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Patient Feedback

How to Feedback and Raise a Concern or Complaint About Services at Optegra

At Optegra we like to know that our patients are comfortable and well cared for. We do our best to ensure we provide excellent personal and professional care. We are committed to developing a culture of welcoming feedback in the form of compliments, and/or suggestions to improve our services.

If you are unhappy with our facilities or service, we want to know. We will investigate all concerns and complaints so that we can explain, apologise, and/or take positive action.

Raising your concern or providing feedback

If you encounter any problems, please tell us as soon as possible; most can be resolved quickly. We aim to resolve all concerns in a timely fashion and the Area Heads of Clinical Services, Hospital Managers, Clinic Managers, Clinical Leads or a senior member of staff will be happy to help.

You can provide feedback as follows:

During your appointment

During your appointment, please highlight any concerns you have to the clinician carrying out your appointment. They will seek to resolve your issues or provide you with the correct contact details to make a formal complaint.

Using the friends and family questionnaire

These are provided to all our patients at the end of their appointment. The feedback we receive from these surveys remains anonymous and are reviewed regularly. This information is used to identify any changes that need to be made to the service we offer.

After your appointment or after discharge from our service

Should you have feedback about any aspect of the service you have received, you can email the relevant hospital via a link on the website.

The complaints Procedure

Our Complaints Policy defines the process by which we aim to resolve complaints, wherever possible, through the simplest possible means. All complaints are investigated, and we aim to provide a full and prompt reply.

This information outlines our complaints procedure and gives advice on how to get a satisfactory response to complaints.

All complaints are treated in confidence and investigated promptly, thoroughly, honestly, and openly. Our process is flexible and responsive to the needs of individual complainants. We aim to communicate effectively and involve you in the decisions concerning the handling of the complaint. Our staff are trained to listen and treat all complaints with courtesy and empathy.

Making a formal complaint

Formal complaints are managed by the hospital or relevant Corporate Team. If you are not completely satisfied you can put your complaint in writing to your hospital by post or email. All our hospitals have email addresses which can be found below.

Depending on where you were see, please email complaints to the following:

To ensure we respond quickly to your complaint, please ensure your letter or email includes the following:

  • What or who caused your concern
  • Where and when the event took place
  • What action have you already taken
  • What result you expect from your complaint

All formal complaints will be acknowledged within two working days of receipt. The Area Head of Clinical Services or Team leader will be responsible for the investigation and will make contact with you to fully understand your complaint. You will received the outcome of the investigation within twenty working days of the acknowledgement letter. If a full response cannot be given at this point, you will receive a letter explaining the reason for the delay.

What happens if you’re not happy with the formal response?

If at the end of the process you remain dissatisfied, Optegra have an internal appeal process, known as the stage two complaint process. Stage two appeals will be acknowledged within two working days of being received by the Complaints Team.

You can expect to receive a call from a member of our Complaints Team to discuss your outstanding matters from stage one. Your case will be reviewed individually, taking into account any objections you may have about your feedback. Following a stage two review, you will receive a full response in writing within 20 working days/ If there is a need for more time to investigate, you will receive a letter explaining the delay.

What happens if you’re still not happy?

If at the end of the process you remain dissatisfied with Optegra’s response and we have done everything possible to resolve your complaint, the third stage is to seek an independent external review. This is different for NHS and private patients.

For NHS patients

You can ask the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) to review your complaint. The escalation should be within twelve months from the date of the stage two complaint response. They can be contacted by post, or you can use an online complaint form. There is also a helpline.

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Millbank Tower

Millbank

London

SW1P 4QP

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

E: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

T: 0345 015 4033

For Private patients

If you’re a private patient, you can seek an independent review from the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service. The escalation should be within six months from the date of the stage two complaint response. Contact details are as follows:

ISCAS

CEDR, 3rd Floor

100 St Paul’s Churchyard

London

EC4M 8BU

W: www.iscas.org.uk

E: info@iscas.org.uk

T: 0207 536 6091

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