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carol
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carol is offline
Derbyshire.
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 11,869
carol is female  carol has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
26-04-2017, 07:58 AM
1

Making a complaint.

I wondered if anybody on here has ever made a complaint against a professional body and what was the outcome?

I was most dissatisfied with the treatment I received from a chiropractor that I made a complaint to the chiropractic council.. It is going through the process and I will know more in May..

Here is a section of my complaint. First I sent it to the practice owner and later to the chiropractic council. The owner didn't respond.

This is exactly as it happened. Do you think I have cause for complaint?

Dear **** ****

I have been having treatment for trochanteric bursitis at your clinic.
I had an upsetting experience on Monday March 20th and as a result of this I shall not be attending for any more treatments.

The treatment couch I had to lie on needed adjusting and ****** didn't know how to do it so I had to lie in an uncomfortable position. I would have thought a practitioner would have known how to adjust a treatment couch for the comfort of their client!

I was left on my own in that room for an allotted 10 minutes with acupuncture needles stuck in my backside and with a buzzer in case of emergency. When ****** didn't return after 15 minutes I decided to buzz her but she never came. Apparently the buzzer didn't work. It’s lucky I wasn’t having a heart attack or had fallen off the couch!

I waited another 5 minutes over the allotted time, continually pressing the buzzer and hoping she would come. When I realised she wasn’t going to come & remove the needles I got up off the treatment couch and went to the door with the needles still stuck in me and in full view of other waiting patients. I had to request the receptionist to find out where my therapist was. She was then fetched from another room.. I complained about the buzzer that didn't work but she wasn't bothered. She explained that she didn’t come to me because she was giving advice to someone else.

I believe that she should have been concentrating on me during the half hour I was paying for her. I feel she grossly neglected me.

On another occasion she manipulated my spine so hard that it hurt for 2 days afterwards but according to ****** this spinal torture was essential to my treatment!!
(My spine didn’t even hurt until she touched it – it was my thigh & buttock area that was painful)

I have had no choice but to discontinue my treatments.
swimfeeders
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swimfeeders is offline
Shropshire
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26-04-2017, 08:33 AM
2

Re: Making a complaint.

Hi

All professional bodies have a tendency to close ranks and protect their own, a simple fact of life.

If you are dealing with the NHS, then my advice is simple.

Do not complain to PALS.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service

Better known as the Patient Avoidance of Litigation Service.

Go straight for the jugular, a formal complaint and do not back down.

I was horrendously treated by my Local NHS, I made a complaint.

I was put through to PALS.

Quite simply they did everything to avoid any action being taken, including, falsifying the facts.

Not a good idea with an Enforcement Officer, I had taken photos.

I have recently had to reason to make another complaint.

I made it a Formal Complaint.

Again, I was contacted by PALS.

I explained that I had I put in a Formal Complaint, this had not been responded to within the timescale so I was now going to put in a second Formal Complaint because my original one had not been responded to within the published time scale.

I was told in no uncertain terms that nothing would happen until I had been through PALS, as this was NHS Trust Policy.

I responded that this wrong, completely against Guidelines and that I was recording the call.

The response was cynical and brutal, it is not allowed in evidence to record a call without prior notification.

The arrogant idiot was then somewhat surprised when I informed him that when I made the original contact I had stated that that call and all subsequent calls would be recorded, which they had been and that this call was not only recorded but would be admissible.

My Local NHS trust is a nightmare, they have sacked a whistleblower, , they have ignored complaints about a number of deaths of Mothers and Children in Maternity and our now under investigation by Jeremy Hunt.

That investigation has already shown that they knew about the problems years earlier, had ignored the problems, had not carried out any of the original recommendations had had lied about receiving them.

I wish you luck, you will have to be persistent.
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Northamptonshire
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26-04-2017, 08:35 AM
3

Re: Making a complaint.

Carol, that is appalling treatment and I would have certainly complained too.
Firstly, when ever I have had acupuncture needles placed, the practitioner has stayed in the room chatting to me. Sounds like your idiot was fitting in another treatment elsewhere at the same time.

Secondly, if this person didn't know how to adjust the couch, she should have found someone else to do it. She should not have left you uncomfortable for treatment.

I can't comment on the spinal treatment because I don't know enough about it, but sounds like you had sciatica perhaps?
It is true that sometimes you can feel 'tender' for a day or two afterwards, but not real pain!

I go to a McTimonay chiropractor about every 3 or 4 months and she looks after me brilliantly. I would trust her with my life.
I would be very upset if I had been treated like you have. It is bad, and sloppy practice and you did right to report it.
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Barry
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Barry is offline
North Notts
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 15,676
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26-04-2017, 08:36 AM
4

Re: Making a complaint.

Sounds and unpleasant and somewhat frightening experience Carol and I can't blame you for complaining, but in answer to your question no, not personally. Best of luck with it.
Uncle Joe
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Uncle Joe is offline
Brighton UK
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Posts: 25,458
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26-04-2017, 08:51 AM
5

Re: Making a complaint.

Originally Posted by carol ->
I wondered if anybody on here has ever made a complaint against a professional body and what was the outcome?

I was most dissatisfied with the treatment I received from a chiropractor that I made a complaint to the chiropractic council.. It is going through the process and I will know more in May..

Here is a section of my complaint. First I sent it to the practice owner and later to the chiropractic council. The owner didn't respond.

This is exactly as it happened. Do you think I have cause for complaint?

Dear **** ****

I have been having treatment for trochanteric bursitis at your clinic.
I had an upsetting experience on Monday March 20th and as a result of this I shall not be attending for any more treatments.

The treatment couch I had to lie on needed adjusting and ****** didn't know how to do it so I had to lie in an uncomfortable position. I would have thought a practitioner would have known how to adjust a treatment couch for the comfort of their client!

I was left on my own in that room for an allotted 10 minutes with acupuncture needles stuck in my backside and with a buzzer in case of emergency. When ****** didn't return after 15 minutes I decided to buzz her but she never came. Apparently the buzzer didn't work. It’s lucky I wasn’t having a heart attack or had fallen off the couch!

I waited another 5 minutes over the allotted time, continually pressing the buzzer and hoping she would come. When I realised she wasn’t going to come & remove the needles I got up off the treatment couch and went to the door with the needles still stuck in me and in full view of other waiting patients. I had to request the receptionist to find out where my therapist was. She was then fetched from another room.. I complained about the buzzer that didn't work but she wasn't bothered. She explained that she didn’t come to me because she was giving advice to someone else.

I believe that she should have been concentrating on me during the half hour I was paying for her. I feel she grossly neglected me.

On another occasion she manipulated my spine so hard that it hurt for 2 days afterwards but according to ****** this spinal torture was essential to my treatment!!
(My spine didn’t even hurt until she touched it – it was my thigh & buttock area that was painful)

I have had no choice but to discontinue my treatments.

Yes Carol, on more than one occasion!!!

A Doctor was in the habit of carrying out examinations of disabled people on behalf of DWP, writing some of the report but also dictating(???) his medical opinion to his Practice Manager who completed the report on his behalf. When I discovered this and lodged formal complaint, both with the DWP and GMC I was ablke to put a stop to the practice and forced the DWP to re-issue instructions to all GPs hired by them reminding them once again of their duty of confidentiality.
carol's Avatar
carol
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carol is offline
Derbyshire.
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 11,869
carol is female  carol has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
26-04-2017, 09:11 AM
6

Re: Making a complaint.

Originally Posted by swimfeeders ->


If you are dealing with the NHS, then my advice is simple.

Do not complain to PALS.

.

This was a private clinic. I paid £30 for 30 minutes.

The NHS wouldn't provide the treatment I wanted - acupuncture and cold laser therapy.

I had 4 sessions and it did me no good anyway - maybe the NHS were right.
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Mups
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Mups is offline
Northamptonshire
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Posts: 46,083
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26-04-2017, 09:13 AM
7

Re: Making a complaint.

Originally Posted by carol ->
This was a private clinic. I paid £30 for 30 minutes.

The NHS wouldn't provide the treatment I wanted - acupuncture and cold laser therapy.

I had 4 sessions and it did me no good anyway - maybe the NHS were right.


It's possible it was not the choice of treatment that was wrong Carol, more like the imcompetent twit who carried it out at fault.
carol's Avatar
carol
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carol is offline
Derbyshire.
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 11,869
carol is female  carol has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
26-04-2017, 09:35 AM
8

Re: Making a complaint.

I think you're right Mups. I'd read such a lot of good things about cold laser therapy I was eager to try it.

In all the 4 sessions I had I only ever once felt any sensation from it - like a kind of cold fluttering over my skin. The other times I felt nothing at all - it was as though it wasn't switched on.

When I mentioned this to her she said it was because it was at a higher frequency.

Hmmm - I shall never know.
Julie1962
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Julie1962 is offline
Surrey
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Posts: 42,846
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26-04-2017, 09:47 AM
9

Re: Making a complaint.

That's terrible treatment. I did once have a private chiropodist cut my foot so badly I needed to go to a & e for stitches. I refused to pay. He sent two invoices I sent a letter stating my reasons for not paying and heard no more. I wish I'd done more but I couldn't find any professional body it was pre internet days. I since found out he was struck off from the NHS a few years before he treated me.
ruthio
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ruthio is offline
Southern UK
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Posts: 11,732
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26-04-2017, 10:01 AM
10

Re: Making a complaint.

Carol, a second line of attack might be on their website, if there is one.
Sometimes there are customer reviews!!!!
 
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