Giving Feedback On Your Care

We recognise that we will not get things right all of the time, so if you have any concerns or complaints, it is important that you tell us about these straightaway. Most problems can be resolved by simply talking to the staff directly involved in your care or the person in charge of the ward or department.

What can I do if I have a complaint about my treatment, or treatment of a relative?

In the first instance please raise this with a member of staff in the hospital who is providing car to the patient. They should be able to resolve this directly with you or find someone to help you. If you need help to raise an issue further, please contact us by one of the following methods:

• By phone the PALS and Complaints Department (01934 647216).
• Calling into the office situated by the outpatient waiting area in the front entrance of the Hospital.
• By email: wnt-tr.pals@nhs.net.
• By post to the PALS and Complaints Team, Weston General Hospital, Grange Road, Uphill, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 4TQ.

Alternatively you can contact SEAP (Support Empower Advocate Promote) advocacy). SEAP is available to help you raise a complaint and advise you should you require assistance with your complaint. SEAP can help you by providing free, independent and confidential support. Their contact details are:
PO Box 375,

Hastings

TN34 9HU

Tel 0330 440 9000

www.seap.org.uk

What if information would be helpful?

To help us respond efficiently if you can provide us with the following:

• Patient details (name, address, date of birth, telephone number and hospital number)
• Your contact details if different.
• The ward/department the concerns relate to.
• As much information as possible about the concern you wish to tell us about.
• What your desired outcome is.

We respect the need for patient confidentiality and if you are writing about someone else, we need to know you have his or her permission. A form of authority will need to be completed. This form can be requested by contacting the Department. (A copy is also available on our website).

What happens next?

Local resolution

The PALS and Complaints Department staff will co-ordinate an investigation which tries to find out what has happened and whether there is any action we can take to put things right. Following investigation, the Chief Executive will respond to you in writing, setting out the investigation findings, within the timescale agreed with you.

Will my care be affected if I make a complaint?

Please be assured that your care will not be adversely affected by raising a complaint it might very well improve your care. Please be assured that any complaint you make, written or verbal, will be treated in strict confidence, will not be recorded on any medical notes.

Learning from Complaints

Complaints are valuable experiences from which to learn. We treat complaints seriously and do our best to ensure an incident is not repeated. One of the ways we do this is by sharing the outcome of a complaint with the staff. The complaint is anonymised to respect confidentiality. If you do not wish your complaint to be utilised in this way, please let us know and we will honour your wishes

What happens if your complaint is not resolved satisfactorily?

You can refer your complaint to the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman whose contact details are as follows:

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
Tel: 0345 015 4033

Please note that if you wish to make a complaint you should do so within 12 months of the event that is being complained about or within 12 months of discovering the problem.

The Trust is committed to creating an organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity and outcome for all, and this is free from discrimination, harassment or victimisation of any sort. We aim to ensure that the Trust's service delivery and employment practices meet the highest possible equality standards.