Making a complaint

Information on this page explains how the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) can help you if you have had a problem with a Chartered Physiotherapist and want to make a complaint.

However, please be advised that with effect from 14 October 2006 there has been a change to the CSP bye-laws. This has a direct bearing on how such complaints will be dealt with in the future. Please see our recent alert New change in CSP bye-laws for more details about impending changes. Please feel free to contact our enquiry team if you would like further information in the meantime: 020 7306 6666.

Alternatively, if you have a complaint about specific CSP products and services, please contact our Customer Liaison Officer in the first instance: contact details are given at the bottom of this page.

• About the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
• Whom do I contact?
• What happens next?
• How to prepare a formal complaint?
• How long will it take for the complaint to be dealt with?
• What is a Preliminary Committee?
• What is a Professional Conduct Committee?
• What happens if a Professional Conduct Committee meets?
• What action could be taken against the Chartered Physiotherapist?
• Where else can I complain?

About the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

Almost all qualified physiotherapists are members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP). To be a member, a physiotherapist must be properly qualified and follow the Rules of Professional Conduct to make sure they provide high standards of care for their patients.

The CSP has a system in place to ensure that any complaints against Chartered Physiotherapists are investigated and resolved. We also have the power to discipline members who break the rules. If necessary we can strike them off our Register of Members.

Whom do I contact?

First you need to contact the CSP about your complaint and tell us the name of the Chartered Physiotherapist involved. You can write to the Complaints Officer, The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, 14 Bedford Row, London WC1R 4ED, alternatively you can telephone 020 7306 6666. You can also check the CSP Rules of Professional Conduct.

What happens next?

The Complaints Officer will send you information as to all the avenues that you can take if you wish to complain. You will receive full details of our complaint procedure and a copy of the Society's Rules of Professional Conduct. The rules set out the high standards that we expect of our members.

The Complaints Officer will check that the person you are complaining about is one of our registered members (we have no powers over non-members). The complaint must be about a member's professional conduct, fitness to practice or about activities, which may damage the reputation of the profession.

How to prepare a formal complaint?

You will be asked to send a detailed account of your complaint to the Complaints Officer. It is essential that you provide:

• the name of the Chartered Physiotherapist
• the address of the Chartered Physiotherapist (if known)
• set out clearly details of your complaint
• include dates and times of relevant incidents
• provide copies of relevant documents and/or treatment notes (if available)
• details of anyone else who has personal knowledge or could support your complaint.

The Complaints Officer will send the written complaint to the Professional Regulation Officer who will check all the information and send it to the Chartered Physiotherapist you are complaining about. A Preliminary Committee will consider your complaint and any comments received from the Chartered Physiotherapist.

How long will it take for the complaint to be dealt with?

The Society takes all complaints very seriously and commits itself to handling them as efficiently as possible towards an early conclusion. Complaints requiring referral to the Preliminary Committee will be dealt with as expeditiously as possible and the Society aims to deal with such complaints within six months from the date the written complaint was received.

What is a Preliminary Committee?

A Preliminary Committee is made up of Senior Chartered Physiotherapists and lay members who have an interest in patient care and public protection. The Preliminary Committee meets in private. Neither you nor the Chartered Physiotherapist will attend the Committee meeting.

• The Preliminary Committee will consider all the relevant facts and decide whether there needs to be further investigation.
• If they think the complaint needs further investigation, they will refer the complaint to a Professional Conduct Committee.
• If they consider the complaint does not require further investigation, the matter will not be referred and the case is closed.
• The Preliminary Committee can also ask either the complainant or the Chartered Physiotherapist to provide further information before they make their decision.
• The Society will inform both parties of the decision.

What is a Professional Conduct Committee?

The Professional Conduct Committee is also made up of Senior Chartered Physiotherapists and lay members who have an interest in patient care and public protection. This Committee will consist of different people from those who considered the complaint at the Preliminary Committee meeting.

What happens if a Professional Conduct Committee meets?

The Society will inform you and the Chartered Physiotherapist of the date of the Professional Conduct Committee hearing. You will also be asked to attend the hearing, which will be open to the public. Prior to the hearing, the Society may need to interview you and take a written statement from you or any other persons involved in the case. The CSP will provide a lawyer at the hearing who will present the case and explain the details of your complaint to the Committee Members. The Chartered Physiotherapist you have complained about may also have a lawyer to represent them at the hearing.

• The Society will prepare the charges to be considered by the Professional Conduct Committee.
• All the relevant facts will be presented to the Committee and you may be called to give further evidence on oath.
• Both you and the Chartered Physiotherapist may be called to give evidence on oath and may be cross-examined, as may any witness.
• The Professional Conduct Committee normally retires to consider its decision. The decision, with reasons will normally be handed down on the same day.
• A Professional Conduct Committee hearing usually concludes within a day.

What action could be taken against the Chartered Physiotherapist?

If the Professional Conduct Committee finds that the complaint is proven beyond reasonable doubt, it will then decide what action should be taken against the Chartered Physiotherapist. The possibilities depending on the seriousness of the matters complained about are as follows:

• remove the Chartered Physiotherapist from the CSP's Register of Members, this means they cannot work as a Chartered Physiotherapist
• the Chartered Physiotherapist may be disciplined as a warning but not removed from the Register of Members
• place the Chartered Physiotherapist under supervision for a period of time and specify that they comply with conditions
• postpone a decision.

Where else can I complain?

There are other places you can complain about a Chartered Physiotherapist.

If your Physiotherapist works in a National Health Service (NHS) either in a Hospital or in the Community Services or in the Community Services you can complain directly to their employer through the NHS complaints procedure. Contact the Physiotherapy Manager at the Hospital NHS Trust or the Primary Care NHS Trust respectively.

The Health Professions Council (HPC)

A Chartered Physiotherapist who works in the NHS must also be a member of the state registration body for physiotherapists: the Health Professions Council (HPC). They also have a complaints procedure.

Independent Healthcare Association

If your Physiotherapist works in an Independent Hospital, Hospice or any other private establishment, you can complain direct to their Employer. If the Hospital is a member of the Independent Healthcare Association there is an agreed complaints system that has to be followed.

The CSP cannot assist you in a claim for compensation. If you wish to claim compensation, you need to consult a Solicitor or your local Citizen's Advice Bureau for more information.

CSP Complaints Officer / Customer Liaison Officer

The CSP may be able to assist you by providing the information contained in this publication in a variety of formats to satisfy individual needs. For further information about the CSP's complaints procedure or any questions about this advice, please contact our Complaints Officer via the Enquiry Handling Unit 020 7306 6666 or via email.