Compliments and Complaints Procedure Policy

Policy Statement

The purpose of this procedure is to maintain and improve the quality of service provided by Jen Care Solutions Limited by ensuring that effective and appropriate action is taken upon receipt of compliments and complaints.

A key consideration is to make arrangements flexible within the parameters of these procedures; treating each complaint according to its individual nature, with a focus on satisfactory outcomes, organizational learning and those lessons leading to service improvement.

Scope

This procedure applies to anyone within Jen Care Solutions Limited receiving a compliment or complaint about any individual linked to, or any service provided by, the organization. This procedure also covers the responsibilities of the Complaints Coordination team, and where applicable, any other people called upon to investigate a complaint.

If a complaint or concern is an allegation or suspicion of abuse, for example, sexual abuse, physical neglect or abuse, or financial abuse, it should immediately be investigated following the appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures.

In a situation where a person discloses physical or sexual abuse or criminal or financial misconduct, it must be reported to the necessary authority even if the person does not want to make a complaint.

In any case, involving a vulnerable adult or children, including the threat of self-harm and/or harm to others, all staff should implement effective safeguarding policies and practice, referring to the appropriate safeguarding board.

Compliments

This policy encourages all kinds of feedback. Anyone who has a relationship with Jen Care Solutions Limited can compliment a member of staff, a team or the organization. Compliments are passed on to staff and their line manager and are used to identify
areas of good practice Jen Care Solutions Limited can learn from. Compliments can be submitted verbally to any member of staff, who will then forward this on to Jen Care Solutions Limited

Making a Complaint

Key Question: Can I make a complaint about an incident that happened
few months ago?
Complaints can be made twelve months from the date when the event or subject of the complaint came to the notice of the complainant. If good reasons exist for the complaint not being made within 12 months, and it’s possible to investigate the complaint fairly, Jen Care Solutions Limited may still decide to consider the complaint.

When a complaint is received, it should be viewed positively, and as an opportunity to improve aspects of the services provided by Jen Care Solutions Limited.
If a member of staff is approached by an individual wanting to make a complaint, they should listen to the complaint and provide a copy of the complaint form. An explanation must be given about the various ways in which the complaint may be made. The complaint can be made either by the complainant, with the help of a member of staff or an advocate of the complainant’s choice in the following ways:

Using the complaint form, which can be filled in personally;
Writing a personal letter of complaint.
By email.
Making a formal complaint verbally, either in person or over the telephone.
(In this event, the person receiving the complaint must make a written record of the complaint, which the complainant should sign in agreement if present, or which is sent out to the complainant to be signed and returned to Jen Care Solutions Limited in a prepaid envelope).
Asking a representative to act on their behalf using any of the above routes.

Whichever method the complainant chooses to voice their complaint, a written record of the complaint must be made within 24 hours.

Letters of a complaint or completed Complaints Forms should then be sent to the Complaints Co-ordination Team

The individual making the complaint must be assured by the person they have contacted that they will be supported throughout the process, and as far as the procedures allow, their confidentiality will be maintained

Key Question: Will my complaint be kept confidential?

Complaints will be handled in the strictest confidence, in line with our Confidentiality Policy, the Data Protection Act, the Human Rights Act 1998 and any other legal obligations. Confidentiality will be maintained so that only managers and staff who are leading the investigation know the contents of the case. Anyone disclosing information to others who are not directly involved in the case should be dealt with under disciplinary procedures. Information will not be disclosed to third parties unless the complainant or representative who has provided the information has given consent to the disclosure of that information.

However, the information will be disclosed if it is in the best interests of a Service User, or the protection, safety or wellbeing of a child or vulnerable adult. In these circumstances, escalation should take place in line with safeguarding procedures.

Receiving a Complaint

Jen Care Solutions Limited will investigate a complaint in a manner appropriate to resolve it as efficiently as possible, proportionate to the seriousness of the complaint.

The Complaints Co-ordination Team Lead will acknowledge complaints within 24 hours.

The complaint will then be considered by the CCT to decide who will be appointed to deal with the complaint. The CCT consists of a member of the Corporate Services team, a member of the Marketing Team and a member of the Finance team.

The CCT will then write to the complainant within 10 days with details of how their complaint will be handled. This letter will detail the name of the person appointed to manage the complaint.

In the majority of cases, the Complaints Co-ordination Team will pass the complaint to the Manager of the project to resolve the problem. In cases where the Manager is the focus of the complaint, the Complaints Co-ordination Team will decide on the most appropriate person to deal with the complaint

The person appointed to handle the complaint will write to the complainant within 5 working days of being appointed to manage the complaint, to inform them how their complaint will be managed. This letter must include:

an action plan for handling the complaint.
realistic timescales within which the complaint will be managed and timescales
for responding.
any further relevant information regarding the process.
an offer to discuss the complainant’s expectations and desired outcome.
information about providers of independent advocacy services e.g. the
Independent Complaints Advocacy Service or Voice Ability.

The complainant can expect that:

They will be kept up to date.
Their complaint will be investigated and, where appropriate, they will receive an
explanation based on facts.
Assurance that the matter has been investigated and action has been taken to
prevent a re-occurrence.
To be informed of any learning for the organization.
remedy will be made where appropriate.

The Complaints Co-ordination Team will monitor the progress of the complaint, and ensure that timescales are met. The CCT will have no direct input into resolving the complaint. This will enable the team to work objectively in the case of an appeal. One member of the Complaints Co-ordination Team may act as a process advisor for the investigation team, but will not take an active part in the investigation.

Managing the Complaint

The person appointed to manage the complaint will be given all relevant documentation from the Complaints Co-ordination Team. They will then investigate the complaint. This may include interviews with all parties involved in the complaint. Records of these interviews must be kept with all other paperwork relating to the complaint.

The person appointed to manage the complaint must maintain contact with the complainant, informing them of progress being made and of any material changes to the way in which the complaint is being managed: for example, changes to the way the investigation is being carried out, or to the timescales previously given.

If, during the investigation, additional areas of concern become apparent, advice must be sought from the Complaints Co-ordination Team.

The complainant can expect the investigation to be complete no later than 28 working days after receiving correspondence regarding time frames and an action plan

Key Question: Will I be informed of the outcome of my complaint?

Yes. Within 28 working days of being appointed, the person responsible for managing the complaint will inform the complainant of the outcome of their investigations into the complaint. This may be done in person; however, in all cases, a formal written response must be provided to the complainant and/or their advocate.

The response of the complaint will include:

An explanation of how the complaint has been considered;
An apology, as appropriate;
An explanation based on facts, detailing how the conclusion(s) were reached;
Whether the complaint is upheld – in full or in part;
The conclusions reached in relation to the complaint including any remedial action that the organisation considers being appropriate or lessons learnt;
Confirmation that the organisation is satisfied any action has been or will be actioned.

The written response must include details of the appeals process.

On completion of the complaints process, the person appointed to manage the complaint will inform the Complaints Co-ordination Team and will ensure that all documentation relating to the complaint is passed to the Co-ordination Team for filing.

Keeping clear and accurate records of complaints is important, and these should be retained for a period of ten years.

Staff Support

All documentation relating to the investigation will be stored securely in the case file. Members of staff named in the complaint (personally or by role) should be informed of the complaint, and fully supported by their relevant line manager. Any investigation should be comprehensive, fair and timely, and should not apportion blame but seek only to improve. A number of supports are available for staff, including Line manager, Managing Director, Peer support, Occupational Health, Professional bodies.

Jen Care Solutions Limited will monitor that all staff and service users are aware of the complaints policy and procedures through training, meetings and reviews, service user welcome packs, email and the website. A global notice will be sent to managers and staff to notify release of this document and any subsequent updates to this policy will be provided. Notification of this document will be included in the all-staff email bulletin and staff briefings. All managers will be given training for the implementation of this policy as appropriate. A training needs analysis will be undertaken with other staff affected by this document and any appropriate training will be provided to staff as required.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The Complaints Co-ordination Team will log the process of each complaint, enabling results to be reviewed on a regular basis by the Managing Director. The Managing Director will regularly review complaints in detail and monitor compliance with the complaints procedure on a monthly basis. Jen Care Solutions Limited will demonstrate the use of feedback to learn and improve.

An annual report will be produced, which will detail:
number of complaints received.
number of complaints received considered to be based on solid evidence or good
rea-sons (complaints upheld).
issues and key themes that the complaints have raised.
lessons learnt.
actions taken or being taken, to improve services as a result of the complaints made.
number of cases being considered or referred to the Ombudsman.
Equality impact data.
Production of a report for the Managing Director that include identification of trends and highlight issues for audit.

Equality impact assessment. A preliminary EIA has been conducted with the intention
to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations, as stated in the Equality Act. The assessment includes the protected characteristics of race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, age, religious or other belief, marriage and civil partnership, gender reassignment and pregnancy and maternity, and to promote the positive practice and value the diversity of individuals and communities. So far, no adverse impacts have been identified that arise specifically from the policy or procedures. However, further information will be sought during wider consultation and monitoring.

Quality assurance:Jen Care Solutions Limited will monitor both the effectiveness of the complaints process and how complaints information is being used to improve services and delivery of care. A system will be established to:

Disseminate learning from complaints across the organisation.
Include the use of complaints procedures as a measure of performance and
quality.
Use complaints information to contribute to development and service planning.

Monitoring and Review of this Procedure

This procedure is part of Jen Care Solutions Limited’s quality standards. Compliance with the policy and procedures laid down in this document will be monitored by the Managing Director, together with independent reviews by both Internal and External

Audit on a periodic basis.

The Managing Director is responsible for the monitoring, revision and updating of this document.

This policy will be kept under review in light of operational experience and national guidance. The first review will take place one year from adoption, and positive action will be taken to resolve any issues.

After reading this Policy, you should be able to:

Understand what Compliments and Complaints Procedure Policy is and how the Compliments and Complaints Procedure Policypolicy operates;
Understand how Compliments and Complaints Procedure Policy operates at Jen Care Solutions Limited and have an awareness of the actions we take in preventing, identifying and reporting concerns;
Understand the role you play in Compliments and Complaints Procedure Policy

If you have not understood any of these points, please ask your Line Manager or trainer for further help.

Policy Review

A Director will review this policy at least once a year to make any updates needed.

Authorisation and Signature

This Policy is the authorised version agreed by the Directors of Jen Care Solutions Limited.

All employees are expected to follow this policy and failure to do so could result in disciplinary action.

Director’s Signature

Nokuthula Ndimande