There are three main ways to feedback about your experience of our GP Surgery and the service we provide.
Friends and Family Test
The NHS Friends and Family Test (FFT) was created to help understand whether patients are happy with the service provided, or where improvements are needed. It’s a quick and anonymous way to give your views after receiving NHS care or treatment.
We use the information captured via the Friends and Family Test to improve our service. It is anonymous, so if you would like to discuss your experience, it is better to contact us through our general feedback form.
Feedback and Compliments
We are continually looking to turn your feedback into real improvements in our services. We use it to focus on what matters most to our patients, their carers and their families.
If you want to share your experience or have a suggestion on how we can do things better to improve our patients’ experiences, please complete the below form. We’d also like to hear from you if you are pleased with the service you’ve received. We’ll let the staff involved know and share the good practice across our teams.
If you can’t complete the form or would find it easier to discuss your experience you can contact the practice in person or via telephone.
Complaint Procedure
We hope that any problems you raise can be dealt with promptly by talking to the member of staff with whom you usually deal.
If it is not possible to resolve your complaint in this way, you are welcome to take it further.
Resolving the Complaint with Us Informally
As soon as possible after you feel that there is an issue, please contact the member of staff with whom you usually deal either:
– by phone on 0121 429 1572
– online at bearwoodmedicalcentre.co.uk via our contact form
– by email to [email protected]
– or in person at reception,
explaining what the problem is and how you would like the matter to be resolved.
If you would rather not speak to the member of staff whom you usually deal with, you can request to speak to with the practice manager, Mrs. Sharad Sohal. The staff member will discuss your complaint with you and work with you to find a solution with which you are happy.
If it is not possible to resolve the complaint at this telephone/face-to-face meeting, or if you feel it is not appropriate to resolve the complaint informally, you have the right to take the matter further using one of the formal routes below.
Resolving the Complaint with Us Formally
You can make a formal complaint by contacting us by in writing at the address on below, clearly stating that you are making a complaint. We will acknowledge your complaint within the next two working days.
Your complaint will then be looked in to (at which stage, we may need to speak with you to get further information). Following investigation of your complaint, we will contact you within 3 weeks to let you know what we intend to do to resolve the matter.
Raising the Complaint with the NHS
Because the service you receive is funded by the NHS, you have a right to make your complaint directly to your local NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). The CCG can be contacted on the telephone number and address on below.
They will investigate your complaint in accordance with their complaints procedure. We will cooperate fully with their investigation to help find a satisfactory resolution.
Support for Making your Complaint
If you need support to make you complaint, you may wish to contact:
– your local NHS Primary Care Trust’s Local Resolution service (previously known as PALS) or
– the NHS Complaints Advocacy (previously Independent Complaints Advocacy Service/ICAS).
The NHS Primary Care Local Resolution Office offers confidential advice, support and information on
health-related matters to patients, their families and their carers.
The NHS Complaints Advocacy is a national service that supports people who wish to make a complaint
about their NHS care or treatment.
(Please see below for contact details)
Contact Details
Bearwood Medical Centre
176 Milcote Road,
Smethwick,
B67 5BP
Telephone: 0121 429 1572
Email: [email protected]
Website: bearwoodmedicalcentre.co.uk
NHS Sandwell And West Birmingham CCG
Kingston House,
438-450 High Street,
West Bromwich,
B70 9LD
Telephone: 0121 612 1702
Email: [email protected]
Website: sandwellandwestbhamccg.nhs.uk
Sandwell & West Birmingham Local Resolution (Previously PALS)
Telephone: 0121 507 5836 (10am – 4pm, Monday – Friday).
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.swbh.nhs.uk/patients-visitors/compliments-and-complaints/patient-adviceand-liaison-service-pals/local-resolution/
NHS Complaints Advocacy (previously ICAS)
PO Box 14043,
Birmingham,
B6 9BL
Telephone: 0300 456 2370
Email: [email protected]
Complaining on behalf of someone else
We take medical confidentiality seriously. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we must know that you have their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.
Unhappy with the outcome of your complaint?
If you are not happy with the way your complaint has been dealt with by the GP surgery and NHS England and would like to take the matter further, you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). The PHSO makes final decisions on unresolved complaints about the NHS in England. It is an independent service which is free for everyone to use.
To take your complaint to the Ombudsman, visit the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman website or call 0345 015 4033.
Need help making a complaint?
If you want help making a complaint POhWER is a charity that helps people to be involved in decisions being made about their care. Call POhWER’s support centre on 0300 456 2370 for advice.