Complaints policy

Feedback, Comments and Complaints

We aim to provide the highest standards of care and customer service to everyone who uses our services.  Whether you are a patient, a relative or a visitor, we hope that your visit has been a positive one.   We apologise if that has not been your experience today.

As ‘continuous improvement’ is one of our Values, we want to learn from your experience and would welcome your feedback.  Raising a concern or making a formal complaint will not have a negative effect on your ongoing care and we will always aim to resolve any concerns as soon as possible.

How to leave feedback

We welcome all feedback, and every visitor is invited to leave anonymous feedback using our patient feedback questionnaire.  This can be accessed using the review kiosks which are located at the main reception of each of our facilities, or by scanning the QR codes displayed in the department using your mobile device.

What should I do if I have a concern?

We invite you to speak to the person in charge of the department as a first step.  They will listen to your concerns and will do everything they can to resolve the matter immediately.

What if I am not satisfied with the initial response to my concerns?

If our staff have not been able to resolve your concerns to your complete satisfaction, then you are invited to raise a formal complaint using our complaints procedure.  We will always treat a complaint as a communication that requires an investigation and a formal response.

How do I make a formal complaint?

If you need to make a formal complaint, we will make our complaints policy available to you or your representative.  There are three stages to our complaints process which ensures that the process is robust, fair, and efficient.

As the first stage of our complaints process, a formal complaint should be made as soon as possible, although you are welcome to raise a complaint up to 6 months after the event you wish to complain about.  We may not be able to investigate, or our response may be limited, if you complain outside of this window.

Your complaint should be submitted in writing (by letter or email) to the Chief Executive Officer.  They will acknowledge receipt of your correspondence, in writing, within 3 working days of receipt.

Please give as much relevant information as you can, including your full name and address, date of birth and the details of your visit, including dates, times and names of staff (if known).  If you do not want us to look at your health records, then please let us know, but this may affect our ability to fully investigate your concerns.

Stage 1 complaints should be addressed to:

Mrs Jodee Cooper

CEO

QS Enterprises Ltd

8-11 Queen Square

London

WC1N 3AR

Or by email to: jcooper@queensquare.com

What if I am not the patient?

If you are submitting a complaint on behalf of a patient, we will need consent from the patient before we can disclose any information to you.

What happens when we have received your complaint?

We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 3 working days.  If we need further information or consent, then we will let you know.  You are also welcome to request a face to face meeting with us if you wish.

The complaints handler will investigate your concerns, working in collaboration with the manager of the relevant department to investigate the issues raised.  This will involve a review of the case in detail, reviewing documents and taking statements as necessary from the staff involved.  If we are unclear on any point or issue regarding the complaint, we will contact you to seek clarification.

We aim to respond as soon as possible but it may take time to investigate properly, particularly if more than one department or service is involved.  We will issue a full written reply within 20 working days unless the investigation needs to take longer.  If this is the case, then we will advise you of this and keep you informed about progress, at a minimum, every 20 working days.

Any complaint correspondence will be securely stored in line with Data Protection Legislation and is kept separate from your health records.

What if I am not satisfied with the formal response?

If you are not satisfied with the response to your complaint, then you may escalate your complaint to stage 2 of our complaints process.  This must be done in writing, and we will acknowledge receipt of your complaint at stage 2 within 3 working days.

Stage 2 will involve a review of all documentation and records made during the initial investigation by a senior member of staff who was not involved in the original investigation or response.  This allows us to offer an objective review.  This review will be completed, with a response provided in writing within 20 working days unless the investigation needs to take longer.  If this is the case, then we will advise you of this and keep you informed about progress, at a minimum, every 20 working days.

Accessing independent external adjudication

If you remain dissatisfied with the decision made following your complaint at stage 2, you have the right to request an independent external adjudication of your complaint through the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS).  This is stage 3 of our complaints process.  To access stage 3, you will need to set out in writing for the adjudicator:

  • The reasons for your complaint
  • What aspects of the complaint remain unresolved after Stages 1 and 2
  • What outcome you are seeking from stage 3.

You will also be asked to sign a ‘Statement of Understanding and Consent’.

ISCAS can be contacted by post at:

ISCAS

70 Fleet Street

London

EC4Y 1EU

Or by email to:

info@iscas.org.uk

ISCAS will direct complaints back to us to be managed at a local level if stages 1 and 2 have not been followed previously.