Complaints Policy

How to raise a concern about our service, and how we will respond

Canvera Ltd | Version 1.0 | Effective 01.06.2026 | Last reviewed N/A

Note for review: This is a working draft prepared as a starting point. It must be reviewed by a UK-qualified healthcare and data-protection solicitor before publication. Fields in [square brackets] are placeholders to be completed. References to CQC registration reflect application-pending status; update wording once registration certificate is issued.

1. Our commitment

Canvera Clinic is committed to providing safe, effective and respectful care. When things don't go as they should, we want to know — quickly, so we can put them right, and in detail, so we can learn and improve.

This policy explains how to raise a concern or make a formal complaint, what we will do when you do, and how you can escalate a complaint if you are not satisfied with our response.

We follow the principles set out in the NHS Complaint Standards and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's guidance on complaint handling, adapted for private healthcare. We also follow the requirements of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009 (Regulation 16: Receiving and acting on complaints), which apply to our service once our CQC registration is issued.

2. Who this applies to

Anyone can use this process to raise a concern, including:

patients or former patients;
family members, carers or representatives of patients (with the patient's consent, where the patient has capacity);
members of the public who have interacted with our service.

Raising a concern will not affect the care we provide.

3. Before making a formal complaint

Many concerns can be resolved quickly by talking to us first. If you feel able to, please contact us as soon as possible — often a short conversation or message is enough to put things right. You can reach us at help@canveraclinic.com or through your patient portal.

If informal resolution does not work, or you would prefer to make a formal complaint from the outset, please follow the process below.

4. How to make a formal complaint

You can make a formal complaint in any of the following ways:

Email: help@canveraclinic.com
Post: The Complaints Manager, Canvera Ltd, C/O Elixir Aldershot Enterprise Centre, 14-40 Victoria Road, Aldershot, United Kingdom, GU11 1TQ
In-service message: through the secure messaging function in your patient portal.

Please include:

your name and a way to contact you;
the date(s) the concern relates to and, if relevant, the name of any clinician or staff member involved;
a clear description of what happened and what you think should be done;
any supporting documents.

If the complaint is made on behalf of another patient, we may need their written consent before we can discuss their care with you.

5. What happens next

We aim to handle every complaint promptly, thoroughly and fairly. Our standard timeframes are:

Within 3 working days: we will acknowledge receipt of your complaint in writing and let you know who is handling it.
Within 20 working days: we will investigate and provide a full written response. The investigation will usually be led by the Registered Manager or a senior clinician not directly involved in the events complained of.
Complex cases: if we cannot respond within 20 working days (for example, because we need to gather records from elsewhere), we will tell you why and give a realistic timeframe. We will keep you updated.

Our response will set out:

what we found;
whether we uphold the complaint in whole, in part, or not at all, and why;
what action we are taking (including any changes to our service);
how to escalate the complaint if you are not satisfied.

6. If you are not satisfied with our response

If you are not satisfied with our final response, or with how we have handled your complaint, you can escalate. The right route depends on what your complaint is about.

6.1 Independent complaints adjudication

We are in the process of applying to the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS), which provides independent adjudication of complaints about private healthcare providers. If you remain dissatisfied after our final response, you can ask ISCAS to consider the matter.

Website: iscas.cedr.com
Email: info@iscas.org.uk
Telephone: 020 7536 6091

6.2 Care Quality Commission (CQC)

The CQC regulates healthcare providers in England. The CQC does not generally investigate individual complaints, but it uses information about concerns to inform its inspections. You can share information with the CQC at any time:

Website: cqc.org.uk
Telephone: 03000 616161

Note: we are in the process of CQC registration. This policy will be updated to include our CQC registration number once it is issued.

6.3 General Medical Council (GMC)

The GMC regulates doctors in the UK. If you have concerns about a doctor's fitness to practise — for example, serious clinical errors, dishonesty, or behaviour that puts patients at risk — you can raise the matter with the GMC.

Website: gmc-uk.org
Telephone: 0161 923 6602

6.4 General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)

The GPhC regulates pharmacies and pharmacists in Great Britain. Complaints about dispensing — for example, errors with your medication, packaging or advice — should generally be directed to Canvera Pharmacy in the first instance, under its own complaints process. If you remain unhappy, you can raise concerns with the GPhC.

Website: pharmacyregulation.org
Telephone: 020 3713 8000

6.5 Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)

If you have experienced an adverse reaction to a medicine, please tell us and the MHRA via the Yellow Card scheme:

Website: yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk

6.6 Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)

Complaints about how we handle your personal information should be directed in the first instance to our Data Protection Officer (see Privacy Policy). You also have the right to complain to the ICO:

Website: ico.org.uk
Helpline: 0303 123 1113

6.7 Legal rights

None of the routes above affect your right to take legal action. If you are considering legal action you may wish to seek independent advice. Services such as Citizens Advice (citizensadvice.org.uk) and the Law Society's "Find a Solicitor" tool (solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk) can help.

7. Complaints about other Canvera group entities

If your complaint concerns Canvera Pharmacy or another entity in our group, we will work with them to make sure the complaint is handled in the right place and that you get a single coordinated response where possible. With your consent, we will share the information necessary to achieve this.

8. Vexatious, abusive or repeated complaints

We take every complaint seriously. In rare cases, we may decide that a complaint is vexatious — for example, because the same issue has already been fully investigated and responded to, or because the correspondence is abusive. Where we do so, we will explain the decision in writing and tell you what you can do next. Abuse of our staff is not tolerated.

9. Confidentiality, fairness and learning

We will keep information about your complaint confidential and share it only with people who need to know in order to investigate and respond. We will not treat you less favourably because you have complained. We will use what we learn from complaints to improve our service, and we will share anonymised learning across our clinical and operational teams.

10. Accessibility

If you need help to make a complaint — for example, because English is not your first language, or because of a disability — please tell us and we will make reasonable adjustments. We can, on request:

accept complaints verbally and transcribe them;
provide information in large print or other formats;
work with an advocate or family member you nominate.

11. Records and reporting

We keep a record of every formal complaint, including the outcome and any action taken. Complaints records are retained for at least 10 years from the conclusion of the complaint, in line with NHS Records Management guidance. Anonymised information about complaints is reviewed regularly by our Registered Manager and Medical Director and reported to our governance committee. Where required, summary information is shared with the CQC and other regulators.

12. Contact

Complaints email: help@canveraclinic.com
Post: The Complaints Manager, Canvera Ltd, C/O Elixir Aldershot Enterprise Centre, 14-40 Victoria Road, Aldershot, United Kingdom, GU11 1TQ

End of Complaints Policy.