Complaints Policy

We want every patient to have a good experience here. When we fall short, we want to know. A complaint is the most direct information we get about where we need to improve, and we would far rather hear it from you than not hear it at all.

Complaining will not affect your care

You will not be treated differently, refused an appointment, or asked to go elsewhere because you have complained. Raising a concern is your right and we would rather you used it.

What we promise

• To make it easy to complain, in whatever way suits you
• To look into it properly
• To keep you informed if it is taking longer than expected
• To be honest about what we find, including where we got it wrong
• To apologise where an apology is due
• To tell you what we concluded, and what we are changing if anything

How to complain

You do not need to fill in a form, use particular words, or say "I am making a complaint". Just tell us.

• In person — speak to any member of our team, or ask for a director
• By phone — 0161 509 7729
• By email — complaints@innatehealthcare.co.uk
• In writing — The Complaints Manager, Innate Healthcare, 120 Union Street, Oldham, OL1 1DU

If you need help to complain

We will make adjustments so you can raise a concern — taking your complaint verbally and writing it up for you to check, providing our response in large print, arranging an interpreter, or allowing more time. Just tell us what would help.

Who can complain

You can complain as a current or former patient, or on behalf of someone else with their written consent. A parent can complain on behalf of a child, and a next of kin or personal representative on behalf of someone who has died. Please raise your concern within 12 months where you can, though we will use discretion where there is a good reason for a delay.

If you would rather not give your name

You can raise a concern without telling us who you are. We will look into whatever we can, and we will use what you tell us to improve. We should be honest, though, that there are limits — without knowing who you are we cannot look at your records, ask you anything further, or let you know what we found.

What happens next

Straight away. Many things are best sorted out on the spot. If we can put it right there and then, we will.

Within 3 working days. For anything more, we will confirm we have received your complaint, tell you who is handling it, and ask how you would like it dealt with and what outcome you are looking for.

Within 20 working days. You will receive a full written response setting out what we found, an explanation, an apology where one is due, and what we are changing. If we need longer, we will tell you why, give you a revised date, and update you every two weeks until we respond.

A complaint is never investigated by the person it is about. We are happy to meet you to talk it through, and you are welcome to bring someone with you.

If you are still unhappy

Please tell us first — we may be able to do more. But you can go outside the clinic at any point, and you do not have to exhaust our process first.

If your concern is about an individual clinician, you can contact their regulator. Regulators look at whether a practitioner is fit to practise; they do not award compensation or resolve billing disputes.

• General Chiropractic Council (chiropractors) — www.gcc-uk.org · 020 7713 5155
• Health and Care Professions Council (physiotherapists) — www.hcpc-uk.org · 0300 500 6184

Independent review

There is no ombudsman scheme for private healthcare in the way there is for the NHS, so if you are unhappy with our final response your routes are the professional regulators above, or independent legal advice. We would rather tell you that plainly than leave you looking for something that is not there.

[This paragraph assumes the clinic does not join ISCAS. If you decide to join, replace it with a description of the ISCAS process and their contact details. Worth confirming current eligibility and fees with ISCAS directly before deciding.]

If your complaint is about how we have handled your information, you can contact the Information Commissioner's Office at www.ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

You can take independent legal advice at any stage. Nothing here affects your legal rights.

What we do with complaints

We look at every complaint for what it tells us about how we work, not just the incident itself. Sometimes that leads to a change — in how we do something, or in what we train people to do. Sometimes the honest answer is that it was a one-off and nothing needs changing.

Either way, telling us is never wasted. We log every complaint and review them together, so something that looks like a one-off on its own may turn out to be the first sign of a pattern. We would not spot that if people did not tell us.