Complaints Policy
The Olive Tree Clinic
Last updated: September 2026
Our Commitment
At The Olive Tree Clinic, we are committed to providing safe, professional and compassionate care.
We welcome feedback from our patients and recognise that, occasionally, you may feel that our service or the care you have received has not met your expectations.
We take all concerns seriously. Our complaints process is designed to ensure that concerns are listened to, investigated fairly and used to improve the quality and safety of our services.
Making a complaint will not affect the care or treatment you receive from us.
How to Raise a Concern
If you have a concern, we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible so that we have the opportunity to understand what has happened and, where appropriate, put things right.
You can raise a concern:
By email:
hello@olive-tree-clinic.co.uk
By telephone:
07356 234218
In writing:
The Olive Tree Clinic
10 Keel Close
Carlton Colville
Suffolk
NR33 8GT
You may also raise a concern verbally during your visit.
If someone is making a complaint on your behalf, we may need your consent before discussing confidential information with them, unless there is another lawful basis for doing so.
What Information Should I Provide?
To help us investigate your concern, please provide, where possible:
Your name and contact details
The date of your appointment or treatment
Details of what happened
What you feel went wrong
Any relevant information you believe may help us understand your concern
What outcome you would like us to consider
You do not need to know exactly what went wrong in order to make a complaint.
What Happens After You Complain?
We will acknowledge your complaint and review the information provided.
We will aim to:
Understand what has happened.
Review the relevant clinical and administrative information.
Investigate the concern fairly and objectively.
Speak with relevant individuals where appropriate.
Identify whether any action is required.
Provide you with a clear response.
Use learning from complaints to improve our services where appropriate.
Where a complaint identifies a failure or area for improvement, we will consider what reasonable and proportionate action should be taken.
CQC guidance requires complaints to be investigated thoroughly and appropriate action to be taken where failures are identified.
Timescales
We aim to acknowledge complaints within 3 working days of receiving them.
We will aim to provide a full response within 30 working days, where reasonably possible.
Some complaints, particularly those involving complex clinical issues, may require additional time to investigate.
If we are unable to provide a full response within this timeframe, we will explain the reason for the delay and provide an indication of when you can expect a further response.
We will keep you informed where an investigation is taking longer than anticipated.
Clinical Concerns Following Treatment
If your complaint relates to a complication, unexpected outcome or concern following treatment, your safety is our priority.
Where appropriate, we may ask you to attend a review appointment so that your condition can be assessed and appropriate advice or treatment can be provided.
If you experience an urgent or potentially serious medical problem, please seek appropriate emergency medical assistance rather than waiting for your complaint to be investigated.
If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 999 or attend your nearest Emergency Department.
When Something Has Gone Wrong
If we identify that something has gone wrong with your care or treatment, we will aim to be open and honest with you.
Where appropriate, we will explain what happened, discuss the likely implications, apologise where appropriate and explain any steps being taken to address the situation.
This reflects the HCPC's professional standards requiring registrants to be open, honest and candid when something has gone wrong and to apologise to service users where appropriate.
Confidentiality
Complaints will be handled as confidentially as possible.
Information will only be shared where necessary for the investigation, your care, safeguarding, professional or regulatory requirements, or where there is another lawful reason to disclose it.
We will take care to protect your personal and health information throughout the complaints process.
Complaints Made on Behalf of Someone Else
You may make a complaint on behalf of another person.
However, because we have a duty to protect patient confidentiality, we may need the patient's consent before discussing confidential clinical information with you.
Where the patient is unable to provide consent, we may require appropriate evidence that you are authorised to act on their behalf.
If You Are Not Satisfied With Our Response
We hope that we will be able to resolve your concern directly with you.
If you remain dissatisfied following our response, please contact us to explain why you remain unhappy. We will consider whether any further review or action is appropriate.
If your concern relates specifically to the professional conduct or fitness to practise of an HCPC-registered professional, you may also have the option of raising a concern directly with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
For concerns about a regulated healthcare service, you may also contact the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The CQC explains that it cannot normally investigate individual complaints on a person's behalf, but information provided to it can help inform its regulatory work.
Learning From Complaints
We view complaints as an opportunity to learn and improve.
Where appropriate, we will review complaints to identify:
Recurring concerns
Risks to patient safety
Opportunities to improve our services
Changes required to our policies or procedures
Additional training or education requirements
We will take appropriate action where learning identifies a need for improvement.
Respectful Communication
We will always aim to treat people with dignity and respect, including when they raise a complaint.
We ask that patients and others communicating with the clinic do the same.
We understand that complaints can be made when people are upset or frustrated. However, abusive, threatening or discriminatory behaviour towards staff will not be tolerated.
Where necessary, we may restrict communication to written correspondence or take other reasonable steps to protect staff and maintain a safe environment.
Contact Details
The Olive Tree Clinic
10 Keel Close
Carlton Colville
Suffolk
NR33 8GT
Telephone: 07356 234218
Email: hello@olive-tree-clinic.co.uk
Last updated: September 2026