We recognise that, despite our best efforts, there may be occasions when we do not meet your expectations. If this happens, we want to hear from you so that we can investigate your concerns, learn from your feedback and, where appropriate, put things right. This policy explains how you can raise a concern or make a complaint and how we will manage the process.
1. Who Can Make a Complaint?
A complaint may be made by:
- A patient who has used our services
- Someone acting on behalf of a patient with their consent
- A parent or legal guardian acting on behalf of a child
- A person acting in the best interests of a patient who lacks capacity
Where necessary, we may ask for evidence that you are authorised to act on another person's behalf before discussing confidential information.
2. What Can You Complain About?
You may raise a complaint about any aspect of our services, including the supply of medicines, private or NHS pharmacy services, online consultations, prescribing decisions, vaccinations, customer service, or delivery issues. We treat all complaints seriously and investigate them fairly and impartially.
3. How to Make a Complaint
If you are unhappy with any aspect of our service, we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible. Please provide your name, contact details, and any order or prescription references to help us investigate efficiently.
4. How We Will Handle Your Complaint
Once received, we will acknowledge your complaint, review all details, investigate the circumstances with relevant staff or clinical records, and provide a clear written response explaining our findings fairly, openly, and respectfully.
5. Timescales
We aim to acknowledge complaints within two working days and provide a full response within 20 working days wherever reasonably possible. If an investigation is complex and requires more time, we will keep you fully informed.
6. Learning from Complaints
We view feedback as an essential opportunity to improve the quality and safety of our services. Where appropriate, complaints result in additional staff training, procedural changes, service adjustments, or protective policy corrections.
7. Confidentiality
All complaints are handled confidentially and in accordance with data protection legislation. Relevant information and clinical records are only shared with necessary personnel directly involved in resolving the matter.
8. If You Are Not Satisfied
If you remain dissatisfied after our final response, you can escalate your concerns externally. This includes the local NHS complaints process for NHS pharmacy services, professional regulatory bodies, or consumer advice services.
9 & 10. Feedback & Compliments
We also welcome positive feedback! If you would like to recognize a member of our team, please reach out via our contact details. It helps us celebrate good practice and maintain high professional standards.
This policy was last reviewed July 2026. The current version is always published at thekingstonpharmacy.com.