COMPLAINTS/CONCERNS AGAINST GP PRACTICES RECEIVED BY EAST COMPLAINT TEAM CAMBRIDGESHIRE & PETERBOROUGH CCG QUARTER st April 7 th June 7 Prepared by Lynn Morgan, Complaints Manager, NHS England East Page
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough CCG Data Total number of complaints received April 7 May 7 June 7 Total for Q 9 This report is to provide the Cambridge & Peterborough CCG with the data on the number of complaints received by the NHS England, Midlands & East, East Complaint team and also those that have been dealt with by the NHS England Tier team as concerns that are informally resolved and not progressed through the complaint process. The first section of the report provides the data and detail behind the complaints that have been dealt with by the East Complaint Team. The second part of the report provides details of contacts received at the NHS England Customer Contact Centre which have been dealt with informally by the Tier team of NHS England. It should be noted that only a small proportion of complaints (approximately %) come to NHS England with the majority going direct to the GP practices. The NHS England National Team monitor total complaints received via the KOb submissions. CCGs are able to obtain information on complaints direct from the GP practices and a report is also being published by NHS Digital, at practice level, in September 7 and quarterly thereafter. Prepared by Lynn Morgan, Complaints Manager, NHS England East Page
Number of Complaints against GP Practices received by Month for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough CCG Locality 8 9 /7 7/8 APR MAY JUNE Of the 9 complaints received by the East Complaint team in Quarter, progressed through the complaint process and received a final response signed off by the Director of Commissioning Operations. of the complaints are still ongoing and the following graph provides details of the complaints that did not progress and the reasons for this. Prepared by Lynn Morgan, Complaints Manager, NHS England East Page
7 7 Consent not received Duplicate Inadmissable to Regulations No further contact from complainant Closed on instruction of complainant All complaints are acknowledged in writing within three working days of receipt. At the time of acknowledging a complaint a consent form is sent to the complainant requesting their signature in order for us to proceed with the complaint. If the consent form is not returned within working days a further letter is sent reminding the complainant that they need to return the consent form in order for us to be able to proceed. Prepared by Lynn Morgan, Complaints Manager, NHS England East Page
Cause of complaints received against GP Surgeries in Cambridgeshire & Peterborough CCG Locality..... Of the complaints that progressed through the complaint process, of these were upheld in relation to delay in treatment, inappropriate treatment and access to appointments. One complaint was partially upheld in relation to manner/tone used. Prepared by Lynn Morgan, Complaints Manager, NHS England East Page
Contacts received at the NHS England Customer Contact Centre and resolved informally by Tier During Quarter the NHS England contact centre received concerns relating to GP practices in the Cambridge and Peterborough CCG locality which were dealt with informally. To resolve a concern informally a member of staff at Tier would normally telephone the complainant to get verbal consent to contact the practice direct. A telephone call would then be made to the GP practice to request their assistance in resolving the concern. This may be by way of the practice offering an appointment or providing a prescription etc. The following graph provides the reasons for the concern that was resolved informally: 9 8 7 7 9 Prepared by Lynn Morgan, Complaints Manager, NHS England East Page
LEARNING FROM UPHELD COMPLAINT Three complaints about GP practices in the Cambridge and Peterborough locality were upheld following investigation.. Patient visited GP practice complaining of bowel problems and weight loss. GP referred patient to hospital for a scan under a routine referral. On receipt of the practice response and patient s medical records, the independent GP who reviewed the complaint was of the opinion that the patient should have been urgently referred to hospital using the fast track referral pathway for cancer screening. It was requested that the referring GP be informed to review the process to ensure that referrals were made in a timely manner. A further delay had occurred due to the referral not being carried out immediately. The practice have reviewed and updated their referral policy to include a specific timeframe to ensure all routine referrals are actioned within 7 days. No harm came to patient who was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis.. Patient complained that they had been prescribed Terbinafine for an inappropriately long period and that there was no monitoring system in place. The practice admitted that this was the case and promptly carried out an audit of patients who were prescribed Terbinafine to ensure that the correct monitoring was in place. No harm came to the patient and liver function tests were all returned as normal.. Complainant telephoned GP practice at 7. to request an appointment for her month old daughter who was suffering from a high temperature. The receptionist did not offer an appointment or call with the GP and advised the complainant to wait until morning. The complainant called the following morning and was given an appointment for.pm the same day. The child suffered a febrile convulsion and was admitted to hospital and antibiotics were administered for an ear infection. As a result of the complaint, the practice have now instigated extra alerts being placed on the message screen to alert a GP as to the urgency for the telephone appointment especially where small children are involved. Furthermore, the practice will discuss the complaint and outcome at their clinical governance meeting where all staff members will be present to share the learning. Prepared by Lynn Morgan, Complaints Manager, NHS England East Page 7