Complaints policy

01Our commitment

We would rather hear it than not. A complaint tells us where our service has failed someone, and it is the fastest way we improve.

Complaining will never affect your care. It will not change how you are treated, it will not put your prescription at risk and it will not be held against you. That is a commitment, not a courtesy.

02Who can complain

You can complain if you are a patient, if you enquired about becoming one, or if you are acting on a patient's behalf with their written consent. Where a patient has died or lacks capacity, a family member or representative may complain and we will handle it with the appropriate care.

Please raise a complaint within 12 months of the event, or of becoming aware of it. We will still look at older complaints where it is practical and fair to do so.

03How to complain

You can complain in whatever way is easiest for you. Many things are sorted out immediately by patient support, and you are welcome to start there.

• By email to [complaints email address to be confirmed], marked for the attention of the Complaints Manager.
• In writing to the Complaints Manager, Jorja Medical Cannabis, [postal address to be confirmed].
• By telephone on [telephone number to be confirmed], where we will make a written note and send it to you to confirm we have understood.
• Through the contact form on this website, choosing existing patient support as your reason.

It helps if you tell us what happened, when, who was involved, what impact it had on you and what outcome you are looking for. You do not need to use formal language, and you do not need to know the name of a policy.

04What happens and when

05What you can expect from us

• A named person who owns your complaint from start to finish.
• A proper investigation, including the clinical records where relevant, and a clinical opinion from someone independent of the care in question where that is needed.
• A plain English answer that addresses what you actually raised, rather than a general statement of policy.
• An apology where we were wrong, said clearly and without hedging.
• Details of what we have changed as a result, because a complaint that changes nothing has been wasted.
• Confidentiality: complaints are held separately from your clinical record, and only the people who need to see it will.

06If you are not satisfied with our response

You can take your complaint further, and you do not need our permission to do so.

Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS): where we subscribe to the ISCAS Code, you may ask for independent adjudication after you have completed our internal process. ISCAS, [ISCAS subscription details to be confirmed], website iscas.cedr.com.

Care Quality Commission (CQC): the CQC regulates the quality and safety of our service. It does not investigate individual complaints, but it wants to know about poor or unsafe care and uses that information in its regulation. CQC National Customer Service Centre, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4PA. Telephone 03000 616161. Website cqc.org.uk.

Professional regulators: concerns about the conduct of an individual clinician can go to the General Medical Council at gmc-uk.org, or the General Pharmaceutical Council at pharmacyregulation.org.

Information Commissioner's Office: for complaints about how we have handled your personal data. Telephone 0303 123 1113. Website ico.org.uk.

07How we learn from complaints

Every complaint is logged, themed and reviewed by the clinical governance lead. Where a complaint reveals a risk, it goes into our risk register with an owner and a date. Where it reveals a training need, that training is arranged.

We keep complaints records for 10 years from closure, separately from your clinical record, as set out in our privacy notice.