Practice Complaints Procedure
If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working in this practice, please let us know. Our complaints procedure meets the national criteria of ‘Putting Things Right’ (Welsh Government - April 2011).
How to Complain
We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be sorted out this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible ideally, within a matter of days or at the most a few weeks because this will enable us to establish what happened more easily.
Complaints should be addressed to Mrs Judith Scourfield, Practice Manager. You can email direct by clicking on the following link Patient Complaint
Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with Mrs Scourfield to discuss your concerns. It will be of great help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.
What we shall do
We shall acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days and aim to have looked into your complaint and responded within 30 working days of the date when you raised it with us. We shall then be in a position to offer you an explanation, or a meeting with the people involved. If these time limits cannot be met, for various reasons, then we will let you know why. When we look into your complaint, we shall aim to:
- Find out what happened and what went wrong
- Make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like to do this
- Make sure that you receive an apology, where this is appropriate
- Discuss the problem with the whole team and if possible ensure that the problem does not recur.
Complaining on behalf of someone else
Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable because of illness of providing this, or a parent complaining on behalf of their child, or the complaint relates to a deceased patient. A consent form can be found by clicking here.
Contacting the Hywel Dda University Health Board
We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our Practice. But this does not affect your right to approach the Hywel Dda Health Board, if you feel that you cannot raise your complaint with us. In this instance you should contact the Local Health Board’s Complaints Officer for further advice by telephoning 0300 0200 159 or emailing hdhb.patientsupportservices@wales.nhs.uk.
You can write a letter for the attention of the Chief Executive, Freepost RTJR-ZKJG-JZTC Patient Support Services, Hywel Dda University Health Board, Fishguard Road Haverfordwest SA61 2PZ
Contacting Llais
Getting help to raise your concern
If you need help to raise a concern, Llais - your voice in Health and Social Care can help you do this. Llais is an independent body and it is a free Advocacy service and can provide information, advice and support to members of the public who wish to raise a concern.
Llais can support you to raise a concern and give advice on the most appropriate course of action. You can contact your local Llais office at the following address:
Carmarthen
Advocacy Service
Llais - West Wales
Suite 5, First Floor
Ty Myrddin
Old Station Road
Carmarthen
SA31 1BT
Milford Haven
Llais - Milford Haven
Suite 18 Cedar Court
Havens Head Business Park
Milford Haven
SA73 3LS
Tel: 01646 697610
Email: westwalesadvocacy@llaiscymru.org
Form more information about Llais and how they can help, please click here or you can access their website here. (opens in new window)
What happens if you are not satisfied?
If you remain dissatisfied, you can ask for an independent review of your complaint by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.
You can write to Public Services Ombudsman for Wales at 1 Ffordd yr Hen Gae, Pencoed,
CF35 5LJ or telephone 0300 790 0203
There is a website too at www.ombudsman-wales.org.uk