Suggestions & Complaints
Risca Surgery
Complaints Procedure
We offer a practice-based complaints procedure to deal with comments, suggestions or complaints about the services we offer.
Our aim is to give you the highest possible standard of service and we try to deal swiftly and properly with problems that may occur. We always try to provide the best possible service, but there may be times when you feel that this has not happened. This information sheet explains what to do if you have a complaint about any of the services we that we provide for you.
This procedure is not able to deal with questions of legal liability or financial compensation. Neither will it affect your right to take your complaint to Aneurin Bevan Health Board if we cannot resolve matters to your satisfaction. We hope that you will use it to allow us to investigate any problems you have identified and allow us to put right any mistakes that have been made.
Please understand that we have to respect patient’s confidentiality. An individual patient’s consent will be necessary if a complaint is made by another person on their behalf and a response will then be made to both parties.
If you wish to make a complaint, please speak to our Administration Manager or deputy. Whilst we will endeavour to deal with simple complaints made verbally immediately, please note we cannot investigate complaints fully unless they are made in writing and signed. This also ensures that all the facts are accurately recorded and enables appropriate time to be given to the investigation.
We think it is important to deal with complaints as quickly as possible. Once you have completed a written complaint, it will be acknowledged within two working days and a full written response will be made within 20 working days in most cases. Where this is not possible, we will inform you of the reason for the delay and when you can expect a full response. We will try to address your concerns fully, by providing you with an explanation and detailing any action that may be needed on our part to improve our service to you.
We hope that you will feel that your complaint has been properly handled, fully investigated and the matter resolved. If this is not the case, you will be invited to discuss the matter further with our Managing Partner and one of our GPs when you will be welcome to bring along a friend or relative. If you remain dissatisfied and the complaint is referred to Aneurin Bevan Local Health Board, we will do our utmost to co-operate with either its informal or statutory complaints procedure.
Should the complaint fail to be resolved locally, complainants may seek an Independent Review by the Gwent Community Health Council. Their advocacy service can be contacted in writing at Raglan House, 6-8 William Brown Close, Llantarnam Business Park, Cwmbran NP44 3AB, by telephone on 01633 838516, or FAX 01633 484623 or by e mail on gwentchc@chc.wales.nhs.uk. Alternatively you may go direct to the Public Service Ombudsman for Wales (the Ombudsman) at 1 Ffordd yr Hen Gae, Pencoed, CF35 5LJ, telephone 01656 641150, e mail on “ask@ombudsman-wales.org.uk”