The management and staff of the home aim to listen to and act on the views and concerns of service users and to encourage discussion and action on issues raised before they develop into problems and formal complaints. We therefore welcome comments and suggestions from service users and their representatives, friends and relatives. Positive comments help us to build on our successes, but we can also learn from comments, which are critical. We undertake to look into all comments or complaints as quickly as possible and to provide a satisfactory response.
Anyone who feels dissatisfied with any aspect of the home should, if possible, raise the matter in the first instance with a responsible member of staff. It may be that the staff member can take immediate action to respond, and if appropriate apologise. If the complainant feels uncomfortable about raising the behaviour of a particular member of staff with the individual directly, they should approach someone more senior. Any staff member receiving a complaint about themselves or a colleague will try to sort out the matter as quickly as possible.
If anyone who is dissatisfied with any aspect of the home feels that when they raised the matter informally it was not dealt with to their satisfaction or is not comfortable with the idea of dealing with the matter on an informal basis, they should inform the manager of the home that they wish to make a formal complaint. The manager will then make arrangements to handle the complaint personally or will nominate a senior person for this task.
The person who is handling the complaint will interview the complainant and will either set down the details in writing or provide the complainant with a form for them to do so. The written record of a complaint must be signed by the complainant, who will be provided with a copy, together with a written acknowledgement that the complaint is being processed, outlining the timescale for responding. The complainant will be informed of their right at any stage to pursue the matter with the CSCI and will be given details of how CSCI can be contacted.
The person handling the complaint will then investigate the matter, interviewing any appropriate staff. If it is necessary to interview other service users or anyone else, the complainant’s permission will be sought. Complaints will be dealt with confidentially and only those who have a need to know will be informed about the complaint or the investigation. The investigation will be completed within 28 days unless there are exceptional circumstances, which will be explained to the complainant. As soon as possible, the person investigating the complaint will report back to the complainant, explaining what they have found and providing them with a written copy of their report.
The person who investigates a complaint will initiate any action which needs to be taken in response to their findings, will inform the complainant about any action, and will apologise or arrange for an apology if that is appropriate. We hope this will satisfy the complainant and end the matter. If the complainant is satisfied, they will be asked to sign a copy of the report of the investigation and the action taken.
If a complainant is not satisfied with the investigation or the action taken, they will be informed of their right to pursue the matter with the CSCI.