What the Council does when it receives a complaint

Receiving the complaint

Unless the complaint made anonymously, we will acknowledge receipt within two (2) working days and provide:

• the name and contact details of the person responsible for investigating 
• an indication of when we are likely to be able to provide a response

When we receive a complaint that should be investigated by another organisation (such as another local authority, the NHS, a care home or a domiciliary care provider), we will:

• contact the complainant for consent to redirect the complaint
• promptly transfer the information to the correct organisation when consent is given. The other organisation is then responsible for acknowledging receipt and investigating the complaint 

When a complaint involves both the council and another organisation(s), we will:

• explain which part of the complaint the council can respond to
• co-operate with the other organisation(s) so that wherever possible the complainant receives a co-ordinated response

Investigating and reporting the outcome

We will investigate complaints thoroughly, fairly and without delay. 

In most cases we will provide the outcome of our investigation in writing within twenty (20) working days of receiving the complaint.  If we are unable to complete our investigation within this timeframe, we will agree a reasonable deadline for a response with the complainant. 

Unless a complaint was made anonymously, we will keep complainants informed about progress and about any unexpected delays.  

We will provide a written explanation for any complaint that is not resolved within six (6) months of receipt.  

When a complaint is upheld

When a complaint is upheld, we will offer an apology and explain what we have done / will do to put things right and prevent something similar from happening in the future.

We will act in accordance with our duty of candour when a complaint investigation confirms that a notifiable incident has occurred.

Managing demands on services and staff

While an investigation is in progress, enquiries about the complaint and new concerns from the same complainant will be directed to and managed by the Complaints Manager.

Occasionally people may behave in an unacceptable manner towards our staff and/or place unreasonable demands on our services, for example:

• persistently contacting the council during the complaint investigation
• making multiple complaints about the same or similar issues
• refusing to accept an investigation outcome that a complaint is unjustified

In these circumstances, we may have to restrict the ways in which a complainant may deal with us. If restrictions are required, we will inform the complainant of the reasons for our decision, what restrictions will apply and for how long.  Please see the council’s Unacceptable-behaviour-policy.pdf