A 12-week review of the way NHS Wales handles concerns and complaints will begin this month, Health Minister Mark Drakeford announced today (Monday 10 February).
The Review of Concerns (Complaints) Handling within NHS Wales will be led by Keith Evans, the former Chief Executive and Managing Director of Panasonic UK and Ireland, supported by Andrew Goodall, Chief Executive of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.
Terms of reference for the review include:
- Review the current process to determine what is working well and what needs to improve;
- Consider if there is sufficiently clear leadership, accountability and openness within the process;
- Identify how the NHS in Wales can learn from other service industries;
- Consider the wider cultural ‘patient’ service ethos and how staff are supported to deal with patient feedback;
- Identify how the NHS can demonstrate it is learning from patient feedback.
Mark Drakeford said:
“The vast majority of people tell us they are happy with the care provided by the health service in Wales, and a positive experience is the norm. However, when things don’t happen as they should, the NHS in Wales must listen, learn and take action.
“The current system for handling concerns, based on the principle of ‘investigate once, investigate well’ is almost three years old. It is therefore timely that we review how well the NHS in Wales handles concerns and build on the progress already made.
“I am keen that we learn from those with a track record in excellent customer care in other sectors. I have therefore asked Keith Evans to lead this review, which will begin immediately and report back to me after three months of investigation.”
