Complaints

1. Introduction

Apothecare Group Limited trading as Quick Meds is committed to providing a high standard of pharmaceutical care and customer service. We recognise that there may be occasions when patients or customers feel that the service they have received has not met their expectations.

We welcome complaints and feedback because they help us to identify where we can improve. We treat every complaint seriously and deal with it promptly, thoroughly, and fairly. We do not discriminate against or treat anyone differently because they have made a complaint about our service.

This procedure explains how to make a complaint, what will happen when you do, and how we will work to resolve the matter to your satisfaction.

2. Our Commitment

When handling complaints, we will:

Treat you with respect and courtesy at all times.
Deal with your complaint promptly, thoroughly, and fairly.
Keep you informed of progress throughout the process.
Acknowledge and address mistakes openly and transparently.
Use the outcome of your complaint to improve the services we provide.
Ensure that making a complaint does not adversely affect the care or service you receive from us in future.

We handle all complaints in accordance with the standards set by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), including the Standards for Registered Pharmacies (April 2023), and with reference to the principles of the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/309).

3. Who Can Make a Complaint

A complaint can be made by:

Any person who has used our services or who has been affected by an action, omission, or decision made by Quick Meds.
A representative acting on behalf of another person, provided that person has given their consent for the representative to act on their behalf.
A representative acting on behalf of a person who has died, who is a child (under 18 years of age), or who lacks the mental capacity to make the complaint themselves.

Where a complaint is made on behalf of a child or a person who lacks mental capacity, we may need to satisfy ourselves that the representative is acting in the best interests of the person concerned before we can proceed. If we are unable to satisfy ourselves on this point, we will write to you explaining our reasons.

4. What You Can Complain About

You may make a complaint about any aspect of the service you have received from Quick Meds, including but not limited to:

The clinical care or advice provided to you.
The conduct or behaviour of any member of our team, including prescribers, pharmacists, dispensing staff, and customer service staff.
Delays in processing, dispensing, or dispatching your order.
Errors in dispensing, including incorrect medication, incorrect strength, or incorrect quantity.
The quality or condition of products received.
Communication, including the manner in which information was provided or the timeliness of responses.
Any aspect of the consultation or prescribing process.
Our policies or procedures.
The way a previous complaint was handled.

5. Time Limit for Making a Complaint

You should make your complaint as soon as possible after the event or issue that has given rise to your concern. Complaints should ideally be made within 12 months of the date of the event, or within 12 months of the date on which the matter first came to your attention.

We may still consider complaints made outside of this period if we are satisfied that you had good reason for not raising the matter sooner and it remains possible for us to investigate the complaint effectively and fairly.

6. How to Make a Complaint

You can make a complaint by any of the following methods:

By email: [email protected]

By telephone: 0121 628 5318

In writing: Complaints, Apothecare Group Limited, Unit 2 Forge Industrial Park, Forge Lane, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, B76 1AJ

When making your complaint, it would be helpful if you could provide:

Your full name and the email address or contact details associated with your account.
Your order number, if the complaint relates to a specific order.
A clear description of the issue, including dates where possible.
Details of any steps you have already taken to try to resolve the matter.
An explanation of what outcome you are hoping for.

If you make your complaint by telephone and it cannot be resolved immediately, we will make a written record of the details you provide and send you a copy of that record for your confirmation.

7. Informal Resolution

Many concerns can be resolved quickly and informally. If your complaint is straightforward and can be resolved to your satisfaction by the end of the next working day after you raise it, we will do so without the need for a formal investigation. We will confirm with you that you are satisfied with the outcome.

If you are not satisfied with the informal resolution, or if the matter is more complex, we will handle it under the formal complaints procedure set out below.

8. Formal Complaints Procedure

8.1 Acknowledgement

We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days of receiving it. The acknowledgement will be in writing (by email or letter) and will:

Confirm that we have received your complaint.
Provide you with a summary of our understanding of the complaint, so you can confirm we have understood the issues correctly.
Explain how we intend to investigate the complaint.
Provide you with an expected timescale for our response.
Offer you the opportunity to discuss the complaint with us to agree how it should be handled and the expected timescale for resolution.

If you do not wish to discuss the handling of your complaint, we will determine the response timescale ourselves and notify you in writing.

8.2 Investigation

We will investigate your complaint in a manner appropriate to the nature and seriousness of the issues raised. The investigation may include:

Reviewing your account records, order history, consultation records, and any relevant correspondence.
Speaking with the members of our team involved in the matter.
Consulting with our clinical team, including prescribers and pharmacists, where the complaint involves clinical care or prescribing decisions.
Reviewing any relevant policies, procedures, or clinical guidelines.
Where appropriate, seeking independent clinical advice.

We will keep you informed of the progress of the investigation. If it becomes apparent that the investigation will take longer than initially indicated, we will contact you to explain the reason for the delay and provide a revised timescale.

8.3 Response

We aim to provide you with a full written response within 20 working days of acknowledging your complaint. We recognise that some complaints are more complex and may require a longer period to investigate thoroughly. Where this is the case, we will keep you informed and provide updates at regular intervals.

The maximum time within which we will provide a final response is 6 months from the date of receipt of your complaint. If we are unable to conclude the investigation within this period, we will write to you to explain the reasons for the delay and advise you of your right to refer the matter to the relevant external body.

Our written response will include:

A clear explanation of how the complaint has been investigated.
Our findings and the conclusions we have reached.
Where we have identified that something went wrong, an acknowledgement of the error and a clear account of what happened and why.
Details of any action we have taken, or intend to take, as a result of the complaint, including any changes to our policies, procedures, or practices.
An apology where appropriate.
Details of your options if you remain dissatisfied, including how to escalate the complaint to an external body.

9. Complaints Involving Clinical Care

Where your complaint relates to the clinical care you have received, including prescribing decisions, adverse reactions, or clinical advice, the investigation will be overseen by an appropriately qualified member of our clinical team who was not directly involved in the matter.

If your complaint relates to a serious clinical incident, we will also consider whether the matter should be reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) under our pharmacovigilance obligations, and whether notification to the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is required.

Where relevant, we will advise you to report adverse reactions directly to the MHRA via the Yellow Card Scheme at yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk.

10. Governance and Responsibilities

10.1 Responsible Person

In accordance with good governance practice and the principles of the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/309), Apothecare Group Limited has designated a Responsible Person to oversee compliance with this complaints procedure.

The Responsible Person is the Director of Apothecare Group Limited. The Responsible Person has ultimate responsibility for ensuring that complaints are handled in accordance with this procedure and that appropriate action is taken in the light of the outcome of any complaint.

10.2 Complaints Handling

The Responsible Person may delegate the day-to-day management and investigation of complaints to an appropriate member of the team, depending on the nature of the complaint. This may include a senior pharmacist, a member of the clinical team, or a member of the customer service team, as appropriate.

Regardless of who handles the investigation, the Responsible Person retains oversight and is responsible for ensuring the complaint is dealt with properly and that any necessary remedial action is taken.

10.3 Complaints Register

All formal complaints are recorded in our complaints register, which includes the following information:

The date the complaint was received.
A summary of the subject matter of the complaint.
The date the complaint was acknowledged.
The agreed or determined response timescale.
A record of the investigation undertaken.
The outcome and conclusions of the investigation.
Any remedial action taken or recommended.
The date of the final response.
Whether the response was provided within the agreed or determined timescale.
Whether the complaint was referred to an external body.

The complaints register is reviewed regularly by the Responsible Person to identify any recurring themes, systemic issues, or areas for improvement.

10.4 Annual Complaints Report

We prepare an annual complaints report covering the period from 1 April to 31 March each year. This report includes:

The total number of complaints received.
The number of complaints upheld or found to be well-founded.
A summary of the subject matter of complaints received.
Any matters of general importance arising from the complaints or from the way in which they were handled.
Details of any action taken or changes made as a result of complaints received.

The annual complaints report is available to any person on request.

11. Confidentiality

All complaints are treated in the strictest confidence. Information about a complaint will only be shared with those members of our team who need to be involved in the investigation or resolution of the matter.

We process personal information in connection with complaints in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 as retained in UK law by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018) (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (c. 12). For further details, please refer to our Privacy Policy, which is available on our website.

Where a complaint is referred to an external body, we may share relevant information with that body for the purposes of their investigation, in accordance with our legal obligations.

12. If You Are Not Satisfied

If you have been through our complaints procedure and remain dissatisfied with the outcome, you have the right to escalate your complaint to the following external bodies:

General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)

The GPhC is the independent regulator for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and registered pharmacies in Great Britain. You can raise a concern about a pharmacy or pharmacy professional with the GPhC.

Website: www.pharmacyregulation.org

Telephone: 0203 713 8000

Email: [email protected]

Address: General Pharmaceutical Council, 25 Canada Square, London, E14 5LQ

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO)

The PHSO is an independent body that investigates complaints about the NHS and other public organisations in England. The PHSO can investigate complaints that have not been resolved through the service provider's own complaints process.

Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk

Telephone: 0345 015 4033

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

Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)

If your complaint relates to a suspected defect in a medicine, a medical device, or a concern about the safety or quality of a medicine, you can report this directly to the MHRA.

Website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/medicines-and-healthcare-products-regulatory-agency

Yellow Card Scheme: yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk

Nothing in this complaints procedure affects your statutory rights as a consumer under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (c. 15), or your right to take legal action.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this complaints procedure or wish to make a complaint, please contact us:

Telephone: 0121 628 5318

Email: [email protected]

Address: Unit 2 Forge Industrial Park, Forge Lane, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, B76 1AJ

Schedule- Legislation and Regulatory Instruments Referenced

The following legislation and regulatory instruments are referenced within this procedure:

Consumer Rights Act 2015 (c. 15)
Data Protection Act 2018 (c. 12)
Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/309)
UK General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 as retained in UK law by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018)

The following regulatory standards and guidance are also referenced:

GPhC Standards for Registered Pharmacies (April 2023)
MHRA Yellow Card Scheme