Document Date: 30 August 2021
Approved By: Chief Executive
Date Approved: 03 September 2021
Review Date: 30 August 2023
This policy will define the action the home is to take for all Complaints and/or Concerns raised.
People who use Amica Care Trust’s services are sure that their comments, concerns and complaints will be listened to and acted upon, without prejudice. There is a well-publicised and effective system for addressing any complaints that may be raised by either people using the service themselves or those acting on their behalf.
The Trust will ensure:
1. Any Concerns/complaints within our services and in the first instance should be addressed to the Home Manager/Deputy Manager or the Senior Person in charge of the shift. For our Independent living sites any concerns/complaints should be addressed to the Independent Living Manager. Should the complaint not be resolved at this level, the Operations Manager should be contacted if appropriate to discuss the issue further.
2. Following receipt of a written complaint, this will be acknowledged by the Home Manager/Deputy Manager/Independent Living Manager within two working days using the ‘Complaints Holding Letter’ The Trust aims to investigate and resolve all complaints within twenty-eight days.
3. There are also further sources of help for complainants to refer to, should they feel their complaint has not been resolved by the homes Manager:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Keren Wilkinson Amica Care Trust Gatchel House Gatchel Oaks Trull Taunton TA3 7EG T:01823270694 |
Operations Manager Kerry Hunt Amica Care Trust Gatchel House Gatchel Oaks Trull Taunton TA3 7EG T:01823270694 |
Care Quality Commission National Correspondence Citygate, Gallowgate Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4PA T:03000616161 Web: www.cqc.org.uk |
Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman T:03000610614 WEB address: www.lgo.org.uk |
4. The complaint, whether verbal or written, must be investigated and managed by the Home Manager/Independent Living Manager, dependent on the seriousness of its nature e.g. if a safeguarding issue the Safeguarding Policy must also be followed. A decision should be made within two working days who will lead in the investigation of the complaint and a strategy for the investigation agreed. The person managing the complaint should inform the complainant in writing of the outcome of the investigation within twenty-eight days, detailing any action that is to be taken.
5. The Home Manager/Independent Living Manager is responsible for completing all records relating to the complaint using the Trust ‘Complaints Record (verbal and written)’ form and ‘Complaints Log’ to monitor the investigation and resolution of the complaint. All verbal and written complaints must be recorded.
6. All relevant staff, multidisciplinary team members and people using the service if able and appropriate should be interviewed and these interviews documented with the agreed permission of the interviewees. Relevant equipment/facilities should also be examined and put ‘out of use’ if there is any concern over their safe operation. Conscientious, contemporaneous and accurate records need to be made at all stages of the investigation to enable a report in response to the complaint to be written. These records may need to be referred to at any point.
7. If due to the complexity of the complaint or key personnel not being available it is likely that a response will not be prepared and issued within twenty-eight days, then all relevant parties should be kept informed by letter as to the likely timescale of response by the responsible manager.
8. The complaint response letter should be agreed by the respective line manager and a meeting with the Complainant offered to discuss the Trust response. The Complainant may sign the ‘Complaints Record (written and verbal)’ form to document that the complaint has or has not been resolved to their satisfaction.
9. Any corrective action as a consequence of the complaint should be taken as soon as possible and certainly within the agreed timescale with the Complainant and documented on the ‘Complaints Record (written and verbal) form.
10. If the Complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of the investigation and the proposed action to be taken after Operations Managers have agreed the outcome, then the complainant should be advised to contact the Local Government & Social care Ombudsman (contact details above). This is reflected on the ‘Complaints Outcome’ letter.
11. The Operations Manager requires notification of all written complaints using the Trust’s ‘Complaints Monitoring Form’. For our care homes, this must be completed by the Home Manager on the Ops reports weekly and at the end of every month on the Monthly Risk Report (MRR).
For our Independent Living sites, the Independent Living Manager must notify their line manager immediately of any complaints, record on the daily report form and the complaints log.
We understand that making a complaint can be an emotive and worrying experience. People who use Amica Care Trust’s services can be sure that their comments, concerns and complaints will be listened to and acted upon, without prejudice.
However, in a minority of cases people pursue their complaints in a way that is unreasonable. They may behave unacceptably or be unreasonably persistent in their contact and with the submission of information. This can impede investigating their complaint and can have significant resource issues.
Unreasonable and unreasonably persistent complainants are those complainants who, because of the nature or frequency of their contact with us, hinder our consideration of their, or other people’s, complaints. Persistent complainants are distinguished from unreasonably persistent complainants. We understand that many complainants will be keen to understand how an investigation is progressing, especially when it concerns a loved one.
Examples of unreasonable actions or behaviours may include:
Before any repose to behaviour is taken home management will discuss with the Operations Manager in the first instance.
The following actions may be considered in response to unreasonable complaint behaviour and put into place:
As a Trust we have an open and transparent approach to all learning incidents and as a result, unresolved complaints will be reported to the necessary governing bodies where appropriate such as the local authority, Safeguarding teams and the Care Quality Commission.