Policies
Complaints procedure
How do I make a complaint or provide feedback?
Providing feedback or making a complaint is very easy. If you would like help doing this, please get in touch.
During your consultation, you will have the opportunity to complete a form and provide feedback on your experience of the service provided at Three Counties Midwifery.
The Care Quality Commission are keen to receive feedback on the services they regulate and can be accessed to provide feedback here: www.cqc.org.uk/contact-us (online form) or email enquiries@cqc.org.uk. Feedback directly to the CQC is welcomed directly to www.cqc.org.uk/tellus
If for whatever reason you are unhappy with the service you have received and would like to make a complaint, you can do so either verbally or in writing by speaking to Georgina Halmshaw at Three Counties Midwifery either face to face or by email: threecountiesmidwifery@gmail.com
​
Please share a preferred method of contact and specify contact details (email, telephone, address) so that I can get in touch with you to acknowledge your complaint and to provide feedback to you.
You may choose to make an anonymous complaint, however in this instance there is no way of feedback and so it may not be possible to provide details on actions or acknowledgement.
If you are making a complaint on the behalf of a patient, consent must be gained from the patient for the purposes of sharing information.
Making a complaint does not compromise consent and confidentiality during the complaints process unless there are professional or statutory obligations that make this necessary, such as safeguarding and where details of any complaints are to be shared with the insurance provider as per insurance policy.
What happens next?
All feedback is gathered and reviewed on an annual basis and this forms part of the feedback and complaints annual peer review which takes place with another qualified Practitioner within the same field of care to assess whether any actions need to be taken.
All complaints are taken very seriously and making a complaint does not mean that there will be any impact on the care that you receive.
A record of your complaint will be held and you will receive acknowledgement in writing within 3 working days to say that your complaint has been received. Please make sure you have provided a form of contact so the acknowledgement can be sent to you.
A timescale for response will be agreed with you and all practical measures will be taken to keep within timescale. You will be notified if there is any delay in responding to your complaint.
Actions will be identified and you will be notified within the agreed timescale of the outcome and actions from your complaint.
​
What If I am not happy with the outcome?
If after receiving feedback, you are not happy with the outcome or actions there are other routes you can take for further guidance, information or support.
You can make contact with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC): http://www.nmc.org.uk/concerns-nurses-midwives/concerns-complaints-referrals/ and/or the Association of Tongue Tie Practitioners (ATP): http://www.tongue-tie.org.uk
You may wish to make contact with the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution. This is an independent organisation who will provide professional mediation and investigation into the nature and outcome of the complaint https://www.cedr.com/consumer/healthcare/privatehealthcaremediation/
Should your complaint be in relation to the handling and/or processing of information, you can make contact with the Information Commisioner's Office (ICO) 0303 1231113 www.ico.org.uk Registration Number: ZB956784
How will your service learn from complaints?
A record of all complaints is kept and the processes of how complaints are handled is reviewed every year.
Where any training needs or needs to amend policy or procedure will take place in a timely manner and where your complaint has highlighted any risks to service users, these will be logged and dealt with immediately.
A peer review will take place where other another qualified Practitioner within the same field of care will review your complaint and provide an objective or non biased opinion on any findings and actions.
Every service user will be given the opportunity to provide feedback on how the service is being delivered and this will be monitored.
Privacy Policy
Privacy Notice and Data Protection
1. At your appointment, you will be asked to sign to say that you have read, understand and agree to this Privacy Notice which applies to this site and all services provided by Three Counties Midwifery.
2. Three Counties Midwifery will only ever use, share and hold your personal information for the purposes of insurance and for providing care to the parent-baby dyad. It is a legal requirement for your health records to be kept for 25 years post last contact after which, the records will be securely destroyed. The information held includes the health questionnaire, the tongue tie assessment, your consent form, any other relevant forms related to the procedure, follow up communications and anonymised photos for training purposes, audit etc.
3. Your information is not stored online, and is not passed on to third parties, and you will not be subscribed to mailing lists. None of the information will be used for marketing purposes unless explicit consent is gained.
4. We use cookies on our website to improve your experience, understand how you use our website and so that we recognize and remember your previously selected preferences. These could include what language you prefer and location you are in. A mix of first-party and third-party cookies are used.
5. You can set your browser not to accept cookies, however, in a few cases, some of our website features may not function as a result.
6. Your infant's anonymised information and/or photographs may be used for auditing, teaching or research purposes. Photographs taken or received are saved on a password protected device before being transferred to an encrypted device along with your health record.
7. Paper records are transported securely to and from the clinic in a locked document carrier in the locked boot of a vehicle. They will be scanned and saved as PDF documents at the earliest opportunity following which they will be shredded in a cross cut shredder.
8. All electronic records will be stored on an encrypted password protected storage device that is not connected to the internet and is kept in a locked safe which in turn is secured in a further locked cabinet. All electronic devices used have anti-virus/spyware protection in place.
9. Should your GP need to be informed of any treatment/procedure undertaken, identifiable data and information from your consultation is included on a letter which will be given to you prior to leaving the clinic for you to hand deliver to your GP.
10. For payment for services, no personal banking details are held by Three Counties Midwifery.
11. Copies of your records are available on request and can be collected in person within 10 working days of the request being received. Upon collection you will be required to provide identification (child’s red health care book, NHS number, proof of address, date of birth) and a signature.
12. Measures are in place to allow you to access your records should I have ceased trading. You would need to contact the ICO to trace the appointed data controller: stating business name: ‘Three Counties Midwifery’ and Registration number: ZB956784 . That will give you the details of who to contact.
13. In the event of your practitioner suffering a critical illness or death, a third-party person would need to access your personal information. This person may take some time to gain legal authority to do so which may result in a delay making contact with you.
14. Should I have concerns relating to the welfare of an infant or adult I believe to be "at risk" to self or others, safeguarding concerns or health complications out of my sphere of practice, I may contact other professionals for additional intervention, thus breaching confidentiality. This may include the GP, Health Visitor, Social Worker or Police.
15. The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) enhances and replaces the current Data Protection Regulations as of 2018. Anyone who holds personal data of any EU citizen through personal identifiable records and mailing lists are obliged to comply.
16. Complaints in relation to a breach in data collection or record keeping should be forwarded to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org,uk Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Head Office,
Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House,
Water Lane,
Wilmslow
Cheshire,
SK9 5AF
​
What are your data protection rights?
Our company would like to make sure you are fully aware of all of your data protection rights. Every user is entitled to the following:
The right to access – You have the right to request our company for copies of your personal data. We may charge you a small fee for this service.
The right to rectification – You have the right to request that our company correct any information you believe is inaccurate. You also have the right to request Our Company to complete the information you believe is incomplete.
The right to erasure – You have the right to request that our company erase your personal data, under certain conditions.
The right to restrict processing – You have the right to request that our company restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
The right to object to processing – You have the right to object to our company’s processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
The right to data portability – You have the right to request that our company transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.
​
​​
Terms and Conditions
1. Please note that this service is available for infants up to 12 months old ONLY..
2. Clinic appointments for oral assessment, frenulotomy and post procedure feeding support are up to 60 minutes in duration.
3. There may be a colleague in attendance at your appointment for the purposes of clinical supervision, observation or assessment.
4. A parent or adult with legal parental responsibilities in law has to be present throughout the appointment, and for consent purposes. The signing of consent must be provided by the birth parent/guardian who must be legally responsible for the infant with full legal/custody rights to the infant's welfare and have in their possession, the PCHR (red book).
5. Your practitioner has a duty of care to make contact with other professionals should any health or safeguarding concerns arise which may cause concern for you or your family's health or welfare.
6. Your infant will need to be handled for the purposes of assessment, examination, and if mutually agreed treatment also.
7. The parent or legal guardian must declare any known allergies or medications taken by the infant or breastfeeding mother/parent
8. Any excessive blood loss may require the use of specialist dressings/techniques or attendance to local Children's Accident and Emergency Department.
9. The practitioner reserves the right to decline the procedure at any point.
10. The appearance and function of your infant’s oral anatomy can change with time. Therefore; should further opinion be sought from myself or an alternative practitioner at a later date, the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis may differ.
11. You may 'opt-out' of any follow-up texts/contact at any point.
12. During lactation consultations, touching of the breast/nipple may be required for the purpose of assessment or when supporting your baby to attach to the breast to feed. Consent will be gained at the appointment in this case.
If you have any questions about these terms and conditions, or the practises of Three Counties Midwifery please contact me in writing at:
Three Counties Midwifery
Crown Cottage,
Lingen,
Shropshire
SY7 0DY
13. Virtual support package: Support is available Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm (excluding bank holidays). Parents may send messages or voice notes, and responses will be provided within working hours (not in real time). This service is designed for ongoing guidance, reassurance, and troubleshooting - it does not replace emergency medical care or a full consultation where a hands-on assessment is needed. If concerns arise that require in-person review, you will be advised accordingly.