Concerns & Complaints Procedure

We always welcome your feedback

We are committed to providing accessible, inclusive, high-quality services to all our clients. If you are unhappy about something you have experienced with us, we want to help you tell us about it so that we can do our best to put things right for you and improve experiences for others in the future.

We welcome you letting us know about anything you are concerned or unhappy about, including:

  • The clinical care, treatment or services you have received (e.g. assessment, therapy, training)
  • How we have communicated with you, or provided you with information
  • Administrative matters (e.g. appointment scheduling, billing)
  • The physical environment we provide (e.g. facilities, accessibility)
  • The attitude or behaviours of any members of our team or the professionals who provide services through our Practice

We will take any complaints seriously, and aim to handle complaints quickly, effectively and in a fair and honest way. We will treat all complaints in confidence, only sharing information in ways you have agreed with, or that we are legally or professionally required to.

Helping you express your concerns

We always aim to be compassionate, supportive and collaborative, and this includes if you tell us you are unhappy about something we have done. We hope that we can help you to communicate your concerns to us directly, but we recognise that expressing a concern or complaint can be challenging, and that you may find it difficult to explain how you feel and what you want to happen next. Everyone in Scotland experiencing mental health difficulties is entitled to independent advocacy. In Edinburgh, AdvoCard provides individual advocacy for anyone experiencing mental health issues. You can find out more about how they can help you at https://www.advocard.org.uk/mha-team/

How you can make a complaint

You can complain by sending an email to us at admin@shorepsychology.co.uk, or you can send a written complaint by post to 2 Sandport Place, Edinburgh, EH6 6EU. Alternatively, you can telephone us on 07512 020 029 [but please be aware we may, where appropriate, ask you to provide further details in writing.]

How we handle complaints

A Practice Director or our Clinic Lead will initially review the complaint. We will acknowledge a complaint within 5 working days and give you the name and contact details of the person investigating it. We will keep you informed about the progress of the investigation and aim to have all complaints completed within 28 working days unless we agree a different time scale with you.

Time limits for making a complaint

You should register a complaint as soon as you can after the date on which the event occurred. If you complain more than twelve months later, we may not be able to investigate properly. Consideration will, however, be given as to whether you had good reason for not making the complaint sooner and whether, despite the delay, it is still possible to investigate the complaint effectively and fairly.

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome

At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will arrange for a Director, our Clinical Lead or a Senior Associate who has not had any dealings with your matter to review the initial decision. We will write to you within 28 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.

If you are still dissatisfied at this stage

In addition to the procedures, we have in place at Shore Psychology, each of our practitioners is registered with a regulatory body. These details can be found in the profile of each professional on our website. These bodies each have their own set of ethical and professional standards, and ways that you can complain if you are unhappy about the professional services you have received. Wherever possible we would like to help you resolve any concerns or complaints you may have with the Practice or with any of our practitioners to your satisfaction, without you feeling you need to raise a complaint with a regulating body.

Shore Psychology CIC. Concerns & Complaints Procedure V 1.0 January 2025