‘Complaints & Me’ Understand the complaints process Complaints handling for provider colleagues October 2017

Who are we – Customer Relationship Team Manager Nadia Husain Senior Officer Nigel Whitham Jitte Brys Customer Relationship Officer Tadana Chisenga Customer Relationship Officer

What is a complaint / grumble?

What is a complaint? “an expression of dissatisfaction or disquiet about the actions, decisions or apparent failings of a councils adult social care provision which requires a response”. Anyone who has received a service; is currently receiving a service or is seeking a service from us can make a complaint. This includes anyone who is affected by decisions we may make about social care, including a service provided by an external provider acting on behalf of the Council.

Complaint/grumble A grumble is sounding off, rhetorical, having a moan or getting it off your chest A complaint is dependent upon intent Carers late, don't follow care plan & carers/office staff attitude/responsiveness What has been commissioned and when Dignity, safety, medication, self neglect & theft

Are complaints a good thing?

Are complaints a good thing? Indicator of performance Customer satisfaction Right to reply Informs us what we have missed Free of charge Opportunity to put things right Show customers they are heard

What's the process? Local Social Services & NHS Complaints ( England) Regs 2009 Acknowledge 3 day Local resolution Investigate & respond 10 days/max 6 months Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman: assess, investigate, binding decisions

Working with providers Direct customers/ASC customers Council remains responsible for quality and failings for all commissioned services Support/training for investigation techniques and response writing Mediation and multi disciplinary meetings to mitigate concerns Following up on recommendations via Contract monitoring meetings

What is your involvement in all of this?

Your involvement Conversations Hearing customer experience Identify/clarify issues Who is the complainant? Consent What do they want to happen? What will happen next?

My expectations Put yourself in the shoes of the customer How does your handling come across Communicate the importance of receiving complaints How complaints relate to safeguarding Opportunity for improvement not criticism Flexibility in how you respond ‘I felt confident to speak up, knew I would be heard & the process was simple’

The new checklist for complaints Dear RE: Complaint/s Thank you for your recent letter DATED 2017 sent to our Customer Feedback Team, regarding the TEAM/SERVICE I understand your complaint/s to be; A, B, C etc. SUMMARISE THE ISSUES IN A FEW WORDS i.e. the delay in arranging your direct payment or the outcome of your assessment. In order to respond to your concerns, I have reviewed the records the department holds and spoken with relevant staff. I have extracted what I believe to be the main issues within your complaint, and will address each of these issues as follows. Exploration of Complaints & Evidence Note to Investigating Officer: Set out the complaints made and summarise the evidence for/ against each one. Draw a conclusion from what you have found i.e. upheld, partially upheld, not upheld or inconclusive. If the complainant has used headings to group their complaints, or CFT has provided you with bullet points use these as headings. Ask yourself the following questions; What happened? What should have happened? Acknowledge the complainants experience. Do I have enough information on which to draw a conclusion?

Plain English Remember who you are writing for Think about what the reader already knows What do you need to tell them Address all issues Remember your letter may be part of further stages in complaints process i.e. LGO Use short sentences  - 15 – 20 words is about the right length Get rid of unnecessary words/text – avoid jargon Use active verbs Think about the tone of your letter

Apology An effective apology is seen as one that contains the following elements: An adequate acknowledgement of what the offence was An expression of genuine remorse An offer of appropriate reparations including identified change.

Better apology An explanation of the incident (why and how it happened) An expression of understanding Accepting responsibility when necessary Commitment to improve and prevent reoccurrence To put the person back in the position they would have been in prior to making a complaint

Common mistakes Forgetting to; Respond to all parts of the complaint Liaise with other teams/agencies Clearly stating outcome i.e. upheld or not Sending without checking with CF Team Showing your annoyance/apportion blame Deal with the issues not the behaviour

Learning from complaints Prevent reoccurrence/learn from mistakes. Foster a learning culture Ensure we do what we say! How can we do this? Identify trends & wider learning across council Share outcomes & insight Accountable transparent and open

Any questions?

Thank you for attending Nadia Husain Nigel Whitham Customer Feedback Manager Senior Customer Feedback Officer 020 7361 2552 020 8753 5339 Nadia.Husain@rbkc.gov.uk 0788 126 4573  nigel.whitham@rbkc.gov.uk Jitte Brys Tadana Chisenga Customer Relationship Officer 020 7361 2661 0800 587 0072