All complaints will be acknowledged within 3 working days of receipt and agreement reached with the complainant about the expected time scale and outcome of the investigation.

• Confidentiality will be respected at all times and the patient’s consent will be sought where complaints are made by anybody other than the patient themselves.
• The practice manager will undertake a thorough investigation of events and seek to address all aspects of a patient’s complaint; taking advice and where beneficial, arranging meetings with the complainant.
• The practice will also ensure that links are established with Social Services and other agencies to ensure a seamless response to
  complaints.
• Every effort will be made to keep the complainant informed of progress and for a final response to be sent to the complainant by the senior partner within the agreed timescale.
• The practice manager will keep a record of all complaints received together with details of timescales and outcomes. This information
  will contribute to the identification of service improvements, staff training needs as well as forming part of the practice’s Annual Report on Complaints for the CCG.

Introduction

To ensure all complaints receive thorough and timely investigation and a detailed response aimed at resolving issues to the satisfaction of all parties. Communicate effectively with the complainant, agreeing a way forward for handling their complaint and meeting agreed timescales. Ensure patients’ concerns are heard and acted upon; encourage and train front line staff to play an active role to resolve issues and where appropriate, to refer matters to the Complaints Manager in a timely manner.

View patient complaints seriously, identify trends and apply learning to improve services for the benefit of all patients.

However this does not affect your right to approach NHS England Kent & Medway if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the way we are dealing with your complaint.

If you are dissatisfied with this response, then you have the right to refer your complaint to the Health Service Ombudsman, by writing to Health Service Ombudsman, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4QP. They can also be contacted on 0345 015 4033 or www.ombudsman.org.uk. They would require a clear statement of what issues remained outstanding.

However, before considering taking this step, we hope you would let us know what aspect of the complaint has not been dealt with satisfactorily and provide an opportunity for us to consider whether there is anything further that could be done locally to resolve matters.

What happens next?

• This policy is concerned with formal complaints defined as “An expression of dissatisfaction from a patient or their duly authorised representative, or any person who is affected by or likely to be affected by the action, omission or decision the practice, whether justified or not.”
• Complaints will be investigated if they are made within 12 months of the event(s) concerned or within 12 months of there being a discovery that there was a cause for complaint. (The practice may waive these timescales if there is good reason for the complaint not being made earlier and it is still possible to investigate the complaint effectively and efficiently.)
• The complaints process will be managed by the Practice Manager under the Practice’s Complaints Procedures and in accordance with NHS Complaints Regulations. Once all investigations are complete, the practice’s response to the complainant will advise them of their right to request a review by the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman should they remain dissatisfied.

Updated 19/09/2024

We strive to offer as many appointments to our patients.
In order to do this we need to have strict guidelines in place to fully utilise every available appointment.
In light of this we have introduced this policy; Did Not Attend (DNA) for our patients.

What can I do to cancel my appointments?

Just let us know.

We would like at least 24 hour’s notice, but we know this is not always possible, so, try and let us know at least 1 hour of your scheduled appointment time.

Letting us know as soon as possible, allows us to rebook another patient into that time slot.

It is your responsibility to update contact details so appointment reminders can be sent.

You can cancel your appointment by:

• Calling us on 01322 223960
• Reply to the text reminder – follow instructions within that text reminder
• Use the NHS app or Patient Access app
• Attend the practice in person to cancel
• Visit our website – Appointment Information & complete “Cancel your appointment online” form

What does “Did Not Attend” mean?

DNA means Did Not Attend.

It is when a patient fails to attend their appointment without a valid reason, which results in a waste of an appointment.

This appointment could have been given to another patient who is in urgent need of care.

We need to cut down on the amount of DNA appointments that occur.

What will happened if I forget to cancel, or miss an appointment?

If you miss ONE appointment:

We will send you a text (or a letter to those without a mobile number) to remind you that you missed an appointment, and direct you to review this policy, so you are aware of the next steps if you fail to turn up to any other appointments within a 12 month rolling period.

If you miss TWO appointments within a rolling 12 month period:

You will be sent a first warning letter from the practice, asking you to explain why you did not attend, and advising you that another missed appointment could result in you being removed from the practice list.

If the reason is deemed valid, this DNA notification will be updated to accept your reason.

If you miss THREE appointments or more within a rolling 12 month period:

You will be sent a second warning letter.

A telephone appointment will be made for you to speak to the practice manager or patient services team within 4 weeks of your third DNA, to explain why you did not attend, and what is preventing you from cancelling an appointment, to see if we can help you in anyway.

If the reason is valid – we will waive this third DNA, but the first two DNAs will remain.

If no valid reason is given – you will be removed from the practice list.

If you cancel the telephone appointment with the practice manager and do not reschedule it. You will be removed from the practice list.

If you do not answer the call from the practice manager. You will be removed from the practice list and you will have to find a new GP practice to register at.

You will be informed of the decision in writing.

Once a removal has been actioned, you have 30 days to find a new GP practice to accept you onto their register.

You will not be able to re-register with us again for 12 months, from the date the practice manager decides to remove you.

FAQs

1) I failed to attend my pre-booked face to face appointment, but the doctor called me instead, why is this a ‘Did Not Attend’?

Face to Face appointments are highly sought after and these slots types need to be fully utlised in the way they are set up.

We have different appointment types available for face to face and telephone appointments.

Some problems can be dealt with over the phone, so face to face are kept for those that either request a face to face or need an examination.

Failure to attend a Face to Face appointment means another patient that needed a face to face was delayed in being seen, so it would be deemed as a ‘Did Not Attend’

2) I did not bring my child to the appointment, why have I received the ‘Did Not Attend’ message?

A child that fails to attend appointment is recorded as ‘Was not brought in’

A child cannot attend an appointment alone, so we record the DNA as a ‘Was not brought in’

The same DNA policy above applies to you and your child.

We collect the personal data that you may volunteer while using our services. We do not collect information about our visitors from other sources, such as public records or bodies, or private organisations. We do not collect or use personal data for any purpose other than that indicated below:

• To send you confirmation of requests that you have made to us
• To send you information when you request it.

We intend to protect the quality and integrity of your personally identifiable information and we have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to do so. We ensure that your personal data will not be disclosed to State institutions and authorities except if required by law or other regulation.

Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should be aware that we don’t have any control over the other websites. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting these sites.

This practice is supporting vital health and care planning and research by sharing your data with NHS Digital. For more information about this see the GP Practice Privacy Notice for General Practice Data for Planning and ResearchGeneral Practice Data for Planning and Research (GPDPR) – NHS Digital

Your information will be passed, with all identifiers removed, to a collaborative programme called the Kent and Medway Shared Health and Care Analytics Board. It will be used for population health management purposes beyond your individual care, including, for example, planning services, managing finances, early treatment of illnesses (known as risk stratification), co-ordinating and improving patient and service user’s movement through the health and care system, research, and public health enhancement.    

NHS App privacy policy – Version 6.5 – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Your Summary Care Record will contain important information about any medicines you are taking, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines that you have had.

Giving healthcare staff access to this information can prevent mistakes being made when caring for you in an emergency or when your GP practice is closed.

Your Summary Care Record will also include your name, address, date of birth and your unique NHS Number to help identify you correctly.

You may want to add other details about your care to your Summary Care Record. This will only happen if you ask for the information to be included. You should discuss your wishes with the healthcare staff treating you.

Click here to view a leaflet containing more information.

You can choose not to have a Summary Care Record. You need to let your GP practice know by filling in and returning an opt-out form.

Click here to download an opt-out form. Alternatively, you can fill in the online opt-out form below.

During a monthly review of our data

“We carried out a review of the data available to us about The Orchard Practice on 3 March 2022. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.

This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.”

View the Report Here