Complaints Policy
At Churchdown Osteopaths, the happiness and security of our community, including patients, parents/carers, and staff is our priority. We understand that issues can occasionally arise, so we encourage feedback and take any complaints seriously, striving to resolve them swiftly.
It is important to let us know of any concerns or complaints as soon as possible to give us the chance to put things right, help can only be given about issues that are known. Ideally, complaints should be made within 3 months of the incident. Our complaints policy doesn't cover legal liability or compensation claims.
How to contact us:
Telephone: 01452 714511.
Email: hello@churchdownosteopaths.co.uk
Letter: Jo Edwards (Practice Manager), Churchdown Osteopaths, 102 Chosen Drive, Churchdown, Gloucester, GL32QU
Procedure for Making a Complaint:
Stage 1 – Informal
Most problems are best solved at the time they occur, so please feel free to raise any concerns with your practitioner or the relevant staff member, or ask to speak to the practice manager, Jo Edwards if you feel more comfortable doing this. You can do this by email, phone or during an appointment. This normally results in the matter being resolved immediately and often to your satisfaction. However, we respect that sometimes it is not possible to discuss your concerns at the time they occur and recognise that any concerns or complaints may be brought to our attention at a later stage.
Stage 2 – Formal
If your complaint cannot be satisfactorily dealt with on an informal basis, you may make a more formal complaint in writing. Ideally through completing this form, however, you may also write to us or email us. If you're complaining on behalf of someone else, include written permission from them. Your complaint should detail the issue as clearly and concisely as possible, including any relevant documents such as screen shots of correspondence, and your contact information for our reply. Upon receiving your complaint, we will:
Acknowledge it within two working days, outlining the next steps.
Treat your complaint confidentially, limiting knowledge to essential personnel.
Conduct a thorough investigation, aiming for a resolution within 15 working days. If delays occur for any reason, we will keep you updated.
Where appropriate, we aim to work with you to reach a mutually agreeable resolution.
We will inform you in writing of the conclusion, along with reasons for it and any action being taken or proposed
Where appropriate, learn lessons and use them to review and improve our service.
Keep a record so that continuous themes are identified and can be addressed to prevent further similar complaints from arising.
Any resultant staff disciplinary actions will be handled confidentially.
Stage 3- If You Still Aren’t Satisfied
If your complaint is not against a clinical team member, stage 3 does not apply and the final decision is with the practice owner.
If your complaint is regarding your treatment with one of our Osteopaths and you still don’t feel has been resolved to your satisfaction, you can talk to an independent source. The institute of Osteopathy is the representative body for UK osteopaths and has a very successful record of helping patients who have concerns about their treatment.
Institute of Osteopathy: Freephone 0800 110 5857, or email enquiries@iOsteopathy.org.
The Last Resort
The highest authority for osteopaths is the profession's regulator, the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC). If your complaint is very serious, or concerns safety then you have the option of making a formal complaint to the GOsC. You can do this through their website (www.osteopathy.org.uk/standards/complaints) or by phone on 0207 357 6655. Please note that the General Osteopathic Council cannot award compensation.
We aim to learn from every complaint to continuously improve our services and maintain a high level of satisfaction within our community.