Complaints Procedure

AtWell Clinic is committed to providing an excellent standard of care and service. However, we recognise that occasionally things may not go as well as expected. If this happens, we want to know about it so we can put things right, learn from what went wrong, and improve our service for everyone.

We treat all complaints seriously, fairly, and confidentially. Making a complaint will not affect the quality of your care or your relationship with the clinic.

Step 1: Raise a concern informally

Many concerns can be resolved quickly and informally. If you are unhappy about any aspect of your experience, we encourage you to speak directly with a member of our team at the time, or as soon as possible afterwards. In many cases, we can address the issue straight away.

You can speak with your clinician, our reception team, or our Practice Manager, Mrs Lilli Hennell.

Step 2: Make a formal complaint

If you feel that your concern has not been resolved informally, or if you would prefer to raise the matter formally from the outset, you can submit a written complaint. We ask that formal complaints are made within 12 months of the event in question, or within 12 months of becoming aware of the issue.

Please include the following information to help us investigate:

• Your full name and contact details
• The date(s) of the event(s) you are complaining about
• A clear description of your concern
• The names of any staff members involved (if known)
• What outcome you are hoping for

You can submit a formal complaint by:

• Email: hello@wellclinics.co.uk
• Post: Complaints, AtWell Clinic, 164 Station Road, Balsall Common, CV7 7FD

If you would like to make a complaint on behalf of someone else, we will need written consent from that person (unless they lack capacity to provide it, in which case the complaint may be made by an appropriate representative).

What happens next

Acknowledgement

We will acknowledge your complaint in writing within 3 working days of receipt. The acknowledgement will confirm the name of the person responsible for investigating your complaint and the expected timescale for a response.

Investigation

Your complaint will be investigated thoroughly, fairly, and impartially by a senior member of the team who was not directly involved in the matter. We may need to review your clinical records (with your consent), speak with the staff involved, and examine our processes.

During the investigation, we may contact you to discuss the complaint further or to clarify any details.

Response

We aim to provide a full written response within 20 working days of receiving your complaint. If the investigation requires more time — for example, due to the complexity of the matter or the availability of key people — we will let you know and provide a revised timescale.

Our response will include:

• A summary of the complaint as we understand it
• An explanation of what we found during our investigation
• An apology where we have fallen short of the standard expected
• Details of any actions we are taking to prevent the issue from recurring
• Information on what to do if you remain dissatisfied

Step 3: If you are not satisfied

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint, you may request a review by the clinic’s Registered Manager or a Director of MRL Health Ltd. Please write to us within 28 days of receiving our response, explaining why you remain dissatisfied and what resolution you are seeking. We will carry out a further review and respond within 20 working days.

External escalation

If you have exhausted our internal complaints process and remain unsatisfied, you have the right to escalate your complaint to the following external bodies:

Care Quality Commission (CQC)

The CQC is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. While the CQC does not resolve individual complaints or award compensation, they use information from complaints to inform their inspections and regulatory decisions. You can share your experience with the CQC:

Telephone: 03000 616161
Website: cqc.org.uk/give-feedback-on-care

Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS)

If the clinic is a subscriber to ISCAS, you may refer your complaint to them for independent adjudication after completing our internal process.

Website: iscas.org.uk

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO)

For complaints about NHS-funded services (if applicable), you may contact the PHSO:

Telephone: 0345 015 4033
Website: ombudsman.org.uk

Professional regulatory bodies

If your complaint relates to the professional conduct of an individual clinician, you may contact their professional regulatory body directly:

• Doctors: General Medical Council (GMC) — gmc-uk.org
• Physiotherapists and other allied health professionals: Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) — hcpc-uk.org
• Nurses and midwives: Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) — nmc.org.uk

Data protection complaints

If your complaint relates to how we have handled your personal data, you may contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Please see our Privacy Policy for further details.

Support with making a complaint

We understand that making a complaint can sometimes feel daunting. You are welcome to have a friend, family member, or advocate support you in making your complaint. If you need help putting your complaint in writing, please let us know and we will assist you.

You can also seek independent advice and support from your local Healthwatch organisation:

Healthwatch Solihull
Website: healthwatchsolihull.co.uk

Learning from complaints

We regard every complaint as an opportunity to improve. All complaints are logged, reviewed for trends, and discussed at team meetings. Where a complaint identifies a systemic issue, we take concrete action to change our processes and prevent the problem from happening again. We report anonymised complaint data as part of our governance and quality assurance framework.

If you remain dissatisfied, you may escalate to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or 0303 123 1113, or the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) at ombudsman.org.uk.

Contact us

If you would like to discuss a concern before making a formal complaint, or if you have any questions about this procedure, please contact:

Mrs Lilli Hennell, Practice Manager
AtWell Clinic (MRL Health Ltd)
164 Station Road, Balsall Common, CV7 7FD
Email: hello@wellclinics.co.uk
Telephone: 01676 545111