Our success is based on our reputation for patient care, quality of product and value for money. It is a reputation of which we are justifiably proud and strive to improve. In order that we do this we take all patient complaints extremely seriously and give our commitment that, in the unlikely event that you may have a complaint we will fully investigate and do our utmost to resolve any genuine complaint.

All our staff are chosen because, apart from the other attributes needed for the job, they have an over riding ambition to care for our patients in the best possible way. Naturally we are all human and a in people based profession such as optometry it is unavoidable that, from time to time, a patient will have a grievance. All our staff are encouraged to understand that receiving a complaint is an opportunity to excel by resolving the problem presented. It is part of our clinical governance objectives to learn and thereby improve our services to all our customers and feedback from our patients is an vital part of the process.

How to Complain

Informal complaints ~ The vast majority of complaints are resolved at the time in the practice. If you are returning to the practice with a grievance please try and see the staff member who last served you. Apart from giving them the opportunity of rectifying your complaint it also makes continuity of communication much easier and will speed any resolution of your problem.

• Formal complaints ~If you do not receive satisfaction or for any reason you do not wish to see the original member of staff you should ask to see the supervisor or manager of the practice. This more formal process will comprise of the discussion being recorded on our “complaints record form”. This will aid clarity and ensure that the staff member to whom you are complaining fully understands your complaint. The form will document your complaint and the resolution agreed by the both of you. If the problem cannot be resolved immediately the form will record the timescale expected for the resolution.
• Written complaints ~ By their nature written complaints are formal. These should be made, in the first instance to the practice manager of the practice you attended. Your communication will be immediately acknowledged. This communication will outline the procedure & time scale required to investigate and report back on your complaint.

• Escalation Procedure

In the unlikely event that this process does not meet with your satisfaction you are invited to make your complaint directly to the Group General Manager at the address shown below. The Group General Manager will guarantee to fully investigate the complaint including reviewing any clinical or other records and the complaints form completed in the original practice. This means that it may be necessary for the Group General Manager to complete his investigations and contact you. This will be done within 3 days.

In extremely unlikely event that you feel your problem remains unresolved you have the right to complain to either the Optical Consumer Complaints Service (service or product related complaints) or the General Optical Council (clinical complaints) at the addresses shown below.

If your complaint remains unresolved and is related to an incident involving National Health Service funding you have the right for your complaint to be reviewed by the Healthcare Commission. This must be done within 2 months of your complaint. They can be contacted by phone on 0845 601 3012 or in writing at Healthcare Commission, FREEPOST NAT 18958, Complaints Investigation Team, Manchester M1 9XZ or visit www.healthcarecommission.org.uk

Complaining On Behalf Of Others

Due to confidentiality of clinical data it is not possible for us to respond to third parties regarding a complaint without express written permission from the patient.

Robert Frith Optometrists, Wesley House, 12 Bell Street ,Shaftesbury, Dorset, SP7 8AR

The Optical Consumer Complaints Service, OCCS, PO Box 4685, London,SE1 6ZB

The General Optical Council, 41, Harley Street, London, W1G 8DJ