Feedback, compliments, concerns and complaints

Not usually. Many issues can be resolved quickly by contacting the team you are already working with.

If you are unhappy with any aspect of our service, the first step is to discuss this with the person you have been dealing with and allow them to try to resolve any problems for you as quickly as possible.

If you feel that the staff are unable to resolve your difficulties, then you can ask them to refer this to the Complaints Team to register a formal complaint or you can contact them direct by email: complaints@clinical-partners.co.uk

If you have difficulty putting your complaint into an email you can request assistance from the Complaints Team who will arrange to have a telephone call with you.

Once the Complaints Team receive your complaint, a Case Handler will speak to the staff/clinician who has been involved in your care to find out what has gone wrong. Once their investigation is complete, the Case Handler will write to you to explain what went wrong and what is being done to prevent this from happening again.

Anyone who has been affected by our service can make a complaint. You can also make a complaint on someone else’s behalf.

If the patient is aged 16 or over, we may need their consent before we can share information about their care with you as part of our response.

We encourage feedback from our service users, so please be assured that raising concerns will not harm or prejudice the care that you, or the person you care for, is given.

Except in exceptional circumstances, we should receive complaints no more than 12 months after the date of the action or event concerning the complaint.

To help us investigate what happened as thoroughly as possible, formal complaints must be made within 12 months of the event, or within 12 months of when you first became aware of the issue.

We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 3 working days. Except in exceptional circumstances, you will receive a full written response to your complaint within 20 working days or we will keep you updated on the progress of our investigation.

Please be assured that your complaint will only be shared with relevant staff to ensure that we can fully investigate and respond to the issues you have raised. We will then use any learning from your feedback as part of the continuous improvement of our services.

If you need to speak to us about anything related to a complaint or to request a copy of our complaints policy, please use the following details:

• Email: complaints@clinical-partners.co.uk

• Telephone: 0203 966 2418

• Post: Clinical Partners Limited Unit 6, Chaldicott Barns, Tokes Lane, Semley Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 9AW

1. Our Complaints Team will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days of receiving it.

2. A case handler will contact you to explain the process, check your concerns have been understood, and answer any questions.

3. The case handler will speak with the staff or clinician involved in your care to understand what went wrong. Where possible, we will also look at what can be done to put things right for you.

4. Within 20 working days, the case handler will complete the investigation and write to you to explain what they found. The written response will include what actions have been taken, and what is being done to prevent the same issue from happening again.

5. If we need more information or time to investigate, we will still contact you within those 20 working days to explain this.

No. Raising a concern or complaint will not negatively affect your care.

Yes. If you need support, the Complaints Team can arrange a telephone call to help you explain what has happened.

We will do all we reasonably can to respond to your concerns and resolve your complaint where possible, so if you feel there is something we have not addressed, please let us know. In some complex cases, we may need to arrange for your concerns to be reviewed by our Clinical Leadership Team and consider whether any further action can be taken to achieve a satisfactory resolution.

Once we have responded to you in writing and you are still unhappy then you can refer your NHS complaint to the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO).

For private patients you can refer your complaint to the Independent Healthcare Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS).

We will treat your complaint and personal information with care. To investigate your concerns, we may need to share relevant information with the staff involved in your care or with those helping us review what happened. We will only share information where it is needed to investigate and respond to your complaint.

The complaints process helps us understand what happened, respond to your concerns and identify anything we need to put right or learn from.

However, it cannot be used to:

• make a legal claim for compensation

• change a clinical judgement, diagnosis or clinical opinion

• request a reassessment or second opinion

• request access to your medical records or other personal information (Subject Access Request)

If your request cannot be considered through the complaints process, we will explain why and help you understand the most appropriate route to follow.

During your assessment, certain details are occasionally misheard or misrecorded by your clinician, who will have taken notes by hand. This usually won't affect the outcome of your assessment, but it’s normal to have concerns. If you spot any mistakes, please let us know immediately so we can correct them.

To submit any errors, simply send an email to clinicalreports@clinical-partners.co.uk, using the following headings:

• Page number (the page under which the error occurs)

• Section heading (the section under which the error occurs)

• Error (please try to be as clear as possible when explaining the error)

Occasionally, what might look like an error could be a difference of opinion between yourself and your clinician. If this is the case, we may not amend your report. However, upon request we can provide you with a clear explanation of our reasoning.

Occasionally, disagreements occur between patient and clinician. Sometimes it's because a formal diagnosis couldn't be made. Or it could be because the clinician diagnoses you for something that you weren't expecting.

There are many different reasons that you may not agree with your clinician's conclusion. If you feel that the doctor hasn't fully understood your situation, it's important to share your concerns with us. You can do this by emailing the team you've been working with and explaining why you disagree with the conclusion.

We will let you know we have received your request and review your report based on your feedback.

Your report usually includes clear recommendations to help you make positive next steps. This could include starting medication, therapy, or both. Ultimately, the decision to take that next step is yours. You may choose to pursue further treatment through Clinical Partners, or you might prefer to go through the NHS.

If you are satisfied that your report is accurate, please send a confirmation email stating that you are happy with your report to clinicalreports@clinical-partners.co.uk. Once we have this, we can share your report with your GP or any other professional involved in your care, provided you have given us prior consent.

Please be aware that we will only ever share clinical information with your consent, which you can view in the Privacy Settings area of the portal under ‘Consent to share information with my GP’. If you have not provided us with this consent and would like to do so, you can update your consent preferences from your patient portal.

If we need to communicate with your GP and other professionals involved in your care to confirm your diagnosis and treatment, this will be limited to a copy of your report and will contain any information for ongoing treatment recommendations.

You can receive your prescription through Clinical Partners or your NHS GP.

Clinical Partners prescriptions

Please call us on 0203 326 9160 or email help@clinical-partners.co.uk where a team member will be happy to help. If you have already received a prescription from one of our psychiatrists, please check when this will need to be renewed. Please give us at least seven working days’ notice to allow us to prepare your new prescription.

NHS prescriptions

For NHS prescriptions, please check your report to see if your GP will need to perform any physical checks before starting pharmacological treatment.

Local prescribing guidelines sometimes prevent NHS GPs from prescribing the medications we recommend. If this happens, please email help@clinical-partners.co.uk or call us on 0203 326 9160.

The first step is to find a therapist with the right skills and specialism that you are comfortable with. If you would like us to help you find an appropriate therapist, please call us on 0203 326 9160 or email help@clinical-partners.co.uk and a member of our team will be happy to help.