Raising a Concern
COMPLAINTS
Raising your concern
Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily with the person concerned, often at the time they arise, and this may be the approach you try first.
Where you are not able to resolve your complaint in this way and wish to make a formal complaint you should do so as soon as possible after the event and ideally within a few days, giving as much detail as you can, as this helps us to establish what happened more easily. In any event, this should be:
- Within 12 months of the incident.
- Or within 12 months of you becoming aware of the matter.
If you are a registered patient you can raise a concern about your own care. You are not able to raise a concern about someone else’s treatment without their written authority. See the separate section about raising a concern on behalf of someone else.
You can address a written concern to Joanna Watts-Jane who is our Business Manager.
What we do next
The practice follows the guidance set out by the NHS Wales Listening to People framework. This guidance helps to ensure that all patients raising concerns are listened to and that their concern is handled in the same way across all the NHS Wales structure. Please read through the guidance to help you understand what to expect and the timeframes for response.
Raising a concern on behalf of someone else
We keep to strict rules of medical and personal confidentiality. If you wish to raise a concern and are not the patient involved, we will require the written consent of the patient to confirm that they are unhappy with their treatment and that we can deal with someone else about it.
Where the patient is incapable of providing consent due to illness or accident, it may still be possible to deal with the concern. Please provide the precise details of the circumstances that prevent this in your covering letter.
Please note that we are unable to discuss any issues relating to someone else without their express permission, which must be in writing, unless the circumstances above apply.
We may still need to correspond directly with the patient, or may be able to deal direct with the third party. This depends on the wording of the authority provided.
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome
You have the right to approach the public health service ombudsman for Wales. The contact details are:
The Public Health Services Ombudsman for Wales
1 Ffordd yr Hen Gae
Pencoed
CF35 5LJ
Tel: 030 0790 0203
Fax: 01656 641199
Website: www.ombudsman-wales.org.uk
You may also wish to contact Llais; an independent body which provides free and confidential complaints advocacy and support. Contact details are as follows:
Llais
Third Floor
33-35 Cathedral Road
Cardiff
CF11 9HB
Tel: 02920 235 558
Email: enquiries@llaiswales.org
Website: http://llaiswales.org