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COMPLAINTS INFORMATION

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Complaint Resolution Procedure Patient Leaflet 

 

Definition of complaint 

Any communication involving goods or a service that requires an investigation and formal response. Complaints may be made by letter or e mail.  

 

Process 

If you are unhappy with the facilities or services you have received, we would like to know about it as soon as possible so we can investigate your concerns and explain, apologise and take positive action where necessary. In most circumstances, if you tell us about your concern quickly, we can resolve matters straightaway. To let us know about something with which you are unhappy about please speak with the doctor involved in the first instance. 

 

If you are not fully satisfied, you can put your concerns in writing and use our formal Complaint Resolution Procedure which meets with the requirements set out by the Independent Doctors Federation (IDF) for its members and also the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS).  

 

The Complaint Resolution Procedure has three stages and reflects the principles of the ISCAS Code of Practice: 

 

Stage 1 Local resolution within the individual practice and named clinician. 

Stage 2 Independent Complaint Resolution Procedure to review the complaint 

Stage 3 Independent Adjudication from ISCAS 

 

 

Please note that Stages 1, 2 and 3 fall within the ISCAS Code of Practice for Complaints Management. A copy of this can be obtained from ISCAS.  

 

Scope 

 

Attention is drawn to the sections of the ISCAS Code which clearly explain what the Code does and does not cover. You should understand that if the complaint is not covered by the ISCAS code then stages 2 and 3 will not be available.   

 

 

Stage 1 

To start the formal Complaint Resolution Procedure you should write to: 

 

Clinic Manager 

MindOf 

Golders Hill Health Centre 

151 North End Road 

London NW11 7HT 

 

 

 

You should state what has caused you to have concerns and make your points clear. Please document when the relevant events took place and what results you expect from your complaint. 

 

Complaints should normally be made as soon as possible at Stage 1, and within 6 months of the date of the event complained about, or within 6 months of the matter coming to the attention of the complainant. The time limit may be extended by the Independent Health Practitioner where the complainant has good reason for not making a complaint in the time limit (for example, where a complainant has been grieving), and there is a realistic opportunity of conducting a fair and effective investigation into the issues raised. 

 

The named person at the practice will send you an acknowledgement of your letter within three working days of receipt of the complaint. During the complaint investigation you will be offered a meeting with the Clinician in charge of your care to discuss your complaint. 

 

The investigation of your complaint will involve reviewing records of meeting(s) with you and reviewing all the correspondence and clinical records as well as statements provided by clinicians and others involved.   

 

Reasonable assistance will be provided for complainants where required e.g., for those with a disability or those whose first language is not English.  

 

A full response to your complaint will be made within 20 working days of receipt of the complaint. If the investigation is still in progress after 20 working days a letter will be sent to you explaining the delay and a full response made within five days of reaching a conclusion. In any event a holding letter will be sent every 20 working days where an investigation is continuing. 

 

If you remain dissatisfied following the final Stage 1 response, then you can request a review of your complaint, known as Stage 2 by writing to: 

 

Complaint Management 

MindOf 

Golders Hill Health Centre 

151 North End Road 

London NW11 7HT 

Info@mindof.uk 

 

Complaints must be escalated to Stage 2 within 6 months of the Stage 1 response. Your complaint will be passed to the MindOf Complaint Manager. If the subject of the complaint is a member of the Independent Doctors Federation then this will be passed to the IDF Complaint Manager (see address below). If the subject is not a member of the IDF then the complaint investigation will be carried out by the MindOf Complaint Manager/an Independent Senior Member of the MindOf Team. 

 

Complaint Manager 
The Independent Doctors Federation 
Lettsom House 
11 Chandos Street 
Marylebone 
London  
W1G 9EB 

 

 

Stage 2 

The Independent Complaint Resolution Procedure will consider your complaint. The Complaint Manager will send you an acknowledgement of your letter within three working days of receipt of your complaint and will request a summary of the matters that remain outstanding that you wish to be investigated. You will be invited to attend a meeting at the start of Stage 2 in order to clarify the matters that remain outstanding and obtain a greater understanding of what you hope to achieve by escalating the complaint. The Complaint Manager will not have been involved in the matters that led to the complaint or the handling of the complaint at Stage 1. You will be asked to consent to release of records from the clinician. The Complaint Manager will undertake a review of the documentation, any correspondence and the handling of and response to the complaint at Stage 1. If the review is still in progress after 20 working days a letter will be sent to you explaining the delay and a full response made within five days of reaching a conclusion. In any event a holding letter will be sent every 20 working days where a review is continuing. The Complaint Manager will write to you when the review is completed to either confirm the outcome at Stage 1 or to offer an alternative resolution. 

 

At this time the Complaint Manager will advise you of your right to take the matter further to Stage 3 Independent External Adjudication by the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISACS). 

Throughout the process all information, documents and records relevant to your complaint will be treated in the strictest confidence and no information will be divulged to any parties who are not involved in the Complaint Resolution Procedure, unless required to do so by law.   

 

Stage 3 

This stage is only available to you if you remain dissatisfied once Stage 1 and Stage 2 and aims to bring about a final resolution of the complaint to both parties. 

 

In such a situation you should request the adjudication by writing to the Secretariat: 

 

Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS) 

CEDR (Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution), 3rd Floor 
100 St. Paul’s Churchyard 
London 
EC4M 8BU 

Tel: 020 7536 6091 

Email: info@iscas.org.uk  

 

This written request for adjudication must be made within six months of the final determination by the Complaint Manager at Stage 2. You should provide reasons to explain the dissatisfaction with the outcome of Stage 2.  ISCAS will acknowledge receipt of the request within three 3 working days. 

 

ISCAS will seek confirmation from the relevant Complaint Manager that Stage 2 has been completed. ISCAS will notify the Complaint Manager of a request for Stage 3 independent external adjudication. The Complaint Manager will respond to requests from ISCAS within ten working days and confirm whether Stages 1 and 2 have been completed.  ISCAS will then be your main contact once adjudication is started. You will be asked to consent to the release of records from the clinician and the Stage 2 Complaint Manager. ISCAS will aim to conclude the adjudication within 3-6 months and will keep you updated on the progress of their investigation every 20 working days. A report will be made to you, the clinician concerned and the relevant Complaint Manager. 

 

Additional information for patients about ISCAS can be found at: https://iscas.cedr.com/  

Additional information for patients about the IDF can be found at: IDF – www.idf.uk.net 

 

 

Unacceptable behaviour by complainants 

 

At each stage of the complaints procedure, it might be deemed that a patient’s behaviour is unacceptable. We have a policy in place to handle unacceptable behaviour of complainants.   

 

 

MindOf Limited is committed to review this procedure annually. Last reviewed 05/01/2025 

0207 118 0696
info@mindof.uk

© 2025 by Nerya Studio

MindOf Limited

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