Complaints procedure.

Most of what makes this practice work is trust, and trust survives things going wrong far better than it survives things being brushed aside. If any part of your experience, clinical or otherwise, hasn't been right, I want to hear about it. Raising a concern will never affect the care you receive, and every complaint is treated in confidence.

Step one: tell me

Many concerns are fastest resolved with a conversation. Message or email me and I'll do my best to put things right there and then. If you'd rather go straight to a formal complaint, that's absolutely fine. Skip to step two.

Step two: make a formal complaint

Send your complaint by email to hello@lucysaesthetics.co.uk with "Complaint" in the subject line. It helps if you include:

• your name and preferred contact details;
• what happened and when, including appointment dates if relevant;
• what outcome you're looking for.

If you're complaining on someone else's behalf, I'll need their written consent before I can discuss their care.

What happens next

• Acknowledgement: within 3 working days of receiving your complaint.
• Investigation: I review the records and consider what happened, speaking with you where useful.
• Full response: within 20 working days. It will set out what I found, whether anything went wrong, an apology where one is due, and what will change as a result. If the investigation needs longer, I'll tell you why and give you a revised date.

As a registered nurse, Lucy is bound by the professional duty of candour: if something has gone wrong with your care, you will be told openly, honestly and promptly, regardless of whether a complaint has been made.

If you're not satisfied with the outcome

If my response doesn't resolve things, you can take your concern further:

• Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC): the regulator for nurses. Concerns about a nurse's professional conduct or fitness to practise can be raised at nmc.org.uk. Lucy's NMC PIN is 18I1668E.
• Claims: the practice is fully insured with complication and emergency cover. If you wish to pursue a claim, put it in writing and it will be passed to the indemnity provider promptly.
• Information handling: complaints about how your personal data has been used can go to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or 0303 123 1113. See the privacy notice.
• Consumer advice: Citizens Advice can advise on consumer rights for private treatments: citizensadvice.org.uk.

Records and learning

A log of every complaint, the investigation and the outcome is kept for 8 years, separately from clinical records wherever possible. Complaints are reviewed for patterns, and anything that changes as a result gets changed for every client, not just the person who raised it.

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