We want patients to feel able to tell us when something has gone well and when something has not met the standard they expected. Complaints are an important part of that feedback.
We review them carefully, respond openly and use the learning to improve our services.
A positive year-on-year change
During 2025/26, School Lane Surgery received 34 formal complaints. This was 23 fewer than the 57 received in 2024/25, a reduction of 40%.
We are encouraged by this improvement, while recognising that each complaint represents a patient’s experience that deserves to be heard and understood.
What the figures tell us
| Theme | 24/25 | 25/26 | What we learned |
| Communication | 7 | 2 | Fewer concerns about how information was explained or shared. |
| Staff attitude, behaviour or values | 10 | 5 | A welcome reduction, while respectful and compassionate communication remains a priority. |
| Clinical treatment | 17 | 9 | Still our largest theme and an important focus. (see below) |
| Appointment-related concerns | 8 | 3 | A reduction overall; the remaining concerns related to obtaining an appointment. |
| Prescription-related concerns | 9 | 3 | Fewer concerns overall, with continued focus on safe and reliable processes. |
A complaint recorded under “Clinical Treatment” does not necessarily mean that the care provided was unsafe or clinically incorrect. Sometimes a complaint arises because a treatment, test, referral or medication requested by a patient was not considered clinically appropriate. Clinical decisions are based on an individual assessment of what is safe, appropriate and likely to benefit the patient, which may sometimes differ from what the patient expected or hoped for.
How we use complaints
- We review what happened and respond to the person who raised the concern.
- We identify whether a change is needed to a process, communication, training or clinical practice.
- We share anonymised learning with the relevant teams.
- We track agreed actions so that learning leads to practical improvement.
- We look across complaints for recurring themes, rather than viewing each case in isolation.
The reduction in complaints is positive, but it does not mean our work is finished. As a surgery we want to be open and honest with our patients.
- Will we get things right every time? No.
- Do we make mistakes? Yes.
- Do we dismiss or ignore when things have gone wrong? No.
- Do we learn and improve from them? Yes.
Please keep talking to us
If you have a concern, we encourage you to contact the surgery so that we can look into it. Raising a concern will not affect your care. Complaints are kept separate from your clinical record.
If we are doing something well, we also value compliments and suggestions, as these help us understand what is working well and where we can do better. So, feel free to leave a Google review!