How to make a complaint about primary care services is changing
You have the right to make a complaint about any aspect of NHS care, treatment or service, and this is written into the NHS Constitution on GOV.UK.
From 1 July 2023 the way members of the public make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner is changing.
By primary care services we mean GPs, dentists, opticians or pharmacy services.
There are two ways you can make a complaint:
- You can complain to the healthcare provider: this is the organisation where you received the NHS service, for example a GP surgery or dental surgery.
- You can complain to the commissioner of the service: this is the organisation that paid for the service or care you received.
After 1 July 2023 if you want to make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner you will now contact NHS Cheshire and Merseyside integrated care board instead of NHS England.
You can do this by:
- Telephone: 0800 132 996
- Writing to us at: Patient Experience Team, No 1 Lakeside, 920 Centre Park Square, Warrington, WA11QY.
If you want to make a complaint directly to the provider of the primary care service, you still can – that does not change on the 1 July 2023.
Members of the public with ongoing complaints received on/after 1 July 2022 will receive a letter from NHS England informing them that NHS Cheshire and Merseyside is now handling their complaint with confirmation of their case handler.
Members of the public with any ongoing complaints received before 1 July 2022 will receive a letter from NHS England informing them that their complaint is being retained by NHS England with confirmation of their case handler.
Find out more about how to feedback or make a complaint about an NHS service
We are changing
We acknowledge that getting in contact with the practice has become harder for a lot of patients over the last year or so. Over the next few months we will be changing how our patients can contact the practice. We are introducing new online functionality that enables patients to make contact with us via our website and via the NHS App, to make either a clinical or administrative request, plus we are implementing a new digital telephone solution. The aim of these tools is to provide increased choice and flexibility and improve patient’s experience, so patients can access care more equitably.
There will be a phased approach to implementation over the coming weeks and months. With the new phone system scheduled to be in place by the end of the year.
If you do not have the NHS App, now may be a good time to download it, which you can do via this link https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-app/
Further updates will follow soon.
Don’t ignore your cervical screening invite
Cervical Screening is carried out to check the health of your cervix, it is not a test for cancer, it’s a test to help prevent cancer.
All women and people with a cervix aged 25 – 64 should go for regular cervical screening. You’ll get a letter in the post inviting you to make an appointment.
The test itself should take less than 5 minutes and is usually done by a female nurse or doctor. This video explains what happens during your screening.
You can also find more information and support at https://www.jostrust.org.uk/
Tips for staying safe in hot weather!
With the Met Office predicting the week ahead to be a scorcher, and with us currently spending a lot of time at home or in our gardens, here’s a few helpful tips on how to stay safe during hot weather.
Be sun aware
- keep out of the sun at the hottest time of the day, between 11am and 3pm
- if you are going to do a physical activity (for example exercise or walking the dog), plan to do these during times of the day when it is cooler such as the morning or evening
- keep your home cool by closing windows and curtains in rooms that face the sun
- if you do go outside, cover up with suitable clothing such as an appropriate hat and sunglasses, seek shade and apply sunscreen
- drink plenty of fluids and limit your alcohol intake
- check on family, friends and neighbours who may be at higher risk of becoming unwell, and if you are at higher risk, ask them to do the same for you
- know the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heatstroke and what to do if you or someone else has them
If you feel unwell after being in the sun, call NHS 111 for advice.
You can find more information on protecting yourself in the sun at NHS Choices or at gov.uk.
Don’t let hay fever ruin your summer!
From now until September is when the pollen count is at its highest, especially when its warm, humid and windy.
Some of the symptoms of hay fever can include:
- Sneezing and coughing
- A runny or blocked nose
- Itchy, red or watery eyes
- Itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
- Loss of smell
- Pain around your temples and forehead
- Headache
- Earache
- Feeling tired
If you are having any of the above symptoms or are feeling the effects of hay fever, visit your local pharmacist as they can provide advice and treatments to suit your symptoms. You could also try:
- not drying your washing outside when pollen levels are high
- showering and changing your clothes after you’ve been outside to wash any pollen away
- wearing wraparound sunglasses when you go outside to stop the pollen from irritating your eyes
- putting Vaseline around your nose to trap pollen
- keeping windows and doors shut as much as possible
- vacuuming regularly and dust with a damp cloth
- staying indoors when the pollen count is high
You can keep an eye on the pollen forecast on the Met Office Website.
When anxiety becomes an issue
This year’s Mental Health Awareness Weeks theme is ‘anxiety’. Anxiety is a normal emotion in us all but sometimes I can get out of control and become a mental health problem.
You can find out more about anxiety and what help is available at:
GHR & Eaglebridge Primary Care Network: Provision of our services outside the normal practice hours.
As you may be aware NHS England (who commission our practices services) have set out a requirement that practices work together to ensure that patients are able to access services outside our normal hours of work (8.00am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday).
GHR and Eaglebridge Primary Care Networks cover the following practices:
Grosvenor Medical Centre
Hungerford Medical Centre
Rope Green Medical Centre
Millcroft Medical Centre
Earnswood Medical Centre
GHR and Eaglebridge PCNs have produced a plan based on services being provided from the individual practices and from a local practice-based Hub on Friday and Saturday.
This way of working is not new to us, we have been providing so called Extended Access services for the last five years, including the ability for our patients to access services locally on Saturdays.
The times we provide extended access services from our practice bases have been determined by analysing the preferences of our patients over the last five years, in particular we have been keen to offer services to enable patients who work a distance away from the practice to access services.
Each practice is currently publicising when services are available and we are proposing to add further services to our existing provision, from October 2022.
In addition to the services provided from each practice we are working with our neighbouring practices to offer appointments across the week and on Saturdays. As always, the availability of appointments will be dependent on our capacity, however, please ask the practice receptionist if you would ideally like an appointment outside the normal core hours. It is important to stress that the number of appointments offered outside the normal hours will only be a small proportion of our total appointments, as it is important that we do not undermine our normal level of service particularly given the current high levels of demand and our workforce challenges.
As we have stated we are sure that the time our practices provide services (outside of core hours) reflects the preferences of our patients, but we would be pleased to hear your views so that we can continue to evaluate the best times to offer services.
