Complaint policy <strong>Making a support request</strong>
<p>If you’re having a problem with Patient Access, you can report this to our service team by clicking here.</p>
<strong>Escalating a support request</strong>
<p>We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise by letting our service team know.
However, if you have an outstanding problem that you feel needs escalation, let our service team know by replying to the response you receive from us about your incident, advising you wish to escalate. This will then be escalated to the Patient Access support team manager who will work with you to find a resolution, who will respond to your escalation request within 5 working days.</p>
<strong>Patient Platform Ltd complaints procedure</strong>
<p>If you have a complaint about the service you have received in relation to Patient Access, a member of staff working at Patient Access or a support request, please let us know.
We will respond to your complaint within 10 working days.
The main emphasis will be to resolve your complaint on a local level.
We hope that we will be able to resolve any issue that you may raise.</p>
<strong>Making a formal complaint</strong>
<p>If your problem cannot be resolved by our service team and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible - ideally, within a matter of days or at most a few weeks - because this will enable us to establish what has happened more easily.
If it is not possible to do that, please provide us with details of your complaint:</p>
<ul>
<li>Within 6 months of the incident that caused the problem.
or</li>
<li>Within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided this is within 12 months of the initial problem.</li>
</ul>
<p>Complaints can be made in the following ways:</p>
<ul>
<li>By email, sent to support@patientaccess.com <br>
<p>Do not use this email for any queries about your medical condition or medications.
We do not have any direct access to your practice and cannot provide any clinical advice, or help with any aspect of your health or medical care.
When you raise a complaint, it will be sent to the Patient Access complaints team, not to your GP practice.
For all medical queries, please contact your GP practice during opening hours, 111 outside of your GP practice’s opening hours or 999 in an emergency only.</p>
</li>
<li>Via the Patient Access website, visit www.patientaccess.com and select ‘Technical Support’ to submit a ticket.</li>
</ul>
<p>Should you speak to a member of our support team, they will be happy to explain the complaints procedure to you and will make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly.
It would be a great help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.</p>
<p>Your complaint will be handled in the first instance by the Patient Access support team manager.</p>
<strong>What we will do</strong> .
<p>We will acknowledge your complaint in writing within three working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within ten days of our acknowledgement.
This may not be possible when the people involved are, for example, away on leave.
If this is the case we will inform you of the reason for the delay.
We will then be in a position to offer you an explanation.
When we look into your complaint, we aim to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Find out what happened and what went wrong;</li>
<li>Make it possible for you to discuss the problem, if you would like this;</li>
<li>Make sure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate;</li>
<li>Identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again;</li>
<li>Follow your complaint up by email 7 days after your case has been closed to check that nothing is outstanding.</li>
</ul>
<strong>Our aims when dealing with your complaint</strong>
<p>When we are dealing with any complaint we work to achieve to the following principals (in line with the Local Government Ombudsman’s guidance):</p>
<ol>
<li>Getting it right.</li>
<li>Being customer focused.</li>
<li>Being open and accountable.</li>
<li>Acting fairly and proportionately.</li>
<li>Putting things right.</li>
<li>Seeking continuous improvement.</li>
</ol>
<strong>What to do if you remain unhappy with local resolution</strong>
<p>If you remain unhappy after we have tried to resolve your complaint locally, the next stage of the complaints process is to contact the Ombudsman or your local Citizens Advice Bureau.</p>
<p>The contact details are:</p>
<p>
<strong>Citizens Advice Bureau</strong>
</p>
<p>3rd Floor North, 200 Aldersgate Street<br>London, EC1A 4HD<br>Tel: 03444 111 444<br>Website: www.citizensadvice.org.uk</p>
<p>
<strong>Ombudsman Association</strong>
</p>
<p>Leonard House, 5-7 Newman Road<br>Bromley, Kent, BR1 1RJ<br>Website: www.ombudsmanassociation.org </p>
<p>
</p>