Putting Things Right
Raising a concern about the NHS in Wales.
The NHS in Wales aims to provide the very best care and treatment, and it is important that we welcome comments and learn from people's experiences, good or bad. The vast majority of people are happy with the service they receive. Sometimes though, things might not go as well as expected. When that happens, we need to look at what went wrong so we can try to make it better.
What is a concern?
A concern is when you feel unhappy about any service provided by the NHS. By telling us about your concern, we can apologise, investigate and try to put things right. We will also learn lessons and improve services where they need to be better.
Some things cannot be dealt with under these arrangements, such as:
- Private healthcare or treatment (including private dental treatment).
- A complaint that was made and investigated under the arrangements in place before 1 April 2011.
Who should I talk to about my concern?
If you feel able to do so, the best place to start is by talking to the staff involved with your care so they can try to sort out your concern immediately. If that does not help, or you do not want to speak to those staff, you can contact a concerns team.
For concerns about a GP, dentist, pharmacist or optician, you should normally ask the practice to look into it for you. If you prefer, you can ask your Local Health Board to do so.
To raise a concern about Crwys Pharmacy, please speak to any member of the team in store, or contact us on 029 2037 3631 or [email protected]. See also our complaints procedure.
Who can raise a concern?
You can raise a concern yourself. If you prefer, a carer, friend, relative or your local Community Health Council (CHC) can represent you — you will be asked to agree to this.
How soon should I tell someone?
It is best to raise a concern as soon as possible after the problem happened. You can take up to 12 months to let us know. If longer has passed but there are good reasons for the delay, tell us anyway — we may still be able to help.
What happens next?
We will:
- Let you know we have received your concern within 2 working days (weekends and bank holidays not included).
- Ask about any particular needs we should be aware of in dealing with your concern.
- Ask how much you want to be involved and, if needed, get your consent to access your health records.
- Investigate your concern and keep you updated as we do so.
- Write to you with the outcome, an apology if appropriate, and what we will do to put things right and learn from it.
Independent support
Your local Community Health Council (CHC) provides a free and independent advocacy service that can help you raise a concern. They can also put you in touch with specialist advocacy services if you need them.
Summarised from the NHS Wales "Putting Things Right" leaflet. For the full national guidance, ask a member of our team.