Health sets up new unit to boost customer care |27 November 2012

Being on the ground floor makes it easier for members of the public and patients to access and get faster feedback.

In addition, staff in the new unit have received the necessary training and skills to deal with complaints from members of the public and address them.

The new unit is manned by customer care manager and long-time nurse Sylvette Evenor.
Three other persons have been recruited to work in the unit which will remain open from 7am to 10pm Monday to Friday. Its phone line 4388182 will remain accessible throughout the weekend and on public holidays up to 10pm.

Meanwhile, the number 151 for all emergencies remains the same.
Members of the press met the four members of staff last week and were shown around the new unit by health principal secretary Veronique Laporte and health care administrator Brenda King.

Ms Laporte said the re-organisation of the unit is aimed at strengthening and improving the quality of care and services delivered to patients and members of the public who until recently had been going round and round taking their complaints to different persons in the ministry and not necessarily using the proper channel. As a result, it took them a long time to get a feedback.

Ms Laporte stressed that now with the new and more accessible service, it is hoped that people will use it to the maximum to help the Ministry of Health to better serve them.

Ms Laporte pointed out that it does not do the ministry and the services it offers any good when complaints are filed anonymously to different newspapers with no supporting facts.

“The ministry will not investigate complaints with no supporting facts. If people want to see the services improve they have to make their complaints and suggestions in a professional manner by using the proper channel which we have put in place,” added Ms Laporte.
The revamped unit now includes three main components: 

• The introduction of a feedback questionnaire which patients and members of the public can obtain in health centres around the country and on the different wards at the Seychelles Hospital. The questionnaire will provide clients the opportunity to provide comments on the quality of service received during their visits and consultations;

• The introduction of a database to record, monitor and provide recommendations to the ministry’s management on the different complaints brought forward by patients and other service users;

• The relocation of the medical report unit to the new customer care unit so as to make the service more accessible.

For her part Mrs Evenor noted that in relation to issuing medical reports, members of the public who make early requests can now be issued with the documents within a period of two weeks instead of six as has previously been the case.

With regard to the new customer care unit, Mrs Evenor pointed out that apart from handling complaints and advising patients and members of the public, staff of the unit will also provide some counselling where there is a need.

“Many patients just want someone to listen to them and guide them, and our staff can be of help,” added Mrs Evenor.

She further said that the maximum waiting time for feedback is now within three days while for minor issues like appointment and service delivery these could be dealt with almost immediately.

Patients on Praslin, La Digue and Silhouette can use the same phone number to access the service, fill in the suggestion and question forms which they can send through their respective nurse managers.