Complaints - social care services
If we do something that you are not happy
with, you have a right to complain. All complaints are treated
seriously, and we will do our best to sort out whatever
problem or concerns you may have. This helps us to make
sure that we provide the best possible service to you.
Who can make a complaint?
You can make a complaint about any service that we
provide. Your carer or someone acting on your behalf can also
make a complaint for you.
Making your complaint
If possible, talk to the member of staff or
team you already have contact with and let them know what you
are unhappy with and the reasons why. We may be able to
resolve the problem there and then. If you don't want to talk
to the team or staff member you usually deal with, you can ask
to speak to or write to a manager. If you do ask for a
meeting, you can take a friend, relative or advocate along with you
to help you make your complaint.
Taking it further
If you are not happy with the
response, you can ask for your concerns to be looked at
as a formal complaint. You can do this through the service you have
been dealing with, or direct to the Corporate Complaints
Team. We will discuss your complaint with you and let you
know what will happen next.
You can contact the Corporate Complaints Team
at any time during your complaint. You can also contact
your local Ward Councillor, your MP, or the Local Government
Ombudsman.
Confidentiality
All complaints are recorded so that we can use the information
to make sure we are learning lessons and improving services.
We want to hear your views and for you to be confident in sharing
them. The nature and content of your complaint will be dealt
with in strict confidence and will not be disclosed to anyone who
does not need to know.
Other systems for dealing with complaints
Some complaints may be covered by different legislation or local
authority system and you may need advice to find the right way to
complain. You can get this advice through your Social Care
Service officer, your care home or resource centre, or the
Corporate Complaints Team.
Complaints about residential services, some day care services
for adults and some foster care services (including complaints from
foster carers) can also be made to the Care Quality
Commission (CQC). Complaints about day care services for
children can be made to Ofsted. The Corporate Complaints Team
can tell you more about this.
Some decisions are made in Court, so you will need to discuss
these with a solicitor in order to decide whether you wish to make
an appeal.