Customer Complaints DWP Operational Stakeholder Engagement Forum Anne Donkin Head of Operations Correspondence & Feedback 22/01/14

Aims: To outline the Department’s complaints process and to invite views on opportunities for improvement.

What is a complaint? How do I complain? Complaint definition: Any expression of dissatisfaction about the service provided which is not resolved by operational staff as normal business. Aim to resolve issues at first point of contact. Complaint can be made in writing, by telephone or face to face. The Gov.uk web site contains contact details for the different parts of our organisation - www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/complaints-procedure

Tier 1 - Complaint Resolution Managers (CRMs) in place for over 12 months in every geographical Group and covering all benefits. CRM: Contacts customer Seeks information and investigates Responds within 15 working days. If not satisfied with response the customer can escalate the complaint to ‘Tier Two’, the Director General. Details of how to do this are included in the response letter.

Tier 2 - Escalated Complaints Investigation by national team. Similar process to Tier 1: Review action to date Contact customer for clarification of reasons for continuing dissatisfaction, and to understand what they want to achieve Provide a full response to the customer within 15 working days. End of internal complaints process. Further escalation is to the Independent Case Examiner.

Independent Case Examiner (ICE) and Ombudsman (PHSO) The Independent Case Examiner (ICE) function was introduced in 1997. Seek to resolve in liaison with customer. Around a third of all cases are resolved this way. If not resolved, ICE carries out a full investigation. Currently around 6% of all cases submitted are held in the complainant’s favour. Next and final step for continuing dissatisfaction is the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO).

Learning from Complaints We seek to learn from complaints but need to be more systematic. Some activities currently under consideration/development include: Putting more robust processes in place to identify systemic issues. Reviewing our computer generated letters (in consultation with customers and stakeholders) to ensure that they are clear and concise. Improving call centre scripts (in consultation with Customers & Stakeholders) so that customers understand what information is required and why.

Next steps Please let the National Partnership Team know: If you would like to be involved in the work to develop the new Call Centre scripts and computer generated letters. Your details will be passed onto the team progressing this area of work. Please also let us know of any: feedback you wish to provide about your own or your clients’ experience with the current complaints process; and information on how your own organisations handle and learn from complaints.