GP Negligence
General Practitioners are rightly seen as the core of the NHS. They provide unwavering support across the UK to each and every member of the population.
To give you some idea as to the scale of the service provided, there are around 300 million consultations with GP's every year. This accounts for a massive 90% of the workload of the NHS. Customer satisfaction rates are thought to be around 91% following a recent survey. These statistics have been supplied by the Royal College of General Practitioners [RCGP].
General Practitioner complaints
If you feel that you or a member of your family has suffered in these circumstances, you should initially follow the complaints process outlined below. However the negligence may be so serious or your case so pressing that you wish to immediately seek legal advice on your case.
We would be more than happy to speak with you about your case and have a team of medical lawyers ready to assist you with your enquiry. Contact us today for advice.
A complaint can be made by any person affected by the actions or decisions of a NHS organisation or primary care practitioner. You should normally complain within 6 months of the event(s) concerned or within 6 months of becoming aware that you have something to complain about.
Primary care practitioners and complaints managers in NHS organisations have discretion to waive this time limit if there are good reasons why you could not complain earlier. A complaint can also be made by someone acting on behalf of the patient or person, with their consent.
The first stage of the NHS Complaints system is based around local resolution. The first step is to contact the local organisation you are unhappy with (e.g. GP surgery) to try to resolve your complaint.
If want to continue with your complaint, or prefer not to deal directly with the practice involved, you can do this orally or by writing to the NHS organisation concerned (the Primary Care Trust). If you make your complaint orally a written record should be made by the PCT Complaints Manager. You should receive a response within 10 working days or from the chief executive of the NHS organisation concerned within 20 working days. You should be kept informed of progress if this is not going to happen.
[Source RCGP]
Search for your local PCT:
http://www.nhs.uk/england/authoritiestrusts/pct/default.aspx