Complaints Policy - Agentic Wellness

We take all complaints and concerns seriously. If something has gone wrong, or you are unhappy with any aspect of your care or experience at Agentic Wellness, we want to hear from you. Raising a concern will never affect the quality of care you receive.

How to Raise a Concern or Complaint

You can contact us through any of the following channels:

Email: [email protected]
Post: Agentic Wellness Ltd, 27 Brook Road, Urmston, Manchester, M41 5RQ
Telephone: Call the practice and ask to speak to the Complaints Lead
In person: At the clinic premises during working hours

Information about how to complain is displayed at clinic premises, on this website, and in appointment correspondence.

Accessibility

We will make reasonable adjustments to ensure all patients can raise concerns, including accepting verbal complaints by telephone, offering interpretation support, providing information in large print or easy-read format on request, and accepting complaints from an authorised representative, carer or advocate (with the patient’s written consent). We also accept complaints on behalf of deceased patients from a personal representative or next of kin.

Time Limit

We encourage complaints to be raised as soon as possible after the event — ideally within 12 months of the event, or within 12 months of becoming aware of the reason for complaint. Complaints outside this window will be considered at the discretion of the Responsible Person, who will assess whether a fair investigation remains possible.

What to Expect

When you contact us with a complaint:

We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days of receiving it.
We will investigate fully and send you a written response within 28 calendar days. If we need more time, we will contact you before that date to explain why and give a revised timeframe.
We will explain what happened, what we have learned, and what we will do differently.
We will offer an apology where things have not gone as they should.
We will offer you the opportunity to meet with us — by telephone, video or in person — at any stage.

If You Remain Dissatisfied

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may:

Request an internal review by our Responsible Person.
Contact the Care Quality Commission (CQC) — they cannot resolve individual complaints, but take complaint information into account when inspecting services: www.cqc.org.uk · 03000 616161
Contact the General Medical Council (GMC) if you have concerns about a doctor’s conduct or fitness to practise: www.gmc-uk.org · 0161 923 6602
Contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for data protection concerns: www.ico.org.uk · 0303 123 1113
Seek independent legal advice if you believe you have suffered harm due to negligence.

Please note — private patients and the NHS Ombudsman. As a private (non-NHS) provider, Agentic Wellness is not within the jurisdiction of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) for complaints about private care. We are also not currently a member of the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS). This means that, once our local process is exhausted, there is no independent adjudication body for your complaint beyond the regulatory and legal routes listed above. We are transparent about this limitation.

Making a complaint will not affect the quality of care you receive. We treat all complainants with respect and without discrimination.

Scope and Purpose

This policy sets out how Agentic Wellness Ltd receives, triages, investigates, responds to and learns from complaints about all services it provides, including private General Practice consultations and Lifestyle Medicine services (weight management, metabolic health, behaviour change, preventative care).

It applies to all clinical and non-clinical staff working for or on behalf of Agentic Wellness, including sessional clinicians and remote practitioners, and covers all modes of service delivery: in-person, remote/video, telephone, asynchronous messaging and digital programmes.

Regulatory Alignment

This policy has been developed with reference to:

CQC Regulation 16 (Receiving and acting on complaints) and Regulation 20 (Duty of candour) — adopted as best-practice standards ahead of CQC registration.
GMC Good Medical Practice — including duties to respond promptly and honestly to complaints, and to be open when things go wrong.
UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 — governing the lawful handling, storage and retention of complaint records.
Best-practice principles from the NHS Complaints Regulations 2009, adopted selectively as a benchmark. These regulations apply to NHS providers and do not grant patients statutory rights under NHS legislation; patients’ rights under this policy are governed by contract and consumer law.
Medico-legal guidance from the MDU and MPS on effective complaint handling and risk reduction.

Definitions

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction — oral, written or electronic — about any aspect of care, treatment, lifestyle medicine, coaching, administration, fees or service experience, where a response or resolution is expected. A concern is an issue raised that does not necessarily invoke the formal complaints process. Informal feedback can often be addressed immediately.

A notifiable safety incident is any unintended or unexpected incident that, in the reasonable opinion of a healthcare professional, could result in or appears to have resulted in death, severe harm, moderate harm, or prolonged psychological harm. This threshold determines when the statutory Duty of Candour (Regulation 20) is triggered.

Roles and Responsibilities

Responsible Person — Dr Saqib Ahmad

Dr Saqib Ahmad (Company Number 16148763) holds overall accountability for the complaints system, including timeliness, fairness and learning. He reviews and signs off all formal written complaint responses and ensures complaint themes are reviewed at governance and quality meetings.

Complaints Lead

The Complaints Lead receives, triages and logs all complaints on the day of receipt or the next working day; coordinates acknowledgement, investigation and correspondence; monitors timeframes; maintains the complaints register; and prepares learning summaries. Until a separate Complaints Lead is appointed, Dr Saqib Ahmad fulfils this role — a contingency protocol is in place for complaints where Dr Saqib is himself the subject.

All Staff

All staff treat complainants with respect, empathy and without discrimination; escalate any expression of dissatisfaction that cannot be immediately resolved; and never discourage a patient from making a formal complaint.

The Complaints Process

Step 1 — Receipt and Logging

All complaints are forwarded to the Complaints Lead on the day of receipt or the next working day. Each complaint is entered in the complaints register with a unique reference number, date, complainant details, mode of complaint, and classification (clinical, service/experience, outcome-related, or mixed).

Step 2 — Triage

The Complaints Lead assesses the complaint for any immediate patient-safety or safeguarding concern; whether Regulation 20 (Duty of Candour) is triggered; whether multiple providers are involved; and whether the complaint may have legal implications requiring early notification to our medical defence organisation.

Step 3 — Acknowledgement (within 3 working days)

A written acknowledgement is sent that: thanks the complainant; summarises the issues as understood (inviting correction); explains the investigation process and expected timeframe; offers an early meeting; and provides a reference number and contact details.

Step 4 — Investigation

Investigations are fair, proportionate and unbiased, and are documented at each stage. They may include review of the clinical record and programme documentation; written factual statements from involved staff; clinician reflective accounts; review of relevant policies and guidance; and, where necessary, independent clinical review.

Step 5 — Written Response (within 28 calendar days)

A formal written response is signed by or on behalf of the Responsible Person. It addresses each issue raised in clear, accessible language; provides a factual account of findings; offers a sincere apology where appropriate; explains actions taken or planned to prevent recurrence; and sets out escalation routes.

Step 6 — Meeting

A follow-up meeting may be offered before or after the written response. A written summary of any meeting is added to the complaint file. Meetings are conducted without defensiveness, with a focus on listening and honest explanation.

Step 7 — Closure and Learning

The complaint is formally closed when the complainant confirms satisfaction or when further escalation routes have been exhausted or declined. Learning points are fed into clinical governance, quality improvement and staff training.

Lifestyle Medicine: Outcome-Related Complaints

Lifestyle Medicine and behaviour-change programmes — addressing weight, metabolic health, physical activity, sleep, stress and related risk factors — operate in a domain where outcomes are genuinely variable and cannot be guaranteed. This reflects the complexity of human biology and the multifactorial nature of chronic conditions, not a failure of care.

Dissatisfaction where the primary issue is that a patient has not achieved a hoped-for result is distinct from a clinical error complaint and is handled under a specific framework:

Expectation-setting is documented at the start of every programme, including written records of agreed goals, the rationale for the programme, and acknowledgement that results depend on multiple factors including patient engagement.
Investigation will address: whether the initial assessment was thorough; whether expectation-setting was adequately documented; whether progress reviews were conducted; whether changes in circumstances were identified and responded to; and whether any clinical concern is embedded within the outcome dissatisfaction.
Responses will acknowledge disappointment sincerely; explain the clinical rationale with reference to the record; honestly address any aspect of care that could have been improved; and clearly distinguish between outcome dissatisfaction and genuine quality concerns.

Important note on shared responsibility. Patient non-adherence does not automatically negate our duty of care. If we failed to identify and document barriers to adherence, adjust the programme when progress stalled, screen appropriately for underlying medical factors, or document expectation-setting adequately — those are quality concerns that will be addressed honestly, not deflected.

Duty of Candour and Apologies

Statutory Duty of Candour — Regulation 20

Where a notifiable safety incident has occurred, Agentic Wellness will comply with the statutory Duty of Candour by: notifying the affected person as soon as reasonably practicable; providing a face-to-face, video or telephone meeting (not solely a letter); giving an honest factual account of what is known; providing a written record; offering an apology; and signposting to appropriate support.

Ethical Duty of Candour

Even where the Regulation 20 threshold is not met, Agentic Wellness recognises an overarching ethical obligation to be open and honest with patients when things have not gone as intended. This reflects GMC Good Medical Practice and is fundamental to the therapeutic relationship.

Apologies

Saying sorry is not an admission of legal liability. The Compensation Act 2006 explicitly provides that an apology or expression of regret does not constitute an admission of negligence or breach of statutory duty. Where care has fallen below the standard we aim to deliver, we will say so, clearly and sincerely.

Escalation and External Routes

As a private (non-NHS) provider, Agentic Wellness falls outside the jurisdiction of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) for complaints about private care. Patients who remain dissatisfied after local resolution have the following options:

Internal review — Request re-review by the Responsible Person where dissatisfied with the outcome or process. Note: not independent.
CQC — Report concerns to the Care Quality Commission; informs inspection and monitoring decisions but cannot resolve individual complaints or award remedies. www.cqc.org.uk
GMC — Concerns about a doctor’s conduct, performance or fitness to practise. Must reach the fitness-to-practise threshold. www.gmc-uk.org
ICO — Complaints about data protection or breaches of confidentiality only. ico.org.uk
ISCAS — Independent adjudication for private sector complaints. Agentic Wellness is not currently an ISCAS member; this route is not available to our patients. We keep ISCAS membership under annual review.
Legal advice — Civil claim for negligence or breach of contract. Subject to limitation periods.

Confidentiality and Records

Complaint records are personal data — and in most cases special category health data — processed under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Records are processed only for the purpose of investigating complaints and quality improvement; access is restricted on a need-to-know basis; and records are not shared with third parties without consent, except as legally required.

Complaint records are retained for 8 years from the date of closure (or until a patient’s 26th birthday for complaints relating to treatment received as a child, if later), to align with limitation periods for potential civil claims. After the retention period, records are securely destroyed.

Patients have the right to request access to their complaint file under UK GDPR Subject Access Request provisions. Data protection concerns — including suspected breaches of confidentiality — should be notified to the Responsible Person immediately, who will assess whether ICO notification is required within 72 hours.

Our full Privacy Notice is available at agenticwellness.com/privacy-policy.

Learning and Quality Improvement

Complaints are a valuable source of information about what is and is not working. Agentic Wellness is committed to a culture in which complaints are treated as learning opportunities, not threats.

Individual complaint learning points are documented at closure and shared with relevant staff.
Themes and patterns are reviewed quarterly by the Responsible Person.
Significant complaints or those involving patient safety are reported to the next clinical governance meeting.
Changes to policies, processes, clinical protocols or patient communication are tracked and their impact reviewed.
Complaint learning contributes to clinician appraisal and continuing professional development, consistent with GMC requirements.
An anonymised annual complaint summary is produced and retained for a minimum of 5 years as evidence of learning and improvement.

Policy Owner: Dr Saqib Ahmad — Responsible Person
Company Number: 16148763