COMPLAINTS about Swindon's Great Western Hospital have almost halved, new figures show.

Between March 2004 and April this year patients lodged 221 complaints compared to 408 in the previous 12 months.

It's welcome news for bosses who last week announced a new overspend of almost £800,000.

Some of the complaints or "patient experiences," as the hospital terms them were trivial.

One patient wrote in to complaint about the tone of a recorded greeting on an answerphone.

Another said the temperature in one room needed adjusting.

The figures, which are printed in this month's board papers, show most complaints 33 per cent were about medical care.

Paul Bentley, the director of human resources, said that the drop in the number of complaints proves staff are listening to and acting on patient feedback.

"This is a testament to our staff who are working hard to improve patient care," he said.

"We actively encourage patients to raise concerns.

"We want to know how patients feel about their treatment so we can make improvements."

The complaint figures are quoted in the papers, but Mr Bentley added that many patients also write in to praise the hospital staff for their high levels of care.

"Occasionally staff do receive thank you letters from patients," he said

"And this is always much appreciated."

Last year the hospital, which opened in December 2002, saw 405,245 patients.

Overall, one complaint was received for every 1,834 patients treated.

The Patient Advice And Liaison Service is normally the first port of call for anyone who wants to initiate any complaints about the hospital.

Between January and March this year the service recorded 729 contacts.

Kevin Shoesmith