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Complaints about adult social care

If you want to raise a concern about Adult Social Care, you should:

  • talk to your worker about your concerns, or
  • ask to speak to their manager instead.

We can resolve most concerns quickly or explain why this is not possible. If we can’t resolve your concern in this way, you can make a complaint.

You can make a complaint whether you pay for your own care and support or the Council funds it.

You can make a complaint about organisations who provide services on our behalf or social care services that we have arranged for you, such as care in a care home or through a home care agency.

In general, complaints should be made within 12 months of the problem occurring unless:

  • you have only just found out that you have cause for complaint or have another good reason for not complaining sooner, and
  • it is still possible to investigate the complaint effectively and fairly.

What is adult social care?

Adult social care is a council service designed to ensure that adults (aged 18 or over) and their carers (including young carers) who need care or support in their daily lives can get the help and support they need to live as independently as possible.

If you are not satisfied with adult social care services, you can make a complaint to the Council. 

How to make a complaint

  • Use our online form
  • Email us at corporatecomplaintsteam@gloucestershire.gov.uk
  • Call us on 01452 427 082 or 01452 426 539, or make an appointment with our Complaints team.
  • Write to:

    The Complaints Manager (Adult Social Care)
    Complaints Team
    Gloucestershire County Council
    Shire Hall
    Westgate Street
    Gloucester
    GL1 2TG

What happens next

We will acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days of receipt.

We will talk to you about how you'd like your complaint to be investigated and agree how long this will take. Most investigations are completed within 20 working days.   

When the investigation is finished, a manager will provide a response to your complaint.

If you are concerned about how your complaint is progressing, please talk to our Complaints Manager.

When we won’t accept a complaint

Sometimes we won’t accept a complaint. This is usually because the complaint:

  • has already been dealt with
  • is being investigated through another complaints procedure
  • should be investigated through one of the Council’s other complaints procedures
  • should be managed through other processes, like employment, disciplinary or grievance procedures, or through criminal investigation and court proceedings.

We will give you our written reasons if we don’t accept a complaint and where possible suggest what you may be able to do instead.

What is adult social care?

Adult social care is a council service designed to ensure that adults (aged 18 or over) and their carers (including young carers) who need care or support in their daily lives can get the help and support they need to live as independently as possible.

If you are not satisfied with adult social care services, you can make a complaint to the Council. 

How to make a complaint

  • Use our online form
  • Email us at corporatecomplaintsteam@gloucestershire.gov.uk
  • Call us on 01452 427 082 or 01452 426 539, or make an appointment with our Complaints team.
  • Write to:

    The Complaints Manager (Adult Social Care)
    Complaints Team
    Gloucestershire County Council
    Shire Hall
    Westgate Street
    Gloucester
    GL1 2TG

What happens next

We will acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days of receipt.

We will talk to you about how you'd like your complaint to be investigated and agree how long this will take. Most investigations are completed within 20 working days.   

When the investigation is finished, a manager will provide a response to your complaint.

If you are concerned about how your complaint is progressing, please talk to our Complaints Manager.

When we won’t accept a complaint

Sometimes we won’t accept a complaint. This is usually because the complaint:

  • has already been dealt with
  • is being investigated through another complaints procedure
  • should be investigated through one of the Council’s other complaints procedures
  • should be managed through other processes, like employment, disciplinary or grievance procedures, or through criminal investigation and court proceedings.

We will give you our written reasons if we don’t accept a complaint and where possible suggest what you may be able to do instead.

If you are unhappy with the care you have received from a care home, nursing home, home care agency or other social care service (including organisations that provide services on the Council’s behalf), you should contact the organisation directly to make a complaint. This gives them the opportunity to try to put things right for you.

How to make a complaint

Ask the organisation for a copy of their complaints procedure or check the organisation’s website. The complaints procedure will tell you how you can make a complaint, how they will deal with your complaint, and when to expect their response.

Then, make a complaint to the organisation and go through the stages of their complaints procedure.

If the problem isn’t put right and the Council arranged your care and support for you, you can then make a complaint to the Council. We will assess whether we should investigate and explain our reasons if we decide not to investigate.

If the Council investigates:
  • we may ask you and the organisation for more information
  • we will tell you the outcome of our investigation.

You can also ask the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to review your complaint.

If you are unhappy with the care you have received from a care home, nursing home, home care agency or other social care service (including organisations that provide services on the Council’s behalf), you should contact the organisation directly to make a complaint. This gives them the opportunity to try to put things right for you.

How to make a complaint

Ask the organisation for a copy of their complaints procedure or check the organisation’s website. The complaints procedure will tell you how you can make a complaint, how they will deal with your complaint, and when to expect their response.

Then, make a complaint to the organisation and go through the stages of their complaints procedure.

If the problem isn’t put right and the Council arranged your care and support for you, you can then make a complaint to the Council. We will assess whether we should investigate and explain our reasons if we decide not to investigate.

If the Council investigates:
  • we may ask you and the organisation for more information
  • we will tell you the outcome of our investigation.

You can also ask the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to review your complaint.

If you are unhappy with adult social care that you arranged and paid for yourself in a care home or nursing home, or with a home care agency or other social care service, you should contact the organisation directly to make a complaint. This gives them the opportunity to put things right for you.

How to make a complaint

Ask the organisation for a copy of their complaints procedure or check the organisation’s website.  The complaints procedure will tell you how you can make a complaint, how they will deal with your complaint, and when to expect their response.

Then, make a complaint to the organisation and go through the stages of their complaints procedure.

If the problem isn’t put right, you can ask the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to review your complaint.

If you are unhappy with adult social care that you arranged and paid for yourself in a care home or nursing home, or with a home care agency or other social care service, you should contact the organisation directly to make a complaint. This gives them the opportunity to put things right for you.

How to make a complaint

Ask the organisation for a copy of their complaints procedure or check the organisation’s website.  The complaints procedure will tell you how you can make a complaint, how they will deal with your complaint, and when to expect their response.

Then, make a complaint to the organisation and go through the stages of their complaints procedure.

If the problem isn’t put right, you can ask the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to review your complaint.

 

If you are not satisfied with the response to a complaint

We encourage anyone who is not satisfied with the outcome of a complaint to the Council to discuss their concerns with our Complaints Manager. We may then consider if there is any other way to help resolve your concerns.

Whether you made a complaint to the Council or to another social care service, you have the right to ask the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to review your complaint. You must have first gone through all stages of the Council's/other organisation’s complaints procedure.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman reviews complaints about councils and other adult social care providers (including care homes and home care agencies), as well as some other organisations providing local public services. The service is free, independent and impartial. You can use the service whether you pay for your own care and support, or the Council funds it.

Find out more at www.lgo.org.uk or contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman:

  • Call 0300 061 0614
  • Use their complaint form
  • Write to:
    PO Box 4771
    Coventry
    CV4 0EH

Want to compliment or make a comment about adult social care?

We welcome all feedback about our adult social care services.

Comments, compliments and complaints help us to improve and plan our services. You can give us feedback by using our online form.

There are paper versions of feedback forms available in council reception areas. Alternatively, we can send you one if you don't want to use the online form.

You can also print an easy read feedback form.