Complaints, Comments and Compliments

Viaduct Care welcomes any feedback regarding our services and your experience. By listening to your comments we can use them to improve and better provide for our community.

 

This page tells you how you can provide your feedback or make a complaint. There are leaflets within practices and hubs too that will also guide you through this process.

While we are investigating your concerns we will collect your personal data, which we take very seriously. You can download a copy of our leaflet here that provides you with information about how we will use your personal data.

Complaints, Comments and Compliments

We are grateful for patients that take the time to provide feedback. All of our feedback is listened to and we pride ourselves on being a learning organisation using your feedback to change and grow to provide the best service to our community.

You can provide compliments and comments by:

  • Verbally sharing them with Viaduct staff;
  • Writing to us at – Compliments and Comments, Viaduct Care CIC, Merseyway Innovation Centre, 21-23 Merseyway, Stockport, SK1 1PN
  • Emailing us at [email protected]
  • Or using this form

Complaints

We are sorry to hear your experience wasn’t what you expected. You can resolve many problems informally by talking to staff concerned soon after an incident happens. If you feel unable to do this or are unhappy with their response, you can make a formal complaint.

When dealing with complaints we aim to adhere to Viaduct Care’s organisation values and follow the ‘Good Practice Standards for NHS Complaints Handling’ (Sept 2013) outlined by the Patients Association. We support the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s Principles of Good Complaints Handling (2009), My Expectations (2014) and the NHS Constitution which includes a number of patient rights relating to complaints.

Viaduct Care CIC will treat complaints seriously and ensure that complaints, concerns and issues raised by patients, relatives and carers are properly investigated in an unbiased, non-judgmental, transparent, timely and appropriate manner.

 

Support with your complaint

All service users, their carers or someone acting on the complainants behalf, who wish to make a complaint, have the right to independent advocacy to support them to make a complaint and in particular Stockport Advocacy. This support is free and available to complainants at any stage of the process.

The local independent complaints advocacy service is provided by:

Stockport Advocacy, 4
8 Middle Hillgate,
Stockport
SK1 3DL.
Telephone: 0161 989 0029.
Email: [email protected]

A useful guide to making a complaint about NHS care can also be found here>

How to make a complaint

There are a number of ways you can make a complaint. Choose the method that suits you.

A complaint can be made by:

  • Face to face
  • Telephone: (0161) 429 6699
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Write or visit Viaduct Care CIC: Complaints Officer, Viaduct Care CIC, Merseyway Innovation Centre, 21-23 Merseyway, Stockport, SK1 1PN
  • Submit the form at the bottom of this page

Our services are commissioned by Stockport Integrated Care Partnership, part of Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership and complainants can send any concerns to them if they are not comfortable complaining directly to Viaduct Care CIC or, if they feel that it’s not appropriate.

Stockport Integrated Care Partnership can be contacted by:

  • Telephone: 07393 789 116
  • Email: [email protected]
  • In writing: The Complaints Manager, Stockport Integrated Care Partnership, 4th Floor Stopford House, Stockport, SK1 3XE

You can raise a concern or make a complaint:

  • On your own behalf;
  • For a friend or relative if you have their permission, ideally in writing;
  • On behalf of a friend or relative who cannot give consent for you to act on their behalf because they lack mental capacity;
  • If you are, or likely to be, affected by the issue being complained about;
  • On behalf of a deceased relative or friend.

You must make a formal complaint within 12 months of an event occurring or within 12 months of the date you were first aware of the matter you want to complain about. The time limit can be waived if you give good reasons for missing it and the complaints manager decides it is possible to complete a fair investigation.

What information to provide

  • Who was affected? Give name, date of birth and address
  • What happened or went wrong?
  • When and where it did it happen? Has it happened before? How often?
  • Which staff were involved?
  • Why were you unhappy?
  • How would you like us to resolve this complaint, for example would you like an apology or explanation.

The complaints process

Hopefully you are now clear on how to send your complaint to us. Here is what will happen when we receive it.

Step 1

We will take your complaint seriously and treat you politely and with respect, reassure you that making a complaint will not have a negative effect on your care and treatment.

We will provide you with an acknowledgement within 3 working days verbally or in writing.

If you made a verbal complaint we will respond in writing to ensure we have captured the issues you have raised.

The acknowledgement aims to include, but you will also be given the offer to discuss these further:

  • The handling of the complaint.
  • Timescales for responding.
  • Expectations and desired outcome if unclear.

We will complete a risk assessment to assess the seriousness of the incident and begin our investigations.

Step 2

We will keep you updated and if the investigation is complete within 28 days or the agreed timescale we will write to you with the resolution and outcomes. You have the opportunity to inform us this isn’t the resolution you were looking for or take your complaint further to another body.

If we have not completed the investigation within the agreed timescale or 28 days we will keep you updated by your preferred method of communication every 10 working days after this initial time period.

When the investigation is complete the response will include:

  • An explanation of how the complaint has been considered.
  • An apology if appropriate;
  • An explanation based on facts;
  • Whether the complaint in full or in part is upheld;
  • The conclusions reached in relation to the complaint including any remedial action that we consider to be appropriate;
  • Confirmation that we are satisfied any action has been or will be actioned;
  • Where possible, we will respond to people about any lessons learnt;
  • Information and contact details of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman as the next stage of the complaints process.

Step 3

If you are still unhappy you have a number of options available to you.

When you have received our written response at the end of the investigation and you are dissatisfied, and feel it appropriate to do so, please in the first instance raise it with the complaints manager handling your complaint. If this isn’t possible or the issue is still unresolved you can contact the Parliamentary & Health service (PHSO).

The PHSO is independent of the NHS and the government and accountable directly to Parliament. You should approach the PHSO within one year of becoming aware of the problem. If it is longer than this, speak to their helpline for advice on how to proceed.

https://www.ombudsman.org.uk/making-complaint

Or if your complaint relates to our use of the Mental Health Act 1983 you can take it to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) here>.

Submit a complaint to us

 

Privacy of your information

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