Suggestions

We are happy to hear from you about improvements to the service we provide. Simple suggestions can be extremely helpful. We promise to consider all comments seriously but please beware that we know from experience that some common suggestions have been difficult or impractical to implement. For example students have requested an on-site pharmacy. We’ve asked chemists to look at setting up on the campus but they have found a business case impossible  because of low volumes and the lack of trade during vacations. But honestly, we still value helpful suggestions!

Problems

We work in a dynamic environment where unscheduled work and emergencies can arise and some peoples consultations take a long time. We also do a huge amount of background work away from face-to-face consultation sessions. So please forgive us minor errors, problems and delays – as we forgive you when you are late, fail to attend booked appointments, interrupt our consultations with mobile phones, chew gum…

Complaints

Complaints Procedure – Student Health Centre

We always try to give you the best service possible, but there may be times when you feel this has not happened. This leaflet explains what to do if you have a complaint about the services we provide for you. We hope you will use it to allow us to look into and, if necessary, put right any problems you have identified or mistakes that have been made.

How to let us know about a complaint and how we deal with it:

If you wish to make a complaint, please write to our Deputy Practice Manager, Naomi Gruitt who is based across the medical group. She will take full details of your complaint and decide how best to undertake the investigation.

Email: stthomas@nhs.net Tel: 01392 676606 Address: St Thomas Health Centre, Cowick Street, Exeter, EX1 1HJ

All complaints, comments and suggestions will be treated in strict confidence. No patient or relative’s healthcare will be adversely affected as the result of making a complaint.

We think it is important to deal with complaints quickly, so you will normally receive an initial reply with a few days. You will be offered an opportunity to meet with Miss Gruitt or other staff from the Practice to discuss matters within 28 days. We will try to address your concerns fully, provide you with an explanation and discuss any action that may be needed. Occasionally, if we have to make a lot of enquiries, it might take a little longer, but we will keep you informed. You may bring a friend or relative with you to the meeting. We hope that at the end of the meeting you will feel satisfied that we have dealt with the matter thoroughly. Of course, if you don’t feel that a meeting is necessary to deal with your complaint and you would prefer Miss Gruitt to write to you instead, do let her know.

Please note that if you should want to raise a complaint or concern on behalf of another patient, then to respect our duty of confidentiality to our patients, it may be necessary to have that person’s written consent.

Please note that our Practice Complaints Procedure is not able to deal with questions of legal liability or compensation, for which you should seek legal advice.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Miss Gruitt. If you do not wish to deal with the Practice directly, or if you remain dissatisfied about how your complaint has been handled, you are entitled to put your complaint to The National Customer Contact Centre at NHS England.

Email: england.contactus.@nhs.net Tel: 0300 311 22 33 Address: NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT

A regional complaints team is in place across each of the four NHS England regions. These teams work closely and provide a regional service to manage the Primary Care complaints that are received nationally but which can’t be instantly resolved and dealt with at a national level.

If you are unhappy with how the NHS have dealt with your complaint, you can contact the Health Service Ombudsman. www.ombudsman.org.uk

Behaviour – a two-way contract

As a student health centre we are especially attuned to the pressures and strains of student life and are dedicated to helping you as much as possible. We have all chosen to work in this field – student health is not everyone’s cup of tea. We know that stress and ill health can cause irrational fear and anger and we make some allowances but we do expect polite and civilised behaviour between us and you. The reception staff in particular do a tough job and courtesy should be a two way process with them. We work under a universal NHS policy of zero tolerance towards violence or aggression or any form of racist, sexist or homophobic abuse.