This includes compliments, suggestions, concerns and complaints. Feedback helps us understand what is working well and where we need to improve.
Raising a concern or complaint will not affect the care you receive from the practice.
To make a formal complaint, please contact:
Practice Manager
Eastfield Medical Practice
Eastfield Farm Road, Penicuik
For complaints regarding NHS Lothian, please contact NHS Lothian directly.
What to include in your complaint
To help us look into your complaint properly, please include:
- your full name
- your date of birth
- your address and contact details
- what happened
- when it happened
- who was involved, if known
- how this affected you
- what you would like us to do to resolve the matter
Complaining on behalf of someone else
You can complain on behalf of another person, but we may need their consent before we can share information or respond in detail.
If you are complaining on behalf of another adult, please include their written consent where possible.
If the patient is a child, lacks capacity, or has died, we will consider the complaint carefully and respond in line with confidentiality, consent and data protection requirements.
How long do I have to make a complaint?
You should normally make a complaint within:
- 6 months of the event you want to complain about; or
- 6 months of finding out that you have a reason to complain, provided this is not more than 12 months after the event itself.
In some circumstances, we may still be able to consider a complaint after this time. If your complaint is outside these timescales, please explain why you were unable to complain sooner.
How we handle complaints
We follow the NHS Scotland Complaints Handling Procedure.
Stage 1 - early resolution
We will try to resolve straightforward complaints quickly and as close to the point of service as possible.
This may include:
- an explanation
- an apology where appropriate
- action to put something right
- feedback to staff
- changes to how we do things
We aim to respond to Stage 1 complaints within 5 working days.
If your complaint is complex, serious, or needs detailed investigation, we may handle it at Stage 2 instead.
Stage 2 - investigation
If your complaint needs detailed investigation, or if you remain unhappy after Stage 1, we will consider it under Stage 2.
We will:
- acknowledge your complaint
- agree the points we are investigating
- look into what happened
- respond to each part of your complaint
- explain any learning or action taken
- provide a written response
We aim to provide a full response within 20 working days.
If we cannot meet this timescale, we will explain why and keep you updated.
What you can expect from us
When we handle your complaint, we will aim to:
- take your concerns seriously
- treat you fairly and respectfully
- investigate appropriately
- provide a clear explanation
- apologise where something has gone wrong
- explain what action we have taken or will take
- use complaints and feedback to improve our services
Independent advice and support
You have the right to independent advice and support when making a complaint about NHS care.
The Patient Advice and Support Service, known as PASS, provides free and confidential advice and support to people using the NHS in Scotland. PASS can help patients understand their rights, prepare a complaint, and understand the complaints process.
PASS is provided through Citizens Advice Scotland.
If you remain dissatisfied
If we have completed our complaints process and you remain dissatisfied, you can ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, known as the SPSO, to review your complaint.
The SPSO is independent and normally expects you to have completed the NHS complaints process before they consider your complaint. NHS Inform confirms that patients can ask the SPSO to look at a complaint after the NHS organisation has fully investigated it.
You can contact the SPSO on:
Freephone: 0800 377 7330
Behaviour towards staff
We understand that people may feel upset, worried or frustrated when raising concerns.
However, we ask that patients and representatives communicate with our staff respectfully. We do not tolerate abusive, threatening or offensive behaviour towards staff.
This does not prevent anyone from making a complaint. It means that complaints must be raised in a way that allows staff to respond safely and professionally.
NHS organisations have a duty of care to staff as well as service users and do not tolerate abusive or offensive language.
How we use complaints and feedback
We record and review complaints and feedback so that we can learn from them.
Where appropriate, feedback may lead to:
- staff discussion or training
- changes to procedures
- review of patient information
- service improvement work
- significant event analysis
We will protect patient confidentiality when reviewing and learning from complaints.