Raising your Concerns about NHS Direct Wales.  NHS Direct Wales is part of the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust.

The Trust welcomes comments in both English and Welsh language.

Our staff will do whatever they can to make sure you get quick, fair and proper treatment.  However, sometimes things can go wrong and you might not be happy with the treatment you, a friend or a member of your family has received.

If you are not happy with any treatment, or any other part of the service you receive, you can raise a concern or a suggestion to help us improve our services.

The Trust will treat you sympathetically and with courtesy and, as far as is possible, involve you in decisions about how your concern is handled.  We will investigate and provide an explanation and, should we find that something could or should have been done differently, we will advise you what changes will be made as a result.

Before raising a concern it is important to think about what you want to happen and to make this clear at the beginning.  You may want:

• An apology;
• Someone to explain what has happened;
• Some changes or improvements to be made;
• To make sure people recognise their mistakes; and
• To make sure the same thing does not happen again.

Who can raise a concern?

You can raise a concern if you are a patient or if you have been affected, or are likely to be affected by something the NHS Direct Wales has done or not done. 
If you prefer, a carer, friend, relative or your local Community Health Council (CHC) can represent you, but you will be asked to agree to this.
You can raise a concern on behalf of someone else if you have their permission in writing.

Is there a time limit for raising a concern?

You should try and talk to a member staff about your concern as soon as possible but you take raise your concern up to 12 months after the incident. 

How to raise a concern

If you feel able to do so you should raise your concern by speaking to any member of staffor the Shift Lead.  They may be able to sort out your concern immediately.

If you would rather raise your concern formally you can contact a member of our concerns teams by:

Email
Catharyne.Punyer@wales.nhs.uk
Karen.Wells@wales.nhs.uk
Anne.Davies@wales.nhs.uk

Telephone
North Wales – 01745 532929
Central & West – 01792 311704
South East – 01633 626207

You can also write to us:
The Director
NHS Direct Wales
Conwy House
Castle Court
Phoenix Way
Enterprise Park
Swansea
SA7 9LA

What if I need help to raise a concern?

The Community Health Council (CHC) works to enhance and improve the quality of your local health service.  They are your statutory and independent voice in health services provided throughout Wales.  The CHC can provide you with free confidential help and advice if you have a problem or concern with NHS services.  You can find the contact details of your local CHC on the website www.communityhealthcouncils.org.uk

What happens next?

When you raise a concern we will:

• Let you know within 2 working days that we have received your concern (weekends and bank holidays are not included).
• Ask if there are any particular needs that we should be aware of in dealing with your concern
• Ask you how much you want to be involved
• Investigate your concern
• Let you know what we have found and what we are going to do about it
• Let you have a final reply within 30 working days of the date we first received your concern.  If we cannot reply to you in that time we will give you the reasons why and let you know when to expect a reply.

Confidentiality

All information about concerns is confidential: written information on your complaint is kept separately from your call records. NHS Direct Wales staff, who are all bound by the rules of confidentiality, will need to look at your call records when investigating complaints but this will be on a ‘need to know’ basis.

Redress

In some cases further investigations under the Redress arrangement may be needed.  Redress is a range of actions that can be taken to resolve a concern where we have been at fault in causing some harm.  It can include a written apology and explanation of what happened, an offer of treatment/rehabilitation to help relieve the problem and/or financial compensation.  If Redress was to apply to your concern, we would let you know that this meant in more detail.

What should I do if I am still not happy?

If you remain unhappy with our investigation and response to your concern, it may be possible to resolve these by meeting with Trust staff to talk through your concerns in an informal and constructive way.  This often proves a very positive and effective way of reaching a satisfactory outcome for everyone involved. 

If you still remain unhappy you can contact the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.  Their details can be found under Useful Contacts below.

Useful Contacts

Putting Things Right
www.puttingthingsright.wales.nhs.uk

Board of Community Health Councils in Wales
Tel: 0845 6447814
Tel: 029 20 235558
www.communityhealthcouncils.org.uk
Email: enquiries@waleschc.org.uk

Citizen’s Advice Bureau
Tel: 0844 477 2020
www.adviceguide.org.uk/wales

The Public Service Ombudsman for Wales
Tel: 0845 6010987
www.Ombudsman-wales.org.uk
Email: ask@ombudsman-wales.org.uk
Address: 1 Ffordd yr Hen Gae
Pencoed
Cardiff
CF35 5LJ