Complaints Procedure

Derby Street Pharmacy 17 Derby Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 3LE

Document Reference: DSP-CP-2024-001 Effective Date: [INSERT DATE] Last Updated: December 2024 Version: 1.0

Our Commitment to You

At Derby Street Pharmacy, we are committed to providing excellent healthcare services and products. We take all complaints seriously and view them as an opportunity to improve our services.

If you are unhappy with any aspect of our service, we want to know so we can put things right and prevent the same issues from occurring again.

How to Make a Complaint

Step 1: Tell Us About Your Concern

The quickest way to resolve most issues is to speak to us directly.

In Person: Visit us at: Derby Street Pharmacy 17 Derby Street Hanley Stoke-on-Trent ST1 3LE

By Telephone: 01782 215215 Ask to speak to the pharmacist or manager on duty

By Email: PharmacyFFT12@nhs.net Subject: “Complaint – [Brief Description]”

By Post: Derby Street Pharmacy Complaints Department 17 Derby Street Hanley Stoke-on-Trent ST1 3LE

What Information We Need

To help us investigate your complaint effectively, please provide:

Information	Why We Need It
Your name and contact details	So we can respond to you
Date of incident	To identify relevant records
Description of what happened	To understand the issue
Names of staff involved (if known)	To investigate fully
What resolution you would like	To try to meet your expectations
Any relevant documentation	To support the investigation

Our Complaints Process

Stage 1: Initial Response

COMPLAINT RECEIVED

↓

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT (within 3 working days)

↓

INVESTIGATION BEGINS

↓

FULL RESPONSE (within 20 working days)

Acknowledgement

We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days of receipt. This acknowledgement will confirm:

That we have received your complaint
A unique reference number for your complaint
The name of the person handling your complaint
Expected timeframe for our full response

Investigation

We will:

Review all relevant records and documentation
Speak to staff members involved
Consult with healthcare professionals as needed
Consider any evidence you have provided

Full Response

Within 20 working days, we will provide a full written response including:

A summary of your complaint
Findings from our investigation
An explanation of what happened and why
An apology where appropriate
Details of any actions we are taking
Information about further steps if you remain dissatisfied

If we need more time: We will contact you to explain why and give you a new target date.

Stage 2: Review (If You’re Still Dissatisfied)

If you are not satisfied with our initial response, you can request a review.

Within 28 days of our response:

Write to us explaining why you remain dissatisfied
A senior manager will review your complaint
You will receive a final response within 20 working days

Contact for Review: Superintendent Pharmacist Derby Street Pharmacy 17 Derby Street Hanley Stoke-on-Trent ST1 3LE

Stage 3: External Escalation

If you are still unhappy after completing our internal process, you have the right to escalate your complaint to external bodies.

Who to Contact Externally

For Pharmacy Service Complaints

General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)

The GPhC regulates pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and registered pharmacies.

Address: 25 Canada Square, London, E14 5LQ
Telephone: 020 3713 8000
Website: pharmacyregulation.org
Online concern form: pharmacyregulation.org/raising-concerns

The GPhC can investigate:

Professional misconduct
Fitness to practise concerns
Standards failures

For NHS Services

NHS England

For complaints about NHS-funded pharmacy services:

Website: england.nhs.uk/contact-us/complaint
Address: NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT
Telephone: 0300 311 22 33

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

If NHS England cannot resolve your complaint:

Website: ombudsman.org.uk
Telephone: 0345 015 4033
Address: Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP

For Consumer/Purchase Complaints

Citizens Advice Consumer Service

Telephone: 0808 223 1133
Website: citizensadvice.org.uk

Local Trading Standards

Contact through Citizens Advice or your local council.

For Data Protection Concerns

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

Website: ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Address: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF

Complaint Timeframes

Under the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009:

Type of Complaint	Time Limit to Complain
NHS service complaints	Within 12 months of incident, OR 12 months from when you first became aware of the matter
General service complaints	Within 12 months of incident
GPhC fitness to practise	No time limit, but report as soon as possible
Consumer rights (faulty goods)	Within 6 years of purchase
Data protection	Within 3 months of your last meaningful contact with us

Extension of Time Limit:

The Complaints Manager has discretion to extend the 12-month limit
Extensions may be granted if there are good reasons why you could not complain earlier
Extensions may be granted if it is still possible to properly investigate the complaint

Quick Resolution:

Complaints made verbally and resolved to your satisfaction by the next working day do not require the full formal complaints procedure

We encourage you to raise concerns as soon as possible while events are fresh and evidence is available.

Types of Complaints We Handle

Service Complaints

Waiting times
Staff attitude or behaviour
Quality of advice given
Communication issues
Accessibility concerns
Appointment issues

Clinical Complaints

Dispensing errors
Incorrect advice
Side effects not explained
Drug interactions not identified
Vaccination concerns

Clinical complaints are investigated with appropriate clinical governance.

Product Complaints

Faulty products
Wrong items supplied
Product quality concerns
Pricing disputes

NHS Service Complaints

Prescription dispensing issues
Minor ailments service
Medicine reviews
NHS waiting times

Data Protection Complaints

Concerns about how we handle your data
Subject access request issues
Breach notifications

What Happens During an Investigation

For Minor Complaints

These can often be resolved immediately by:

Speaking to the pharmacist on duty
Immediate correction of any errors
Explanation and apology

For Formal Complaints

Receipt and logging – Your complaint is recorded in our complaints register
Assignment – A suitable person is assigned to investigate (not someone directly involved)
Evidence gathering – We review:

Patient records (where relevant)
Transaction records
Staff statements
CCTV (if applicable and appropriate)
Policies and procedures

Clinical review – For clinical matters, a pharmacist reviews the complaint
Analysis – We determine:

What happened
Why it happened
What could have been done differently
What changes are needed

Response – We provide you with our findings and any actions taken
Learning – We incorporate lessons into training and procedures

Possible Outcomes

Depending on the nature of your complaint, outcomes may include:

Outcome	Examples
Explanation	Clarifying what happened and why
Apology	Verbal or written apology for failures
Correction	Fixing any errors made
Refund/Compensation	Where appropriate for financial loss
Service improvement	Changes to prevent recurrence
Staff training	Additional training for team members
Policy changes	Updates to our procedures
Disciplinary action	Where serious misconduct occurred

Confidentiality

Your Privacy

All complaints are handled confidentially. Information is shared only with:

Staff directly involved in the investigation
Regulatory bodies (if required)
Legal advisors (if necessary)

Your complaint will not affect your access to pharmacy services.

Record Keeping

We keep complaint records for:

10 years for clinical complaints
6 years for other complaints

Records include:

Nature of the complaint
Investigation findings
Outcome and actions taken
Your response to our resolution

Making a Complaint on Someone’s Behalf

You can make a complaint on behalf of someone else if:

You have their written consent, OR
You are their parent/guardian (for children under 16), OR
You have legal authority (e.g., lasting power of attorney), OR
They have passed away and you are their personal representative

Please provide evidence of your authority to act.

Anonymous Complaints

We accept anonymous complaints, but please be aware:

We cannot respond directly to you
Investigation may be limited without additional information
We may not be able to identify the incident
General concerns will still be considered and addressed

Support When Making a Complaint

Advocacy Services

You may want support from:

NHS Complaints Advocacy

Independent support for NHS complaints
Website: nhscomplaints.co.uk

Healthwatch

Local Healthwatch organisations can help
Website: healthwatch.co.uk

Citizens Advice

General advice and support
Website: citizensadvice.org.uk

Accessibility

We can provide complaint information in:

Large print
Audio format
Easy read format
Other languages (with notice)

Please ask if you need any adjustments.

Unreasonable Complaint Behaviour

While we welcome all genuine complaints, we will not tolerate:

Abusive, threatening, or discriminatory behaviour towards our staff
Persistent unreasonable demands
Complaints that are vexatious or malicious
Repeated complaints about matters already concluded
Recording of staff without consent
Social media harassment or defamation
Attempts to intimidate or coerce staff
Making false or exaggerated claims

In such cases, we reserve the right to:

Limit contact to a single named person
Require all communication to be in writing
Decline to correspond further
Report threats or harassment to the police
Take legal action for defamation or harassment
Ban individuals from our premises (while ensuring access to essential medication through alternative arrangements)
Report conduct to regulatory bodies where appropriate

Documentation: We will document all instances of unreasonable behaviour. This documentation may be shared with:

Legal advisors
Police
Regulatory bodies
Courts (if legal action is necessary)

This will not affect your right to escalate genuine concerns to external bodies.

Our Protection

Staff Wellbeing

We prioritise the wellbeing of our staff. Our team members are entitled to work in an environment free from abuse, harassment, and intimidation. We will always support our staff when dealing with difficult situations.

Legal Rights Reserved

Nothing in this complaints procedure:

Waives any legal rights we may have
Admits liability for any matter
Prevents us from taking legal action where appropriate
Limits our right to refuse service in accordance with our Terms and Conditions

Learning from Complaints

We use complaints to improve our services. Quarterly reviews identify:

Trends and patterns
Training needs
Policy improvements
System changes required

Anonymised complaint data may be shared with:

NHS commissioners
GPhC (as part of governance)
Our quality improvement processes

Serious Incidents

Some matters may be more serious than a standard complaint:

Medicines-Related Harm

If you believe a medicine has caused harm:

Seek medical attention if needed
Report to us immediately
We may report to the MHRA Yellow Card Scheme
Investigation will follow clinical governance procedures

Safeguarding Concerns

If you have concerns about a vulnerable person:

Tell us immediately
We will involve appropriate safeguarding teams
Contact local safeguarding services if urgent

Criminal Activity

If you suspect criminal activity:

Contact the police if appropriate
We will cooperate with law enforcement
GPhC will be notified if required

Contact Summary

Issue	Contact
General complaints	01782 215215 / PharmacyFFT12@nhs.net
NHS services	NHS England: 0300 311 22 33
Pharmacy standards	GPhC: 020 3713 8000
Consumer issues	Citizens Advice: 0808 223 1133
Data protection	ICO: 0303 123 1113
Ombudsman	PHSO: 0345 015 4033

Our Promise

We promise to:

Listen to your concerns with respect and empathy
Investigate thoroughly and fairly
Respond honestly and transparently
Apologise sincerely when we get things wrong
Learn from complaints to improve our services
Follow up to ensure changes are implemented

Feedback and Compliments

We also welcome positive feedback! If we’ve done something well, please let us know.

Leave a review:

Google
uk
Facebook
In person

Your feedback helps us recognise great work and maintain high standards.

Document Control

Version	Date	Changes
1.0	December 2024	Initial release

Derby Street Pharmacy Expert Care Every Step of the Way

This complaints procedure meets the requirements of:

GPhC Standards for Registered Pharmacies (Principles 1.4 and 3)
Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009
NHS Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) Terms of Service
NHS Complaint Standards Framework (Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman)