning points
- Any changes to procedure, policies of or care that have resulted
In summary
The services provided at Kingston Health Centre are carried out with diligence and in accordance with current guidelines. The practice will take reasonable steps to ensure that patients are aware of this procedure.
By having an effective complaints process in place we can investigate and resolve complaints in a timely way, address patient concerns and identify lessons learned. Ultimately this will improve service delivery.
