Complaints Procedure
Do you have a complaint about your physiotherapist’s treatment, or are you dissatisfied with the way your paediatric physiotherapist treats you? If so, it is important to let us know. This is important for you, for other patients and for the quality of paediatric physiotherapy at our practice.
First, talk to your paediatric physiotherapist. To begin with, it is worth discussing the matter with your therapist or contacting the practice where your therapist works. If you find it difficult to raise the issue in a conversation, you can bring someone along, such as a family member or someone you trust.
Complaints Form – KinderfysiotherapieAmsterdam
If you are unable to resolve the matter with your therapist, it is a good idea to arrange a meeting. To make your complaint clear, you can submit it by email to: info@kftamsterdam.nl, stating ‘complaint notification’ in the subject line. The therapist concerned is then required to respond within 6 weeks.
KNGF Complaints Procedure
If a conversation does not lead to the desired result, you can submit your complaint to one of three bodies:
- the Complaints Committee
- the Supervisory Committee
- the Regional Disciplinary Tribunal
The body you choose depends on what you want to achieve with your complaint. Each committee has different powers when it comes to taking action.
In all cases, your complaint is handled by an independent committee. The complaint procedure is free of charge, except for any costs incurred for assistance, for example if you engage a lawyer. Naturally, all committees handle your complaint with great care and confidentiality.
What Do You Want to Achieve with Your Complaint?
Is your main aim to have your complaint acknowledged? In that case, if the physiotherapist works at a private practice, you can turn to the Complaints Committee. This committee was established by the professional association for physiotherapists in the Netherlands: the Royal Dutch Society for Physical Therapy (KNGF). Physiotherapists working at a healthcare institution (such as a hospital) are generally subject to that institution’s own complaints procedure. In that case, you can contact the institution directly.
You may feel that measures should be taken. You want to prevent the situation from happening again and improve the quality of physiotherapy. In that case, you can turn to the KNGF Supervisory Committee.
If you believe that the physiotherapist should receive a formal reprimand or, in the most serious cases, should no longer be allowed to practise their profession, you can submit your complaint to the government’s Regional Disciplinary Tribunal.
When making your choice, bear in mind that the stricter the measures a body can impose, the longer and more formal the procedures tend to be. The Complaints Committee generally handles cases most quickly. The process becomes more formal at the Supervisory Committee, while proceedings before the Regional Disciplinary Tribunal are the most formal and take the longest.
How Do You Submit a Complaint?
Complaints must always be submitted in writing!
A complaint must always be submitted in writing by you as the patient or, in the case of a child, by the parents. You must sign the complaint. Someone else can also submit a complaint on your behalf, but you must authorise that person to do so. Anonymous complaints will not be considered. Always describe your complaint as clearly as possible and include your own name and address, as well as the name and private or practice address of the physiotherapist.
Send your letter to the body that best matches what you want to achieve with your complaint.
KNGF Physiotherapy Complaints Committee
The Complaints Committee is an independent body. It assesses complaints against physiotherapists or their employees. At your request, an external mediator can be appointed through the Complaints Committee. The mediator will then try to resolve the complaint between you and your physiotherapist.
If you do not wish to use mediation, or if mediation does not produce the desired result, the Complaints Committee will start the formal complaints procedure. This procedure consists of a written investigation followed by an oral hearing. The Complaints Committee investigates the complaint, issues an opinion and may make recommendations to the physiotherapist on how to prevent similar complaints in the future. The physiotherapist must respond to these recommendations but is not obliged to follow them. The committee therefore primarily holds the physiotherapist accountable for their professional conduct. It cannot award compensation or impose penalties.
KNGF Supervisory Committee
The Supervisory Committee deals with the conduct of physiotherapists who are registered in the Central Quality Register and are members of the KNGF. They must comply with the rules of conduct and professional ethics applicable to physiotherapists. Compared with the Regional Disciplinary Tribunal, the threshold for submitting a complaint is lower, proceedings are held in private and the procedure is generally quicker. The process starts with a written investigation, followed by an oral hearing. The Supervisory Committee issues its decision in writing. If it upholds the complaint, it can impose a measure on the physiotherapist. This can range from a warning, a reprimand or suspension of certain membership rights to expulsion from the KNGF and removal from the Central Quality Register. The Supervisory Committee can also decide to publish the case in the KNGF’s association magazine. You, as the person submitting the complaint, will always remain anonymous. The Supervisory Committee cannot prohibit the physiotherapist from practising their profession. If you disagree with the decision of the Supervisory Committee, you can appeal.
Government Regional Disciplinary Tribunal
Physiotherapists are subject to the disciplinary law introduced by the government. You can submit complaints about your treatment or the way you have been treated by a physiotherapist to a Regional Disciplinary Tribunal. If the tribunal upholds your complaint, the physiotherapist may receive a reprimand and, in the most serious cases, may no longer be allowed to practise as a physiotherapist. A decision generally takes some time, and the procedure is more formal than that of the Supervisory Committee. Hearings before the Regional Disciplinary Tribunal are generally public. As the complainant, you may be represented by a lawyer during these proceedings. For detailed information about the procedures, you can contact the Regional Disciplinary Tribunals.
Further Information
Do you have questions about how to submit a complaint or which body is best suited to handle it? Please contact one of the organisations below.
KNGF Member Advice Service
Tel. 033 – 467 29 29
Zorgbelang Nederland
Tel. 0900-2437070 (€ 0.10 per minute)
Addresses of the Relevant Bodies
KNGF Complaints Committee
Secretary of the KNGF Complaints Committee
PO Box 248
3800 AE Amersfoort
Tel. 033 – 467 29 00 (you will be put through)
KNGF Supervisory Committee
Secretary of the KNGF Supervisory Committee
PO Box 248
3800 AE Amersfoort