Hospice of the Valleys - How to make a complaint

Complaints Procedure

We work hard to deliver high standards of service at all times and across the Organisation, but sometimes things go wrong. If you are unhappy with any aspect of our service, we would like you to let us know so that we can improve and try to make sure your experience is not repeated.

How do I make a complaint?

If something has gone wrong, we would like to sort it out as soon as we can.

Please contact our office on 01495 717277 to let us know about any part of our service that you are unhappy with.

If you would like to make a complaint or share a concern that you have, you can do so on by completing online complaints form

If you’d rather write to us, you can do so by sending a letter to this address:

The Chief Executive Officer
Hospice of the Valleys
Festival Drive
Ebbw Vale
NP23 8XF

Is there a time limit?

Please let us know as soon as possible and within 12 months of the event happening or within 12 months of discovering you have cause to complain. Complaints received outside these timescales may still be investigated if there is a reason the complaint could not be made earlier and only if it is still possible to investigate what happened.

Will my care be affected if I complain?

No. Making a complaint will not affect your care in any way. Any information you give will be treated in confidence and with sensitivity. Information about your complaint will be kept separate from your clinical records.

What will happen when I raise my concern?

We will acknowledge your complaint within two working days from the date we receive it. Where possible, we will discuss your complaint with you to understand what has happened. We will also discuss:

how long it will take us to investigate your complaint
what you would like to see happen as a result of your complaint
how we will investigate your complaint
how you would like to receive our response – for example, by telephone or letter

Can you help me with making my complaint?

If you need support when making your complaint, further guidance can be found on the Department of Health’s NHS complaints guidance page.

What if I’m not satisfied with the outcome?

If you are not happy with our response or feel that we have missed something, please let us know. We will see if there is anything further that we can do to resolve your complaint, and try to address any outstanding issues.

If you are not happy with how we have dealt with your complaint and would like to take matters further, we have provided details below of organisations that will help with this. These bodies are independent, and the service they provide is free.

If we cared for you at home:

The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales deals with unresolved complaints about health services in Wales. You can contact it by visiting the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales website, or by phone on 0300 7900 0203.

If we provided you with care in your home:

Care Inspectorate Wales deals with unresolved complaints about health services and care in Wales and also regulates some of our services. You can contact them by visiting the Care Inspectorate Wales website, or by phone on 0300 7900 126.

Comments, suggestions or complaints

Tell us what you think

We always appreciate the opportunity your feedback gives us to improve our charity and our services. The more information we get on how we’re doing, the easier it will be for us to care for more people living with a life-limiting illness.

A Day in the Life of Hospice at Home

My name is Alison and I work as a Health Care Assistant (HCA) for the Hospice at Home (H@H) Team at Hospice of the Valleys, we care for patients overnight in their own homes, within the Blaenau Gwent area.

I wanted to share my experience of working as a HCA for the hospice throughout the Coronavirus pandemic and how my colleagues and I have had to adapt to continue to provide care safely to vulnerable patients of the Hospice at Home Service.

A typical shift starts at 10pm when I arrive at the patient’s home ready to provide care overnight whilst the family catch up on some much needed rest, knowing their loved one is being cared for and all of their needs are being met during the night.

Before Coronavirus, I would arrive at my patient’s home dressed in my uniform, however since the pandemic many things have changed and now I arrive in full personal protective equipment (PPE). This includes an apron, gloves and a surgical face mask to help protect my patient, their family and myself.

Initially I found arriving in full PPE difficult, especially if it was the first time meeting the patient and family. They were unable to see my face and it just seemed so impersonal not being able to see my facial expressions or a friendly smile at such a difficult time in their lives. I found myself using my eyes more when communicating so that they could read me a little better when I was talking, though it did not feel natural it made it a little easier. The face mask also made communicating difficult, it can muffle speech and I felt it was a little harder to breathe easily when talking.

Wearing full PPE for a 9 hour shift could be very uncomfortable especially during the summer months when there were some very hot nights. The fitted masks over a long period, would leave marks on my face and make my nose sore, but they were very much needed to keep everyone safe.

During the night I often provide emotional support, when needed, for both patients and their loved ones. To be honest, I have found it very difficult not being able to give a comforting hug or hold someone’s hand when they were upset and in need of some comfort at a very difficult time in their life. I could only show empathy with words and on times all a person wants and needs is a comforting hug. I am a caring person by nature which is why I work in palliative care and not being able to offer this contact made it extremely hard for me.

I am immensely proud to work as part of the Hospice at Home Team and feel very privileged to be invited into a patient’s home to provide care at such an emotional and difficult time in their lives. I have met some wonderful families during my 5 years working for the hospice and I’m proud to work with such a great multi-disciplinary team providing invaluable clinical care and support to the people of Blaenau Gwent.

Stay safe everyone in these challenging times, we will get there together.

Alison Foote, Health Care Assistant