Contact

Westfield Medical Centre

Address
34 Westfield Avenue
Malpas
Newport
NP20 6EY

Telephone
01633 855521

Out of hours GP Service
01633 744285

Email
enquiries.w93045@wales.nhs.uk

NHS Direct Wales
0845 46 47 (2p per minute)

Provides medical advice and treatment for urgent problems when the patient (or the carer) feels that their health problems cannot safely wait until they can contact their own GP, Nurse or Practice Pharmacist. Difficulty in breathing, severe chest/abdominal pain, heavy bleeding, severe burns, collapse and unresponsiveness or symptoms suggestive of a stroke, please ring 999.

If you wish to make a complaint or raise an issue with the practice, please email the details to Dawn Sullivan, Deputy Practice Manager, using the email address enquiries.w93045@wales.nhs.uk. Please see details of our complaints procedure below.

RAISING CONCERNS PROCEDURE

The Practice takes reasonable steps to ensure that the Concerns procedure is accessible to all patients.

We take reasonable steps to ensure that our patients are aware of:

• the "Concerns - Putting Things Right" procedure;

• the role of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and other bodies in relation to concerns about services under the contract; and

• their right to assistance with any concern from independent review services.

If you, the patient, feels able to do so, the best place to start is by talking to the staff who were involved with your care and treatment. They will make their best effort to sort out your concern immediately. If you would prefer to speak to the Manager or Deputy Manager then this can be arranged.

2. Receiving of concerns

The Practice may raise a concern made by, or on behalf of a patient, or former patient, who is receiving or has received treatment at the Practice. A relative or friend may raise a concern on behalf of a patient, however if the response is to include personal information then express consent will be required.

Where the patient is a child, only a parent or other person who has legal responsibility for the child may raise a concern on the patient's behalf.

3. Period within which concerns can be made

 Concerns can be raised no later than 12 months from the date on which the issue occurred or the date the person realised they had a concern
 Acknowledgement of concerns to be made within 2 working days of their receipt
 Response to be sent within 30 working days of receipt of a concern or if that is not possible, the person to be kept informed

4. Concerns handling

(a) The Deputy Practice Manager and Practice Manager are responsible for the operation of the concerns procedure and the investigation of concerns; and

(b) Dr Templeton, as senior partner is responsible for the overall effective management of the concerns procedure and for ensuring that action is taken in the light of the outcome of any investigation.

5. Action upon receipt of a concern

Concerns may be received verbally or preferably in writing and must be handed to Dawn Sullivan, Deputy Practice Manager, or Stacey Clarke, Practice Manager, who must:

- acknowledge the concern in writing within the period of 2 working days beginning with the day on which the concern was received.

- ensure the concern is thoroughly investigated

- provide a full response to the patient within 30 working days beginning with the day on which the concern was received by either the Deputy Practice Manager or Practice Manager

6. Review of concerns

Concerns received by the practice will be reviewed to ensure that learning points are shared with the whole practice team:

Concerns received during the month will be reviewed monthly at meetings of practice staff and managers to ensure any actions required are put into practice.
A full review of all concerns will be carried out annually (at a practice meeting at the end of the clinical year) to identify any trends or additional actions/learning points.

7. Confidentiality

All concerns must be treated in the strictest confidence.

Where the investigation of the concern requires consideration of the patient's medical records, the Deputy Practice Manager must inform the patient or person acting on his/her behalf if the investigation will involve disclosure of information contained in those records to a person other than the Practice or an employee of the Practice.

The practice must keep a record of all concerns and copies of all correspondence relating to concerns, but such records must be kept separate from patients' medical records.

8. Escalation

Concerns raised with the Local Health Board about or by primary care providers

In a new development introduced as part of the Putting Things Right arrangements, if patients do not want to raise their concerns with the staff at their surgery they can now ask a member of the Concerns Team (Aneurin Bevan - 01495 241298) to look into their concern about their primary care provider instead of taking the matter to the practice.

If there is a good reason for doing so, the Practice can also ask a Local Health Board to investigate a concern instead of them. The main points to be aware of are that:

• It is not possible for both the Local Health Board and the practice to investigate a concern
• Local Health Boards will decide, in accordance with the guidance, whether they can investigate a concern about a primary care provider
• Local Health Boards will not be able to investigate all concerns raised about a primary care provider - most should be dealt with locally by the practice

You have the option to raise your concern directly with the Health Board and contact details for the Health Board's Putting Thing Right team & Judith Paget, Chief Executive are:

• Customer Contact Centre - 01495 745656
• Email - puttingthingsright.ABHB@wales.nhs.uk
• Letter - Judith Paget

Chief Executive
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
St Cadoc's Hospital
Lodge Road
Caerleon
Newport
NP18 3XQ

You can also contact your Community Health Council who can provide a free and independent advocacy service, which helps patients or people acting for them to raise a concern.

There are various ways in which you can contact CHC:

• Tel: 0845 644 7814
• Tel: 02920235558
• Email: enquiries@waleschc.org.uk
• Website: communityhealthcouncils.org.uk

Should the outcome still not be satisfactory to you, the option remains for you to contact the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales and the contact details are as follows:

• Tel: 0845 601 0987
• Email: ask@ombudsman-wales.org.uk
• Website: communityhealthcouncils.org.uk