News

Health Board’s failures in complaints handling

Published

10 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’.

Community

New town map unveiled in Fishguard

Published

4 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A NEW town map has been installed in the heart of Fishguard to help residents and visitors discover more of what the area has to offer.

The map, created by Visit Fishguard & Goodwick’s in-house graphic designer, has been placed on the Abergwaun Hotel tunnel, near Offshore Surfwear’s new shop.

The group said it was “incredibly proud” of the finished result and thanked the building owner for allowing the map to be installed on the premises.

Visit Fishguard & Goodwick is now hoping to create a similar map for Goodwick and is asking for help from a centrally located building owner who may be willing to host it.

Anyone who can help, or knows of a suitable location, is being asked to get in touch with Visit Fishguard & Goodwick.

Community

Tenby Summer Spectacular cancelled amid council row over harbour access

Published

10 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Organisers say popular charity events cannot safely go ahead without clear powers to control crowds

TENBY ROUND TABLE has announced that this summer’s Tenby Summer Spectacular events have been cancelled until further notice amid a dispute with Pembrokeshire County Council over crowd control at the harbour.

The events, which were due to take place on Sunday, August 16 and Sunday, August 30, have been a major feature of Tenby’s summer calendar for decades, drawing large crowds to the harbour for entertainment, food, drink and fireworks.

In a statement, Tenby Round Table said the decision had been made “with enormous sadness” and claimed it had been forced on organisers because of unresolved issues over the safe management of pedestrian access.

The organisation said it needed the council’s Public Realm department to use statutory powers to temporarily restrict pedestrian access through the event area when capacity is reached.

Organisers said the matter had first been raised with the council in September 2025 and again formally in writing in May 2026.

They said volunteers had attended meetings, commissioned professional health and safety consultants and worked on Event Management Plans, but claimed the council had still not provided a clear answer.

Tenby Round Table said: “PCC’s Public Realm department has had nine months to answer one question on safe and controlled access to the harbour. It has not done so.”

The group also alleged that recent written responses from the council contained factual inaccuracies and misleading statements about the relevant legislation.

It added that the council’s legal advice was understood to be provisional and still under internal review.

The cancellation is currently described as provisional, with organisers giving the council a final deadline of June 25 to provide what they describe as a clear, accurate and legally grounded answer.

Tenby Round Table said that if this is provided, it will do everything possible to reinstate the events.

The group said the Summer Spectacular had raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for local charities, sports teams, community groups and worthy individuals since it began.

It said the cancellation would be a devastating blow to those who benefit from the funds raised.

The statement added that organisers are still working with Dyfed-Powys Police and other relevant authorities ahead of a council licensing committee meeting in July, which is expected to consider whether the event licence should be renewed, amended or withdrawn.

The Herald has asked Pembrokeshire County Council for comment.

Charity

Sea shanties and street food bring crowds to Cardigan RNLI festival

Published

10 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

SUNSHINE, sea shanties and street food helped draw hundreds of visitors to Cardigan RNLI Lifeboat Station on Saturday (Jun 20).

The station’s Sea Shanty and Street Food Festival brought together families, supporters and visitors from across the region for a day of maritime music, food and community spirit.

Traditional sea shanty groups performed throughout the event, with songs echoing around the lifeboat station, while street food vendors served a range of refreshments.

The event also gave visitors the chance to learn more about the lifesaving work carried out by the RNLI and its volunteer crews.

Cardigan RNLI thanked the performers, food vendors, volunteers, sponsors and supporters who helped make the day a success.

Bruce Harris, Launch Authority and event organiser, said: “It was wonderful to see so many people come together to support the station, enjoy the entertainment, and celebrate our maritime heritage.

“The atmosphere throughout the day was fantastic, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who attended, performed, volunteered, and contributed to such a memorable event.”

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts.

The charity operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands.

Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved more than 146,700 lives.