Complaints policy

Birmingham Local Medical Committee Limited (BLMC) seeks to provide high quality services to its member practices at all times. We recognise that sometimes things go wrong. We will treat all complaints seriously and investigate them thoroughly, in an unbiased, transparent and timely way, and we will tell you the outcome.

Who this policy covers

BLMC is a statutory organisation created to represent the interests of general practitioners and their practices in Birmingham, and to negotiate with other organisations on their behalf. It is not a patient-facing organisation. This policy applies to complaints relating directly to the services provided by BLMC.

Who can complain: a general practitioner or an employee of a member practice.

Who cannot: BLMC does not accept complaints from members of the public, including patients of member practices or their relatives, as it has no remit to deal with such matters. Patients should raise concerns with their practice or the NHS.

What counts as a complaint: an expression of dissatisfaction about an act, omission or decision of BLMC, whether verbal or written, justified or not, which requires an investigation or response.

What happens when you complain

• We acknowledge it within three working days of receipt.
• We talk to you about how it will be handled, the expected timescales and the outcome you want. You will have a named contact who keeps you updated.
• We investigate and respond in full within 40 working days. If that is not possible, we will update you every 10 working days until it is resolved.
• Our response will explain how we considered your complaint, what happened, whether it is upheld in full or in part, our conclusions, any action taken and any lessons learnt. We will apologise where appropriate.

You may withdraw your complaint at any time. Complaints should be made within 12 months of the matter occurring, or of you becoming aware of it; we may consider older complaints where it is still possible to investigate effectively.

If you are not satisfied

You may ask the BLMC Board to review the outcome. The Board’s decision is final. If you remain dissatisfied after this, you may contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

Confidentiality

Complaints are handled in strict confidence. Information is only shared with those who have a demonstrable need to see it, and in line with BLMC’s data protection obligations.

Persistent or unreasonable contact

Where contact is persistent or unreasonable and the complaint has been fully investigated under this policy, BLMC may decide not to respond further unless a new, previously unaddressed concern is raised.