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Legal · Complaints

Complaints and concerns

How to raise a concern about Burntwood Clinic or Chasetown Pharmacy, what we will do about it, and who you can go to if you are not happy with our response.

Last updated [CLIENT TO CONFIRM: date]

We review these pages whenever our services or the law change.

Contents
  1. 1. Raise it with us first
  2. 2. What to tell us
  3. 3. What happens next
  4. 4. If you are not satisfied with our response
  5. 5. Complaints about your personal information
  6. 6. Reporting a side effect

We would much rather hear about a problem than not. Most concerns are sorted out quickly by talking to us. This page explains how to raise a concern, what we will do, and who you can go to if you are not satisfied with our response.

01Raise it with us first#

The quickest route is always to contact the pharmacy directly. Ask to speak to the Superintendent Pharmacist, Nimesh Vansia.

  • In person: Chasetown Pharmacy, 23 High Street, Chasetown, Burntwood, Staffordshire WS7 3XE
  • By phone: 01543 682921
  • By email: chasetownpharmacy@medicatepharma.co.uk
  • In writing: Nimesh Vansia, Superintendent Pharmacist, Medicate Pharma Ltd, Chasetown Pharmacy, 23 High Street, Chasetown, Burntwood, Staffordshire WS7 3XE

You can complain on behalf of someone else, but we will normally need their written consent before we can discuss their care with you — unless they are a child you are responsible for, or they are unable to give consent themselves.

02What to tell us#

It helps us look into things properly if you can include:

  • your name and how you would like us to contact you;
  • what happened, and the date and time as closely as you can remember;
  • who was involved, if you know;
  • what you would like us to do to put it right.

03What happens next#

  1. We acknowledge it. [CLIENT TO CONFIRM: acknowledgement time — the NHS complaints standard is 3 working days to acknowledge]
  2. We look into it. We review the records, speak to the people involved and, if it would help, offer to talk it through with you.
  3. We respond. We explain what we found, what we are doing about it and what happens next — [CLIENT TO CONFIRM: target time for a full written response].
  4. We learn from it. Where something needs to change, we change it and record what we have done.

Making a complaint will never affect the care you or your family receive from us.

04If you are not satisfied with our response#

You can take it further. Which route applies depends on the service you received.

NHS services

If your concern is about an NHS-funded service provided by the pharmacy — for example an NHS vaccination or an NHS-commissioned service — you can complain to the commissioner instead of, or after, complaining to us:

  • NHS England — england.nhs.uk/contact-us/complaint, 0300 311 22 33, or by email to england.contactus@nhs.net
  • Your local Integrated Care Board — [CLIENT TO CONFIRM: the ICB that commissions the pharmacy's NHS services, and its complaints contact]

Free, independent help with an NHS complaint is available from an NHS Complaints Advocacy service in your area.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

If you have been through the NHS complaints process and are still unhappy, you can ask the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to review it. The Ombudsman looks at complaints about NHS services and does not usually look at complaints about private treatment.

Private treatment

For private services, the Ombudsman route above does not apply. If we cannot resolve your complaint between us, you may wish to take independent advice — for example from Citizens Advice — or use an alternative dispute resolution scheme where one applies.

  • Independent private-healthcare complaints scheme the clinic subscribes to, if any: [CLIENT TO CONFIRM: ADR or private healthcare complaints scheme, for example ISCAS]

Concerns about professional conduct or pharmacy standards

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) regulates pharmacists and registered pharmacies. If your concern is about the conduct of a pharmacy professional, or about the standards at a registered pharmacy, you can raise it with the GPhC — and you can do so whether or not you have complained to us first.

The GPhC does not award compensation. It looks at whether a professional or a pharmacy is meeting the standards required.

05Complaints about your personal information#

If your concern is about how we have handled your personal or health information, tell us first — see our privacy policy. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or on 0303 123 1113.

06Reporting a side effect#

If you think you have had a side effect from a medicine or a vaccine, please tell us so that we can advise you. You can also report it directly to the MHRA through the Yellow Card scheme, which anyone can use — patients, carers and healthcare professionals.

If you are seriously unwell, contact NHS 111, or 999 in an emergency. Do not wait for a complaint to be dealt with.

This page is reviewed whenever our services or the law change. The date it was last updated is shown at the top of the page.