Concerns & complaints

At Midland Eye, our aim is to provide first-class independent healthcare for the local community in a safe, comfortable and welcoming environment; one in which we would be happy to treat our own families.

Despite our stringent efforts to ensure that every patient has a positive experience, there will be occasions when patients or visitors may be unhappy with some aspect of their care or the environment.

The information below explains how we will deal with any concerns or complaints you may wish to raise.

In the first instance, if you are unhappy with any aspect of your care, however small, please speak to any member of our staff and we will endeavour to put things right straightaway. If this cannot be done or you remain dissatisfied, our Clinic Manager will be happy to speak or meet with you to resolve your concerns. Any member of Midland Eye staff can make contact with them or, in their absence, an alternative member of the Senior Management Team.

There may be occasions when you wish to express your concerns/complaints in writing. Written complaints should be directed to:

The Clinic Manager
Midland Eye
50 Lode Lane
Solihull
West Midlands
B91 2AW

Your letter will be acknowledged in writing within three working days of receipt and an investigation will begin into your complaint. All complaints are taken seriously and are handled openly and honestly in a bid to be fair to all concerned and to conclude matters to the satisfaction of all parties as soon as possible.

You will receive our response within 20 working days. If our investigations take longer, we will keep you informed. We always try to learn from a complaint and, if appropriate, will adjust our working practices to avoid similar complaints arising.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may take this up with our Clinic Manager, who will either try further to explain our response or, in some circumstances, will arrange an appointment for you to meet with those involved in your care in an attempt to reach a satisfactory conclusion. It is always our intention to resolve complaints but, if you remain dissatisfied, then You may write to the Chief Executive Officer of Aspen Healthcare, Midland Eye’s parent Company:-

The Chief Executive
Aspen Healthcare UK Limited
Centurion House (3rd Floor),
37 Jewry Street,
London EC3N 2ER

The paragraphs above outline our local  process for responding to concerns and complaints. The paragraphs below outline the process to follow if, having exhausted the process above, you continue to remain dissatisfied with the way in which Midland Eye or Aspen Healthcare have handled your concerns/complaint.

If you are a private/self-pay/insured patient

As an independent clinic, we are members of the Independent Healthcare Advisory Services (IHAS). The IHAS, via its Independent Sector Complaints Advisory Service [ISCAS] operates an Independent External Adjudication process for self-pay/insured patients who remain dissatisfied having exhausted the company’s local complaints procedure. If you wish to contact ISCAS to initiate an Independent External Adjudication, then you need to write to:

Independent Adjudication Secretariat
Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service
70 Fleet Street
London
EC4Y 1EU
Telephone number is: 020 7536 6091
Email address is: info@iscas.org.uk
Website is: www.iscas.org.uk

You can read and download the ISCAS Code of Practice here. 

You will need to clarify in writing which aspects of your complaint you wish to refer for adjudication and give your consent to the ISCAS process and the release of any relevant case records.

This must be done within 6 months of receipt of the letter from the Chief Executive. Requests for independent external adjudication may be allowed by ISCAS outside of this timeframe but only in exceptional circumstances. Receipt of your request will be acknowledged within three working days by ISCAS. The assigned adjudicator will be entirely independent of our Hospitals and Clinics and will collect information and agree the key heads of your complaint with you. ISCAS will keep you updated on the progress of adjudication, at a minimum, every 20 days.

• The finality of the decision by the adjudicator.
• Any decision and/or goodwill gesture awarded by the adjudicator brings the complaint process to a close.
• The adjudicators decision is binding on Aspen Hospitals/Clinics.

Where any aspect of your complaint might give rise to a clinical negligence claim, your right to seek independent legal advice remains.

If you are a patient receiving care as an NHS patient

If the NHS has funded your care at a Midland Eye, it is responsible for the quality of this care. So, if you are not happy about the care and treatment you have received, you may make a complaint to either ourselves as outlined above, or to your local Clinical Commissioning Group. We will work together to resolve your complaint. Midland Eye will provide the relevant address on request.

Once you have exhausted Midland Eye’s local process and you continue to remain dissatisfied with how your concern/complaint has been handled, you are entitled to raise your concerns with the Health Service Ombudsman who can be contacted in the following ways:

• Visiting – www.ombudsman.org.uk
• Telephoning the complaints helpline on 03450 154 033 (Monday to Friday 8-30am to 5-30pm)
• Emailing – phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

Writing to:

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP

Midland Eye is also regulated by the Care Quality Commission which monitors compliance with the Health and Social Care Act 2008. The Commission can be contacted via their website at www.cqc.org.uk or at:

The Care Quality Commission
Citygate, Gallowgate
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4PA

We hope that you find this information helpful. Should you have any questions or comments in relation to how your concern/complaint is dealt with, then please do not hesitate to contact our Clinic Manager.