We value patients’ feedback – good or bad – to help us provide the best service for all patients.
Our Practice Manager will always be happy to speak to patients either by phone, email or letter if you are not happy with an aspect of our service so that we can see if we can easily resolve this for you. We are also happy to hear any other comments or suggestions you may have that might help us improve our service. We know many of our patients are very happy with the service. If you have had a positive experience in reception or with a clinician, it would be great for the team to hear. If you can spare a few minutes, putting this in writing as a note on a piece of paper or completing a feedback form.
Making a complaint
If you want to make a formal complaint we will consider this using our in-house procedure. Please put your complaint in writing so we can investigate this, give you a full answer and correct any problems that we identify.
Please address your complaint in writing to the Practice Manager, The Baldock Surgery, Astonia House, High St, Baldock SG7 6BP
The Practice Manager will ensure that your complaint is investigated thoroughly and as speedily as possible. You will receive an acknowledgement and your complaint will be investigated within 28 days.
If you are complaining on behalf of another patient, we will need their written consent before we can go any further. We have a duty of confidentiality to patients and cannot provide confidential information without their appropriate authority if you are not the patient in question.
Help with making your complaint
If you need help with making your complaint the Health Complaints Advocacy Service (HCAS) can provide free, impartial and independent information, advocacy and support to members of the public, wishing to make a formal complaint about the National Health Service (NHS).
The HCAS provider for Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire is:
POhWER
Hertlands House
Primett Road
STEVENAGE
Herts SG1 3EE
Tel: 0300 456 2370 (local rate)
Email: pohwer@pohwer.net
Website: www.pohwer.net
Complaining to the NHS
We hope that if you do have a complaint you will use our practice complaint procedure. We believe this will give us the best chance of resolving the issue satisfactorily and provide an opportunity for us to improve our practice.
However, this does not affect your right to approach Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) if you feel that you cannot raise the complaint directly with us or if you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation.
The ICB took over responsibility for overseeing complaints about primary care services from 1 April 2023. Previously this work was handled by NHS England.
Other ways to give feedback
- You can join our Practice Patient Group (PPG). Find out more about the PPG, including how to join.
- The Friends and Family Test (FFT) is an anonymous and quick way for you to provide feedback to an NHS service about the service provided. You can complete the Friends and Family Test for GP services, hospitals and mental health services. Find out more about the FFT
- There are other, more in-depth national survey programmes you might be invited to take part in to find out about your experience of the NHS, including the annual GP Patient Survey. Participants for this are selected at random.