The Boerhaave clinic aims to treat, care for and inform you as effectively as possible. It is important for us that you are satisfied with the services and care we provide.
But despite this, things may go differently to how you expected, prompting you to make a complaint. It is important for you, as well as for us, that you let us know about anything you are not satisfied with. Only in this way will it be possible to start looking for a solution, together with you. After all, the clinic can learn from your complaint. You can rest assured we will take your complaint seriously and handle it with due care and attention.
It is the patient’s right to voice a complaint and have it dealt with, as set out in the Health Care Quality, Complaints and Disputes Act.
What is a complaint?
We understand a ‘complaint’ to be the expression of dissatisfaction. It may relate to your treatment and care by medical or nursing staff, or to the way in which another member of staff deals with you. You may also submit complaints for example about organisational matters.
Who do you make a complaint to?
We advise you to first discuss your complaint with the person to whom your complaint relates. In this way you will give them the opportunity to acknowledge any errors or failings. Misunderstandings can be corrected.
To enable us to handle your complaint, we would ask you to complete our complaints form. You can access our complaints form here.
Complaints officer
It may be that your complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction with the person in question. It may also be that you are unable or unwilling to discuss your problem or complaint directly with the person or people involved. You can file your complaint either verbally or in writing with our clinic’s complaints officer.
Receipt and mediation by the complaints officer
When you file your complaint, you should state what you wish to achieve by the complaint and how you wish your complaint to be further handled. Our complaints officer will then take care to guide you through the complaints procedure as effectively as possible. If you want, the complaints officer can, for example, set up a meeting between you and the person involved in the complaint. It is also possible for the complaints officer to attend this meeting as an impartial partner.
Non-disclosure
The complaints officer has an obligation not to disclose information you provide. Only with your consent will your complaint be made known to others, for example the Board of the clinic. Your personal data will of course be handled with the utmost care.
Further handling of your complaint
If the mediation services provided by the complaints officer have not led to the results you are looking for and you wish to proceed formally with the complaint, the complaints officer will officially send your complaint to the Board of the clinic. The Board of the clinic will then endeavour to reach a decision on the complaint within six weeks of receiving it. In exceptional cases, it may be necessary to extend this period by a further four weeks. You will obviously be kept informed in good time in this respect.
Assessment by the complaints committee
To help the Board of the clinic assess the complaint, it usually asks for advice from the complaints committee. The complaints committee is set up by the Board of the clinic. The complaints committee is tasked with delivering an opinion on the submitted complaint. It does this by collating all the relevant information and then analysing it.
The complaints committee is independent and is made up of representatives from various disciplines within the clinic and a practising GP in the local area. The independent chair is a lawyer and is not connected to the clinic. The committee is bound not to disclose information. It will deal with your complaint with the utmost care and impartiality.
Depending on the complaint, the committee looks at how it can best be investigated. In some cases, a hearing is arranged to which both parties are invited.
As a general principle, the complaints committee issues an opinion on the merits of the complaint within 4 to 6 weeks. This period may be extended, in consultation with the complainant.
The opinion of the complaints committee is not binding. It is not possible to lodge an appeal with the complaints committee against its opinion on the validity of the complaint.
The committee will send its opinion to you, to the person concerned in your complaint and to the Board of the clinic. It may also advise the Board of the clinic to take measures to avoid this situation from happening again.
Please click here for the complaints procedure of the complaints committee.
Decision by the Board of the clinic
The Board will consider the opinion delivered by the complaints committee and will notify you of whether it endorses the complaints committee’s findings, the decisions it has reached about and further to the complaint and the period within which agreed measures will be implemented.
To handle your complaint in the way described above, we observe the statutory period of six weeks, possibly extended once only by a further four weeks, to reach a (provisional) decision on the complaint. In consultation with the complainant, this period may be extended. On expiry of the statutory period, the complainant has the option of bringing the matter before the disputes committee for the health care sector.
Geschillencommissie Zorg
Postbus 90600
2509 LP The Hague
Tel.: +31 (0)70 310 5380
Not satisfied?
If you are not satisfied with the findings of the complaints officer, the complaints committee or the Board of the clinic, you may also present your complaint to one of the following independent bodies. They will then set up their own investigation and will reach a decision based on legal standards.
Regionaal Tuchtcollege (Regional Disciplinary Tribunal)
Secretariaat: Gerechtsgebouw
Postbus 84500
1080 BN Amsterdam
Tel.: +31 (0)20 541 2776
Inspectie voor de Gezondheidszorg (Dutch Health Care Inspectorate)
Postbus 20584
1001 NN Amsterdam
Tel.: +31 (0)20 580 0100
Civil court
Criminal court
The following body may also be contacted to answer questions or provide advice:
Klachten in de gezondheidszorg voor patiënten [Complaints in Health Care for Patients]
Tel.: +31 (0)900 243 7070
Whistleblower procedure
Click on the following link to access a PDF file of the rules of procedure for whistleblowers:
Whistleblower procedure at Boerhaave
A final word…
We hope you will never actually have a need for this information and that your contact with the Boerhaave clinic is a pleasant experience. For any additional information on the complaints procedure, please do not hesitate to contact the clinic during office hours, tel.: +31 (0)88 400 0200.