Complaints procedure.

If something has gone wrong, we want to know. Complaints tell us where our systems are failing patients, and most are resolved quickly once someone tells us.

You will not be treated differently for complaining, and it will not affect the care you receive from us.

You can complain in whichever way is easiest for you:

• In person, by asking to speak to the pharmacist or the manager at 261 Northfield Avenue, Ealing
• By phone on 0208 840 4464
• By email to [email protected]
• In writing, addressed to the Superintendent Pharmacist at the pharmacy address

Please tell us what happened, when it happened, who was involved if you know, and what you would like us to do. If you are complaining on someone else's behalf we will normally need their consent before we can discuss their care with you.

We aim to acknowledge every complaint within three working days. Where the matter is straightforward we will usually resolve it there and then.

For anything requiring investigation, we aim to give you a full written response within twenty working days. If it is going to take longer, for example because a key member of staff is away, we will tell you why and give you a revised date.

Our response will explain what we found, what went wrong if anything did, and what we are changing as a result.

Please raise your complaint within twelve months of the event, or within twelve months of becoming aware of it. We may still look into older matters where it is practical and it is still possible to investigate fairly.

If our response does not resolve things, you have several options and you do not need our permission to use any of them:

• NHS England handles complaints about NHS services, including NHS pharmacy services, and can be contacted by phone, post or email.
• The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman can review NHS complaints once the provider has responded.
• The General Pharmaceutical Council regulates pharmacies and pharmacy professionals, and handles concerns about professional conduct or the safety of a pharmacy.
• Healthwatch and the local NHS Complaints Advocacy service can support you free of charge in making a complaint.

You can verify our registration on the GPhC register. Our pharmacy registration number is 1041425 and our Superintendent Pharmacist, Jaydev Varsani, is registered under number 2073838.

We keep a record of every complaint, our investigation and the outcome. Complaint records are kept separately from your clinical record and do not affect your treatment.

Complaints are handled confidentially and shared only with those who need to be involved in investigating and responding. We review complaints regularly as part of our clinical governance, using anonymised information to improve how we work.