Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) has approved a new framework designed to improve how it responds to complaints, concerns and patient feedback.

The “Listening to People” framework, presented at a board meeting on Wednesday, May 20, forms part of an all-Wales approach to managing concerns, incidents and requests for redress across health services.

Board members were told the new system is intended to simplify how patients and families raise concerns, reduce duplication between existing processes and ensure a more consistent organisational response.

Director of nursing, quality, women and family health Paul Hooton said the framework had been fully implemented and was now being embedded across the organisation.

He said updates would be provided to the Patient Experience, Quality and Safety (PEQS) committee over the coming months.

Independent board member Ian Thomas raised questions about how different routes for raising concerns would be brought together, including input from Llais, the independent statutory body representing patients in Wales.

He asked how feedback from multiple organisations would be “triangulated” to ensure patients’ voices were properly heard.

Mr Hooton said there were several ways for residents to contact the health board, including through the new framework, public representatives and Llais.

He said information gathered through these routes would be brought together in a new integrated quality report, which would go to PEQS meetings.

“From that, we identify learning and improvements that we need to make,” he said.

Independent board member Simon Thomas asked how the framework would operate in practice.

Mr Hooton said concerns raised with service providers would trigger investigations and updates, with a stronger focus on direct communication between patients and providers.

The framework will not apply to healthcare provided to Powys residents in England, although Mr Hooton said its principles would still be used to help “hold them to account” where issues are raised.