WellFounded Health LTD - Complaints Procedure

At WellFounded Health we value our members’ opinions and we use comments, suggestions, compliments and complaints to try to improve our service. We aim to respond quickly, courteously and constructively to any complaint received.

We always try to give you the best services possible, but there may be times when you feel this has not happened. This notice explains what to do if you have a complaint about the services we provide for you. We welcome feedback to help us improve our standards, and you will not be treated any differently because you have complained.

If you are unhappy with the services you have received from WellFounded Health we would like to know about it as soon as possible so we can investigate your concerns and explain, apologise and take positive action where necessary. In most circumstances, if you tell us about your concern quickly, we can resolve matters straightaway.

To let us know about something with which you are unhappy please speak with Dr Jack Kreindler, our complaints lead, in the first instance.

If you are not fully satisfied you can put your concerns in writing and use our formal Complaint Resolution Procedure, which in the case of medical complaints is conducted by our CQC-registered partner clinic, CHHP Research Limited. This meets with the requirements set out by the Independent Doctors Federation (IDF) for its members and also the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS).

If you have a general complaint, to start the formal Complaint Resolution Procedure you should write to:

team@wellfounded.health

You should state what has caused you to have concerns and make your points clear. Please document when the relevant events took place and what results you expect from your complaint.

Resolution can give you:

An explanation of what happened and what the person or service that you are complaining about has to say about it;
An apology (where appropriate) for the inconvenience or your dissatisfaction.
A reaction/response (where appropriate) explaining what will be done to prevent a similar thing happening again.

Complaints should normally be made as soon as possible, and within 12 months of the date of the event complained about, or within 12 months of the matter coming to the attention of the complainant. This is to give a realistic opportunity of conducting a fair and effective investigation into the issues raised.

The complaints team will send you an acknowledgement of your letter within three working days of receipt of the complaint (unless you can be provided with a full response within five days).

A full response to your complaint will be made within twenty days of receipt of the complaint. If the investigation is still in progress after twenty days a letter will be sent to you explaining the delay and a full response made within five days of reaching a conclusion. In any event a holding letter will be sent every twenty days where an investigation is continuing.

For medical complaints, the Complaint Resolution Procedure has three stages and reflects the principles of the ISCAS Code of Practice:

Stage 1 Local resolution within the individual practice

Stage 2 IDF Complaint Resolution Procedure to review the complaint

Stage 3 Independent Adjudication from ISCAS

Stage 1

This is the same process as for general complaints. To start the formal Complaint Resolution Procedure you should write to:

Dr Jack Kreindler: team@wellfounded.health

You should state what has caused you to have concerns and make your points clear. Please document when the relevant events took place and what results you expect from your complaint.

Resolution can give you:

An explanation of what happened and what the person or service that you are complaining about has to say about it;
An apology (where appropriate) for the inconvenience or your dissatisfaction.
A reaction/response (where appropriate) explaining what will be done to prevent a similar thing happening again.

Complaints should normally be made as soon as possible at stage 1, and within 12 months of the date of the event complained about, or within 12 months of the matter coming to the attention of the complainant. The time limit may be extended by the Independent Health Practitioner where the complainant has good reason for not making a complaint in the time limit (for example, where a complainant has been grieving), and there is a realistic opportunity of conducting a fair and effective investigation into the issues raised.

The named person at the practice will send you an acknowledgement of your letter within three working days of receipt of the complaint (unless you can be provided with a full response within five days).

For doctors, if you remain dissatisfied following the final stage 1 response, then you can request a review of your complaint, known as Stage 2 by writing to:

Complaint Manager
The Independent Doctors Federation
Lettsom House
11 Chandos Street
Marylebone
London
W1G 9EB

Please note that stages 2 and 3 fall within the ISCAS Code of Practice for Complaints Management. A copy of this can be obtained from the IDF or from ISCAS.

Attention is drawn to the sections which clearly explain what the Code does and does not cover. You should understand that if the complaint is not covered by the ISCAS code then stages 2 and 3 will not be available.

Stage 2

The IDF Complaint Resolution Procedure will consider your complaint and will undertake a review of the documentation, any correspondence and the handling of the complaint at Stage 1. The IDF Complaint Manager will write to you according to the IDF procedures and in any event within twenty days to either confirm the outcome at stage 1 or to offer an alternative resolution.

At this time the IDF will advise you of your right to take the matter further to Independent Adjudication known as ISCAS and stage 3 in these procedures.

Throughout the process all information, documents and records relevant to your complaint will be treated in the strictest confidence and no information will be divulged to any parties who are not involved in the IDF Complaint Resolution Procedure, unless required to do so by law.

Stage 3

This stage is only available to complainants who remain dissatisfied once Stage 1 and Stage 2 are exhausted.

A complainant should then request the Adjudication by writing to the Secretariat:

Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS)

Care of CEDR - Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution

International Dispute Resolution Centre

70 Fleet Street

London EC4Y 1EU

Tel: 020 7536 6091

Email: info@iscas.org.uk

This written request for adjudication must be made within 6 months of the final determination by the IDF at Stage 2. The complainant at Stage 3 should provide reasons to explain the dissatisfaction with the outcome of Stage 2. The ISCAS Secretariat will seek confirmation from the IDF that Stage 2 has been completed.

The ISCAS Secretariat will notify the IDF of a request for Stage 3 made directly within ten days. The Secretariat will then be the main contact for the complainant once Adjudication is started. A complainant accessing this service will be asked to consent to release of records from the doctor and the IDF relevant to the complaint and a report will be made to the complainant, the doctor concerned and the IDF.

Additional information for patients about ISCAS can be found at: https://iscas.cedr.com/

The Care Quality Commission

Some healthcare services are required to be registered by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which regulates Health and Adult Social Care Services. The CQC does not investigate complaints but considers relevant information about practices providing regulated activities within the terms of the legislation. They can be contacted at:

CQC National Correspondence
Citygate
Gallowgate
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4PA

IDF – www.idf.uk.net ISCAS- www.iscas.org.uk CQC - www.cqc.org.uk

Unacceptable behaviour by complainants

At each stage of the complaints procedure it might be deemed that a patient’s behaviour is unacceptable. We have a policy in place to handle unacceptable behaviour of complainants.

Confidentiality

The practice will ensure that all complaints are investigated with utmost confidentiality and that any documents are held separately away from the patient’s healthcare record.

Keeping records

Complaint records will be retained for a period of ten years as aligned with and defined in the Records Management Code of Practice for Health & Social Care 2016 Guidance and Document Retention Schedules.