Suggestions, Comments & Complaints

Suggestions, Comments
& Complaints

We aim to provide good services for our patients and customers. We would like to hear your comments, your suggestions or your complaints so that we can try to make improvements. We value your comments on how things are running and hope that you will tell us what you like about the pharmacy and also any complaints you may have.

Our aim is to deal with any complaint that has arisen as quickly as possible and to respond within a response period agreed with you or as soon as practicable. Your complaint will be thoroughly investigated and we seek to come to a mutual understanding of what has gone wrong and of any action that may be needed to put things right.

Complaints are treated confidentially. However, it may be necessary for the pharmacist and staff to discuss confidential information. They will only do this as far as is necessary to investigate the complaint.

We ask you to make comments or complaints as soon as possible after the event, so that it is possible to investigate. Normally this will be within a few days of the event happening. The NHS advises us to use the following guidelines when considering whether to deal with a complaint relating to NHS services.

If you require a more immediate response please do not hesitate to contact our senior managers who will conduct a full investigation into the issue raised and respond in a timely manner:

Mr Graham Phillips, Pharmacy Operations Manager, info@newington-pharmacy.co.uk

Complaints should be made as soon as possible after an event and they will normally be made:

• within 12 months of the date of the incident that caused the problem or

• within 12 months of the date of discovering the problem

It may be possible to investigate complaints beyond these time limits, but as time passes, the ability to recall events or to obtain documents might mean that investigation would not be beneficial. If you think you have a complaint that you would like us to investigate, about an incident some time ago, please discuss it with our complaints manager, who can decide whether it will be appropriate to investigate.

Getting help with making a complaint NHS patients can contact NHS England by email england.contactus@nhs.net with "For the attention of the complaints team" in the subject line or by phone on 0800 5874997.

An independent complaints advocacy service (ICAS) is available to provide advice and support to people who wish to complain about the NHS.

It helps us to follow up your suggestion, complaint or comment if it is in writing but you do not have to use this form if you prefer to set out your complaint in your own way or speak to someone. Do ask a member of staff to help you.