News

Health Board’s failures in complaints handling

Published

8 years ago

June 7, 2016

Apology and explanation: Only provided after the persistent efforts

HYWEL DDA UHB has been the subject of a stinging rebuke by the Public Services Ombudsman (PSO) in relation to abject failures in its complaints handing system.

In June 2014, a concerned parent had complained to the Board concerning her son’s ophthalmic care.

The Board did not respond to the complaint.

The frustrated mum complained to the Ombudsman in January this year, asking him to investigate the Health Board’s handling of her complaint and get a response.

HEALTH BOARD DID NOT COMPLY

The Ombudsman resolved the complaint as the Board agreed to undertake a number of actions, which included an apology, financial redress, and confirmation of when a written response would be sent to the parent.

These actions were to be completed by March 15.

Two months later and almost two years since the mum’s complaint was received, the Health Board had not complied with the promises it made to the Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman makes it clear in his report that he is not impressed with the Board’s lackadaisical approach.

STRONG WORDS FOR BOARD

The report issued found: ‘The apology and explanation was only provided after the persistent efforts of my officer in chasing up the letter (after the March 15 deadline).

The Ombudsman goes on to state that his officer was told conflicting information by Health Board staff when pursuing the matter and observed: ‘When it finally arrived, on March 29, two weeks beyond the agreed date, the letter bore the date of March 15. At best this was another example of tardy delay between composing a letter and actually sending it, for no obvious good reason. At worst, it was an attempt to imply, and influence me to conclude, that the Health Board had fully complied within the agreed deadline’.

Moreover, the Board had failed to provide any response to the parent’s complaint and, at the time the Ombudsman issued their report this week, had still failed to respond to her complaint.

OMBUDSMAN’S ‘SERIOUS CONCERNS’

The Ombudsman concluded: ‘The events giving rise to me issuing this report cause me serious concerns about the Health Board’s management of its complaints handling function and also, in light of the above evidence, its candour and governance. It explicitly agreed to undertake actions, as a result of which I did not conduct an investigation into its complaints handling, as I might have and could have done. It then misinformed my CO about the sending of the letter and has further misinformed both the complainant and me about when it would issue the awaited complaint response.

‘Despite my sending the Chief Executive a draft copy of this report, it is disappointing to note that I received no formal acknowledgement of it nor have I received (at the time of my arranging the final text of this report) any formal indication from him that he will implement [the further recommendations made]’.

BOARD BOSS’ APOLOGY

Hywel Dda UHB Chief Executive Steve Moore issued a statement responding to the Ombudsman’s criticisms.

‘On behalf of the health board, I would like to apologise unreservedly for the way in which we handled a complaint about the care received by one of our patients, following a report by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.

‘It is indefensible and should never have happened. I would like to confirm that all actions required by the Ombudsman have been under-taken, although I accept he did not receive my confirmation of this prior to writing his report, and for that I also apologise.

‘We acknowledged last year that our ability to respond in a timely way to all concerns was not fit for purpose, as we had acquired a significant backlog. This is not an excuse but an explanation of where we were.

Since then, we have invested the time and money to address this and made significant improvements to our ability to manage concerns appropriately and in a timely way. We are also strengthening the integration of formal correspondence in the health board to prevent something like this from happening again.

‘We want to ask our population to trust in us that we have made significant improvements and not to be discouraged from logging a concern as it is important to us to redress people who have not received the care they should expect and so we can learn and share valuable lessons to inform continual improvement to our services’.

News

2024 Sport Pembrokeshire Awards Finalists announced

Published

6 mins ago

November 15, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE finalists for the 2024 Sport Pembrokeshire Awards have been announced.

In total, 252 nominations were received and, following a selection meeting, the judging panel has named 39 finalists.

Matt Freeman, Manager of Sport Pembrokeshire, said: “I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to provide nominations.

“Every year it gets harder to narrow the nominations down to three finalists and once again the quality of the nominees was enormously high.

“The number and quality of nominees just shows the strength of the sporting scene here in Pembrokeshire.

All the finalists will be invited to a grand presentation ceremony at Folly Farm on Friday, November 29th, where the winners will be announced.

The ceremony will also reveal the winners of two further categories – the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Chairman’s Special Achievement Award.

The awards are organised by Sport Pembrokeshire, Pembrokeshire County Council’s sport development team.

They are sponsored by Sport Pembrokeshire, Valero, Folly Farm and Pure West Radio.

The awards aim to recognise those people who have excelled in sport over the last 12 months, or who have given their time to coaching and organising grass roots sport.

Sport Pembrokeshire Awards 2024 – Finalists

(In alphabetical order)

Coach of the Year

Francesca Morgan (Swimming)

Philippa Gale (Netball)

Tom Richards (Tennis)

Female Sporting Achievement

Gracie Griffiths (Race Walking)

Helen Carrington (Powerlifting)

Seren Thorne (Shooting)

Male Sporting Achievement

Jeremy Cross (Tennis)

Rhys Llewellyn (Athletics)

Sam Coleman (Powerboat Racing)

Boys (U16) Sporting Achievement

Carter Heywood (Football)

Hugo Boyce (Cycling)

Ned Rees-Wigmore (Hockey)

Girls (U16) Sporting Achievement

Cerys Griffiths (Swimming)

Chloe John-Driscoll (Shooting)

Ffion Bowen (Football)

Disability Sport Award

Evelyn Thomas (Powerlifting)

Jules King (Crossfit)

Marc Evans (Cricket)

Junior (U16) Disability Sport Award

Finnley Walters (Boxing)

Jac Johnson (Gymnastics)

Lewis Crawford (Boccia)

Unsung Hero

John Laugharne (Rugby)

Owen Shanklin (Pool)

Sue Christopher (Surf Lifesaving)

Team Achievement of the Year

Alan Evans, Andrew Evans & Michael John (Short Mat Bowls)

Fishguard & Goodwick Ladies Hockey Club

Pembrokeshire County Bowls Team

Junior (U16) Team Achievement of the Year

Chaos Thunder U12’s Netball Team

Hakin United AFC u16’s

Neyland Yacht Club Junior Sailing Team

Young Volunteer of the Year

Anna May (Tennis & Surfing)

Caitlin Chapman (Netball)

George Richards (Cricket)

Club Organiser

Nadine Tyrrell (Gymnastics)

Nick Shelmerdine (Cricket)

Paul Hudson (Short Mat Bowls)

Club of the Year

Camrose AFC Women & Girls Football

Haverfordwest Gymnastics Club

Strength Academy Wales Cymru

Pictured above: The 2023 Club of the Year winner – Pembroke Cricket Club.

Crime

Man jailed for Pembroke Dock cannabis farm involvement

Published

3 hours ago

November 15, 2024

Madeline Knox

AN ALBANIAN man, Armando Beti, 37, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison at Swansea Crown Court on Friday (Nov 15) for his role in producing class B drugs.

Beti, who has prior convictions in 2022 and 2023, was arrested on October 3, 2024, at 10:00am after police found him hiding in a neighbouring building’s attic. The arrest followed a raid on the former Woolworths building on Dimond Street, Pembroke Dock, where officers discovered three rooms containing 594 cannabis plants. The crop was described as part of a wholesale operation, with an estimated street value of between £64,000 and £196,000, depending on yield.

Using an aerial drone, police tracked Beti as he attempted to escape by crossing two rooftops. He pleaded guilty immediately after his capture, claiming the cannabis farm was already operational when he arrived 10 days earlier. Beti described himself as merely the gardener, tasked with watering the plants, and alleged he was coerced into the role by individuals he met at an immigration detention centre to repay a debt.

Beti’s defence counsel stated: “He is under no illusion regarding the seriousness of his offending. He is eager to start his prison sentence so he can ultimately reunite with his wife in Albania.”

However, Judge Geraint Walters rejected Beti’s claims, citing a pattern of similar excuses in previous cases. The judge noted that Beti had been convicted in Cardiff in 2022 for cultivating over 600 cannabis plants, during which he also claimed to be a coerced gardener with little knowledge of the operation.

In delivering the sentence, Judge Walters said: “People like you need to understand that judges are not completely naive. We know what is going on. We are well aware of the activities of criminal Albanian gangs in this country, as are you.”

Police believe the operation uncovered in Pembroke Dock is linked to a wider network of organised crime targeting rural locations for cannabis cultivation.

Community

Pembs Agricultural Society’s Christmas Fair expands to an all-weekend event

Published

6 hours ago

November 15, 2024

Tom Sinclair

PEMBROKESHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY’S Christmas Fair will be an all-weekend event next month. The Christmas shopping extravaganza is all set to take place on Saturday, 14 December as well as Sunday, 15 December.

The Parkhouse building on the Haverfordwest Showground will be transformed into a Christmas paradise. There will be even more stalls this year with a wide variety of quality local businesses exhibiting as well as festive music, Santa in his Grotto and an outdoor food court.

Judith Roach and Emma Thomas, the event organisers, said, “We are excited to be able to announce that our Christmas Fair will be on for two days rather than just one this year. We continue to build on the success of last year’s event with twice the opportunities to attend and even more stallholders. It will be the perfect start to the festive season as the Parkhouse Building will be transformed into a one-stop-shop for those preparing for Christmas.”

The Fair will be open from 10am until 4pm and admission is free. Visitors will find unique gifts, handmade decorations, art and beautiful homeware. Some of the county’s very best food and drink producers will also have stalls to give visitors the opportunity to stock up on all their festive treats. From decadent chocolate brownies, fudge, festive spirits to Welsh cheeses, there’s something to tantalise everyone’s tastebuds. There will also be a range of outlets for ‘on the go’ eating and drinking.

One special guest at the event will be everyone’s favourite bearded gentleman in red – Santa will be taking time out from his busy schedule to attend the event. There will be a charge of £3 per child to visit Santa and all proceeds will go directly to Sandy Bear charity to support their work. Each child will receive a small gift from Santa as part of their visit. Parents can book in advance via the website: www.sandybear.co.uk/santa

Adam Thorne, Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society’s President is looking forward to the festive event. He said, “The Society would like to thank Judith and Emma for all the hours they have put in, voluntarily, to organise the two-day Christmas event. We’re delighted to be able to offer visitors the opportunity to do all their Christmas shopping whilst enjoying the festive atmosphere.”

Follow Pembrokeshire County Show’s Christmas Fair event page on Facebook for a full list of stallholders in the run up to the event.