Complaint Policy

Many problems can be resolved quickly and informally with the person concerned at the time they arise. If this is not possible, or you wish to make a formal complaint, you can do so in writing as soon as possible after the event.

Ideally, complaints should be made:

• Within 12 months of the incident; or
• Within 12 months of becoming aware that there is something to complain about.

Please include as much information as possible to help us investigate your concerns.

If you are a registered patient, you may complain about your own care. If you wish to complain on behalf of another person, we will normally require their written consent before we can investigate the complaint, unless you have the legal authority to act on their behalf.

You can make a complaint by:

• Emailing bnssg.bvm.complaints@nhs.net
• Writing to the Operations/Complaints Manager at your usual surgery
• Completing one of our Complaints Forms, available from reception at any of our branch surgeries or available to download below.

You are welcome to submit your complaint in your own format provided it includes all the relevant information.

What happens next?

We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days and investigate the concerns raised. We aim to provide a full written response within:

• Four weeks for administrative complaints.
• Six weeks for clinical complaints.

If we need longer to complete our investigation, we will explain why and keep you updated on our progress.

Complaints about your personal information (Data Protection)

If your complaint relates to how Bridge View Medical has collected, used, stored or shared your personal information, you can raise this using our normal complaints process.

In accordance with the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, we will:

• Provide a clear process for raising data protection complaints.
• Acknowledge your data protection complaint within 30 calendar days of receiving it.
• Investigate your concerns and take appropriate steps to resolve them.
• Keep you informed of progress where appropriate.
• Provide you with the outcome of our investigation.

If you remain dissatisfied with our response to a data protection complaint, you have the right to raise your concerns with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Further information is available at www.ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

r own format providing this covers all the necessary aspects.

Send your written complaint to:

Bridge View Medical

Southville Surgery

67 Coronation Road

Bristol

BS3 1AS

 

or you can email it to us: Bnssg.bvm.complaints@nhs.net

What happens next

We look to settle complaints as soon as possible.

We will acknowledge receipt within 3 working days, and aim to have looked into the matter within 4 weeks. You may then receive a formal reply in writing, or you may be invited to meet with the person(s) concerned to attempt to resolve the issue. If the matter is likely to take longer than this we will let you know, and keep you informed as the investigation progresses.

When looking into a complaint we attempt to see what happened and why, to see if there is something we can learn from this, and make it possible for you to discuss the issue with those involved if you would like to do so.

When the investigations are complete your complaint will be determined and a final response sent to you.

Where your complaint involves more than one organisation (e.g. social services) we will liaise with that organisation so that you receive one coordinated reply. We may need your consent to do this. Where your complaint has been sent initially to an incorrect organisation, we may seek your consent to forward this to the correct person to deal with.

The final response letter will include details of the result of your complaint and also your right to escalate the matter further if you remain dissatisfied with the response.

·         The name of the Public Service Ombudsman changed on 1 October 2026 from its former name of Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman or PHSO. Further information can be found on its webpage titled A new name for a new chapter Their contact details remain un changed

Making a complaint for someone else

We keep to the strict rules of medical and personal confidentiality. If you wish to make a complaint and are not the patient involved, we will require the written consent of the patient to confirm that they are unhappy with their treatment and that we can deal with someone else about it.

Please ask at reception for the Complaints Form which contains a suitable authority for the patient to sign to enable the complaint to proceed.

Where the patient is incapable of providing consent due to illness or accident it may still be possible to deal with the complaint. Please provide the precise details of the circumstances which prevent this in your covering letter.

Please note that we are unable to discuss any issue relating to someone else without their express permission, which must be in writing, unless the circumstances above apply.

We may still need to correspond direct with the patient, or may be able to deal direct with the third party, and this depends on the wording of the authority provided.

language barriers

The BVM complaints process is open to all patients. Patients who communicate in English as a second language and non-English speakers can make complaints and receive their responses in a way they understand.

You can also contact the CCG Customer Services who work with a translator service in order to remove barriers and enable all patients to contact them with any feedback and concerns.
 

If you are unhappy with the care provided at Bridge View Medical and you want to make a complaint but need support to do this, or would rather not complain directly to us, there are a few options. The following links will take you to external sites.

We have and will continue to work with our patients via these avenues to ensure that we are doing all that we possibly can to improve our service.

Patient General Feedback

Bridge View Medical is a large practice, caring for over 35,000 patients.

There will be things we do that may not work for everyone, and we need patient feedback to recognise any problems. 
Equally when something goes well we want to know from our patients that it has.

Sometimes you may want to pass feedback on to us, but not necessarily as a complaint. You can do this in a few ways, please click the patient feedback link below for information on how to do this.

Complaints and the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
We welcome feedback and complaints, and we want to understand your experience in 
your own words.
We are committed to handling complaints fairly, openly and compassionately, in line with 
the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s NHS Complaint Standards.
Some people choose to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to help write complaints or 
emails. We understand that these tools can be helpful in organising thoughts or 
expressing concerns.
However, AI-generated text can sometimes:
• include information that is inaccurate or not relevant;
• use overly formal or legal language;
• make complaints longer or more complex than necessary; or
• make it harder for us to clearly understand your personal experience.
This can occasionally delay our review or mean we need to contact you to clarify the 
details before we can respond fully.
The most helpful complaints are usually clear and concise, and explain:
• what happened;
• when it happened;
• how it affected you; and
• what you would like us to do to resolve the matter.
A short explanation in your own words is often more helpful than a long or highly formal 
letter.
If you choose to use AI tools, we recommend that you:
• check the wording carefully to ensure it reflects your own experience;
• remove any information that is inaccurate or not relevant; and
• take care when including sensitive personal information.
Please be aware that some AI tools may store or use information entered into them.
For further guidance on using AI to support a complaint, you may find this resource from 
the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman helpful:
Using AI tools to help your complaint
If you need support to make a complaint—for example due to language needs, disability, 
learning disability, or mental health or communication difficulties—please let us know. We 
will do our best to support you in a way that works for you