Complaint resolution procedure.

Harrow Health Care Centre is not related to Harrow Health CIC and we do not provide any NHS services. This complaints process only applies to Harrow Health Care Centre patients using our Private GP and related services (found on this website).

If you are unhappy with the facilities or services you have received from this practice or from the doctor looking after you we would like to know about it as soon as possible so we can investigate your concerns and explain, apologise and take positive action where necessary. In most circumstances, if you tell us about your concern quickly, we can resolve matters straightaway. To let us know about something with which you are unhappy please speak with any member of staff in the first instance.

If you are not fully satisfied you can put your concerns in writing and use our formal Complaint Resolution Procedure which meets with the requirements set out by the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS).

The Complaint Resolution Procedure has three stages and reflects the principles of the ISCAS Code of Practice:

Stage 1

To start the formal Complaint Resolution Procedure you should write to:

Alon Brizman
Business Manager
Harrow Health Care Centre
Clementine Churchill Hospital
Sudbury Hill
Middlesex
HA1 3RX
Email: ab@harrowhealthcare.co.uk

You should state what has caused you to have concerns and make your points clear. Please document when the relevant events took place and what results you expect from your complaint.

The Practice will send you an acknowledgement of your letter within three working days of receipt of the complaint (unless the practice is able to provide you with a full response within five days).

A full response to your complaint will be made within 20 working days of the receipt of the complaint. If the investigation is still in progress after 20 working days a letter will be sent to you explaining the delay and a full response made within five days of reaching a conclusion. In any event a holding letter will be sent every 20 working days where an investigation is continuing.

Stage 2

If you remain dissatisfied following the response from the practice, you can ask for your complaint to be reviewed at Stage 2. Please write to us within six months of our Stage 1 response, setting out the points you remain unhappy with.

The review will be carried out by a GP Principal, either Dr Nathan or Dr Fragoyannis, who was not involved in the matters you have complained about or in the Stage 1 response. At the start of Stage 2 we will invite you to a meeting, in person, by telephone or by video, to understand what remains outstanding and what you would like to achieve.

We will acknowledge your request within three working days and send you a full response within 20 working days, or write to update you at least every 20 working days while the review continues. We aim to complete Stage 2 within three months. If this remains unsatisfactory it can be escalated to Stage 3.

At this time the GP Principals will advise you of your right to take the matter further to Independent Adjudication known as ISCAS and stage 3 in these procedures.

Throughout the process all information, documents and records relevant to your complaint will be treated in the strictest confidence and no information will be divulged to any parties who are not involved in the Complaint Resolution Procedure, unless required to do so by law.

Stage 3

This stage is only available to complainants who remain dissatisfied once Stage 1 and Stage 2 are exhausted.

A complainant should then request the Adjudication by writing to the Secretariat:

Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS)
Care of CEDR – Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution
3rd Floor
100 St. Paul’s Churchyard
London EC4M 8BU
Tel: 020 7536 6091
Email: info@iscas.org.uk

This written request for adjudication must be made within 6 months of the final determination by the GP Principals at Stage 2. The complainant at Stage 3 should provide reasons to explain the dissatisfaction with the outcome of Stage 2. The ISCAS Secretariat will seek confirmation from the GP Principals that Stage 2 has been completed.

The ISCAS Secretariat will notify Harrow Health Care Centre of a request for Stage 3 made directly within ten days. The Secretariat will then be the main contact for the complainant once Adjudication is started. A complainant accessing this service will be asked to consent to release of records from the practice relevant to the complaint and a report will be made to the complainant, and the practice.

Additional information for patients about ISCAS can be found at:
iscas.org.uk/patients

The Care Quality Commission

Some healthcare services are required to be registered by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which regulates Health and Adult Social Care Services. The CQC does not investigate complaints but considers relevant information about practices providing regulated activities within the terms of the legislation. They can be contacted at:

CQC National Correspondence
Citygate
Gallowgate
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4PA

ISCAS: www.iscas.org.uk   CQC: www.cqc.org.uk