Complaints/Comments/Compliments
Complaints/Comments/Compliments Procedure for Service User of Kingswell Support Services Ltd
Feedback and Complaints
Please find below three versions of the same Complaints and Feedback procedure.
- Choice 1: Procedure in Standard English
- Choice 2: Procedure in Plain English
- Choice 3: BSL translation of the Plain English Procedure which is coming soon
If you want to give us feedback, compliment or complaint, you have four options
- Email Kingswell on [email protected]
- Complete the form below
- Send us a video message (WhatsApp, Glide, iMessage) in BSL or spoken English to: 07503 511524
- Corvette Silo is the Managing Director of Kingswell and she is responsible for dealing with all feedback and complaints. You can arrange to meet her face to face to discuss any feedback. Can be contact on [email protected] or SMS 07503 511524
When you have read the procedures or watched the video and if you are still not clear, please contact us and we will endeavour to help you.
1.1 Purpose:
- To ensure that Kingswell Support Service Ltd has an effective system in place to manage complaints and compliments; receiving them, investigating and resolution so that Kingswell complies with the regulations.
- To ensure that Kingswell Support Service Ltd complies with any legal requirements, regulations, guidelines and best practice.
- Complaints and compliments from service users are valuable sources of information and will highlight any potential concerns for abuse.
- To support Kingswell Support Service Ltd in meeting the following Key Lines of Enquiry:
Key Question | Key Line of Enquiry (KLOE) |
SAFE | S1: How do systems, processes and practices keep people safe and safeguarded from abuse? |
CARING | C2: How does the service support people to express their views and be actively involved in making decisions about their care, support and treatment as far as possible? |
RESPONSIVE | R2: How are people’s concerns and complaints listened and responded to and used to improve the quality of care? |
1.2 The following roles, clients and stakeholders may be affected by this policy:
- All staff
- Clients (service users)
- Family
- Advocates
- Representatives
- Commissioners
- External health professionals
- Local Authority
- NHS
1.3 Aim:
To ensure that all complaints and suggestions are promptly addressed, resolved and shared within the agreed timescales to ensure that lessons are learned and that the learning improves service quality and delivery.
1.4 Regulation 16 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, states the following:
- any complaint received must be investigated and necessary and proportionate action must be taken in response to any failure identified by the complaint or investigation
- the registered person must establish and operate effectively an accessible system for identifying, receiving, recording, handling and responding to complaints by service users and other persons in relation to the carrying on of the regulated activity
Following the above, the registered person must respond accordingly in an accessible format to the complainant.
1.5 What are complaints?
Kingswell Support Service Ltd understands complaints to be an expression of dissatisfaction requiring a response, communicated verbally, in sign language, by video/electronically, or in writing. Complaints may be made by any of the people relevant to this policy (listed in 1.2).
1.6 Responding to complaints
1.6.1. When receiving complaints, Kingswell will strive to investigate and obtain a mutually satisfactory outcome for all parties. Where reasonable, improvements to services will be made either immediately or with considered for future developments.
1.6.2. The complainant will be made aware of what steps are being taken to address their complaint. A copy of the procedures taken and outcomes (from investigation) will be shared with them in an accessible format – either through sign language or plain English.
1.6.3. All complaints will be investigated by a person who is not involved in the original cause of the complaint.
1.6.4. Any complaints of any severity, reason or cause will be recorded and taken seriously. It will not only be the complaint that is taken, but also in context of any other incidents, if any relating to any staff, venue or client.
1.6.5. Any complaints recorded will be recorded in the service user’s file. The purpose of this will be to allow the information to inform any reviews on their care planning where it is relevant.
1.6.6. Any service user can lodge a complaint with any member of staff at Kingswell in a format that is accessible to them. The member of staff will then report the complaint to their line manager who will then proceed with the required steps to investigate.
1.6.7. As Kingswell wants to continually to improve the quality of their service, the content of the complaint, if relevant will be shared with staff at meetings, reviews or senior management meetings solely for the purpose of improving the service. This may show necessary improvements to be implemented such as to staffing structural changes or training in a particular field.
1.6.8. When a service user has made a complaint against a member of Kingswell’s staff, there should be no professional interaction between the staff and complainant until the matter is resolved. However, they can meet to talk whilst under supervision of the manager(s).
1.6.9. When a very serious allegation has been made against a member of staff, to such an extent that there are concerns about the service user’s wellbeing, mental, physical or social, then the employee will have to be put on suspension until the matter is fully investigated. Kingswell will take steps to make sure that the service user has been checked over by their medical professional, either at local surgery or hospital.
1.6.10. When a service user has been or is being harmed, Kingswell will follow its Safeguarding Policy and Procedures in addition to the complaints procedures, seeking advice and guidance from the relevant Safeguarding Adults team and escalating concerns in line with procedure. Kingswell Support Service Ltd will also notify CQC in line with our statutory duty.
1.6.11. When a complaint has been received and fully recorded, Kingswell will endeavour to provide a response as long as the following day is not a national holiday, after which a response will be formulated.
1.6.12. When is reasonable after initial stages of investigation into the complaint, depending on its level of severity and complexity, the complainant will receive an update in the progress.
1.7. Information and making a complaint
1.7.1. The website of Kingswell will have a downloadable PDF copy of the complaint procedure. However, due to its length and complexity, British Sign Language Users will need to request a video or ask a member of staff to translate the procedure into BSL.
1.7.2. Notices/posters about making a complaint will be visible in the office of Kingswell at all times, with the option to have it translated into BSL by an employee.
1.7.3. When the service user wants to make a complaint, they can do so to any member of staff. However, they have to make sure this is at a reasonable time and within normal working hours. If the client is being supported in their own home by the support worker, they can ask the support worker to clarify the procedure and explain to them why and what they want to make a complaint about.
1.7.4. The service user can making a complaint either by: contacting the managers at Kingswell to request an appointment to make a complaint in person, send a video of themselves talking or fill in a form. It is understandable that the nature of a complaint may have strong emotions involved, so the service user is expected to try to be as respectable as possible, with appropriate language used.
1.7.5. Once the complaint has been made, the complainant needs to either sign the statement they have made, visually (using sign language) on a video recorded by the manager/employee or watch the manager sign what they have recorded on their behalf.
1.7.5.a. The complainant may not be able to communicate in English or not feel confident to make a video of themselves. In this case, they may explain what their complaint is about to the employee/manager and they can write it down. After writing it down on the complaint form, the employee/manager can then translate back (in sign language) to the complainant to confirm they are happy with what they have written. Once this is done, the complainant can then sign the statement. This means that the correct form needs to be used in this case.
1.8. Record keeping of the Complaint
1.8.1. The progress of the complaint will be kept on file; additions, reviews and any outcomes will all also be kept in the same place and only viewed by relevant and necessary employees (the managers). However, if there are safeguarding concerns, then social services and if necessary, the police may have to view the information.
1.8.2. Any complaints must be reported and shared with the managers. Any employee must not conceal the complaint and if the complaint is about a senior member of staff, then they must share the complaint with the other or more senior employee. Anyone found to be concealing a complaint, even about themselves, will face possible disciplinary action.
1.8.3. The complaint file will be kept in utmost confidence, locked away and any electronic copies of the paperwork will be stored secured on a computer/cloud storage that requires password access.
1.9. The response to the complaint
1.9.1. In situations where the service user is not satisfied with the outcome of the investigation/response to their complaint, they have two options:
- Service users who are funded by Social Services/NHS contact CQC.
- Service Users who are privately funded local advocacy service, of which the Registered Manager can support them to find/pursue if they are not completely confident in doing so.
1.10. Learning from our mistakes
As outlined in section 1.6.7., Kingswell will endeavour to learn from mistakes and this also includes any mistakes in the standard of service being delivered where a service user has made a complaint. Where possible, a change in policy that is relevant to whatever the cause of complaint will be adjusted in order to prevent the cause for the complaint occurring again.
1.11. Relevant Documents
1.11.1. The documents relevant to making complaints or compliments on services:
- Copy of this policy in standard plain English (SPE)
- Copy of this policy in very plain English (VPE)
- Video translation in Sign language of the policy (BSL Video)
- Compliment/Complaint form for the service user to complete (SUF)
- Compliment/Complaint recording form for employee/manager to complete on behalf of a service user (FSU)
1.1 This policy shows CQC that it will follow rules to make sure that when a client uses Kingswell’s services, their complaints will be taken seriously.
1.1.1 CQC are an organisation that makes sure that services like Kingswell look after their clients and makes sure they are safe.
1.1.2 This policy makes sure that Kingswell follows their legal responsibilities, e.g. Regulation 16 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
1.2 Who can make a complaint?
- All staff
- Clients (service users)
- Family/friends
- Advocates (People who support clients)
- Representatives (those speaking on behalf of clients)
- External health professionals
- Local Authority
- NHS
1.3 What is a complaint?
It is when you are not happy with a service or something that has happened. This can be anyone who works for Kingswell, maybe you were not happy with how a review meeting went? Or you are not happy with what a member of staff like a manager or support worker has said or done with you or to you.
1.4. How to make a complaint?
1.4.1 You can ask any member of staff who works for Kingswell. You can ask them to explain to you what this policy says in sign language. They will explain to you how you can make a complaint.
1.5 Ways to make a complaint:
There are three ways:
1.5.1 You can complete a simple form yourself. Do not worry if your English is not good.
1.5.2 You can make a video of yourself explaining what you want to complain about in British Sign Language. Do not worry if you think your sign language skills are not good. It does not matter.
1.5.3 You can make an appointment to meet with one of the managers at Kingswell. When you meet with them, you can choose to sign what your complaint is. They will write it down on a complaints record form. When you have finished telling them what your complaint is about, they will tell you what they have written in sign language. When you are satisfied with what they have written, you can sign the record form.
1.6 What will Kingswell do when you complain?
1.6.1 Please do not worry. When you make a complaint, it is your right and Kingswell will continue to support you at your request.
1.6.2 When you have made a complaint, Kingswell will look at your complaint and start an investigation. They will look into the situation in when and how the cause of the complaint happened. Once they have collected enough information, they will let you know how their investigation is going. When finished, they will let you know the outcome and explain to you what they have found.
1.6.3 When you have made your complaint and if it is about a member of staff, you can continue to receive support from that person if you want or have a different support worker.
1.6.4. The complaint you made will be investigated by a person who is not involved in your complaint.
1.7 Information about the complaint
1.7.1 The complaint will be kept confidential and securely as long as the client is not at harm. When Kingswell decides that the client is at risk of harm, they will suspend the client, contact social services and if necessary the police.
1.7.2 If the client has already been harmed, they will support the client to visit their local doctors or emergency centre. The police will also be informed. The employee who harmed the client will be put on suspension immediately.
1.8 Client not happy with response
1.8.1 If the client is not happy with response, Kingswell will support them to contact CQC.
1.8.2 For private clients, Kingswell will support them to contact independent advocacy service.
1.9 Improvement to Kingswell’s services
Kingswell cares about it’s service and want their clients to be happy. This means if something has happened to make a client complain, they will want to learn how to stop it from happening again.