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Neuro Partners welcomes feedback about services it provides. Neuro Partners needs the Service User to tell us what they think so that we can maintain and develop services that are most valued, to look at those that don’t quite suit peoples’ needs, and to try to put right any mistakes that are made. It is therefore the policy of Neuro Partners to ensure that all users of our services and stakeholders in receipt of our services are permitted and encouraged to voice dissatisfaction with a service or aspect of a service.
1. Our Service Users may complain to Neuro Partners directly, via their Support Worker, an advocate, their Social Worker or they may wish to complain to another agency.
2. You may also contact the commissioning Primary Care Trusts & Social Services Dept, details of which we will supply at your request.
3. Service Users may also complain to the Care Quality Commission:
www.cqc.gov.uk
4. We value any comment or complaint our Service Users wish to make. Anonymous complaints will not be ignored although it might be more difficult to deal with them in a satisfactory way.
5. Complaints may be made about the service Neuro Partners directly provides or more generically about the overall ethos or approach of the organisation. Also, members of the staff team will endeavour to provide help and support to people with a disability who have a complaint and/or problems with other services which directly or indirectly affect their lives.
6. Neuro Partners recognises that a complaint may be made verbally or in writing.
7. Verbal and/or anonymous complaints will be recorded on the complaints form and forwarded to a Director, who will determine if any action can be taken and whether this is a matter best dealt with by one of the local authorities such as Protection of Vulnerable Adults Officers (POVA) and CQC.
8. If the matter is referred, the only investigation action Neuro Partners will take is to implement the instructions of the POVA Officer and/or CQC.
9. Users of our services may wish to raise minor issues directly with their Support Worker. However, it should be recognised that the member of staff might not be in a position to fully address the nature of the problem, and this should then be passed directly to their Line Manager.
10. It should be noted to Service Users, Neuro Partners has the discretion to refer any complaint to an outside agency where Neuro Partners assesses this as the appropriate action to take.
Stage 1 Complaint
1. If there is something a Service User wishes to comment or complain about, we recommend that it may be useful and easier to discuss the issue with their Support Worker (the Support Worker will inform their line manager and will make an entry into the Service User log/notes).
2. Where possible the Support Worker will try to resolve the problem informally with the Service User (the Support Worker will inform their line manager and will make an entry into the Support Worker log/notes).
3. However, if the Service User is not satisfied with the results of this discussion or the Service User does not feel able to talk to the Support Worker, the Service User can ask to speak to a Manager or to any other staff member the Service User feels comfortable talking to.
4. Alternatively, the Service User could complete a complaints form (see attached) or instruct any person they feel suitable to support them to complete the form, this includes any member of Neuro Partners. Any member of staff can give the Service User this form (on issuing the form, the member of staff must inform their line manager).
5. The completed complaint form is to be issued to the line manager and copied to the Director on the same day of receipt.
6. Both the line manager and the Director will action the complaint and do all they can to resolve this informal complaint to the satisfaction of the Service User.
7. The line Manager and/or the Director will respond to the Service Users complaint within 5 working days and aim to have reached resolution within 10 working days of receipt of the complaint.
8. All complaints and their resolutions will be reported upon by the Director in the monthly Operational Report, and reviewed by the Managing Director and at the Board Meeting.
Stage 2 Complaint - Formal
1. If the Service User is not satisfied with the response, the Service User has a right to make a formal complaint.
2. The Service User may either tell a staff member, a Manager, or complete the complaints form.
3. A Director of Neuro Partners will appoint someone, not previously involved in the complaint, as an investigating officer within 5 working days of receiving the complaint.
4. The Service User has the right to be advised who has been appointed and the right to object. However, the final decision on who will conduct the initial investigation rests with a Director.
5. The investigation may involve a visit to the Service User to discuss the complaint in full. Arrangements for a visit will always be pre-arranged with the Service User.
6. Someone of their choice may accompany the Service User during such a visit if they so wish.
7. We will seek to complete any investigation within 14 days of the appointment of the investigating officer, although this may not be possible for more complex complaints.
8. On completion of this investigation the Investigating Officer and a Director will feed the results back to the Service User within 5 working days of the completion of the investigation.
9. The Service User will also be given a written response to the complaint from a Director within this time frame.
10. If a complaint concerns the conduct of a member of Neuro Partners staff, the Disciplinary Procedures may be applied, if necessary. The formal outcome of a disciplinary process is confidential and will not be communicated in detail to the complainant.
11. If the Service User is unhappy with any aspect of the process they have the right to discuss this with the Managing Director of Neuro Partners and staff will assist them in making this arrangement.
12. All complaints will be reviewed by the Board of Directors and Service User Representatives, and will be detailed in the Services monthly operational report.
13. Neuro Partners will disclose all complaints and their resolutions to CQC. Any complaint concerning staff conduct will be disclosed to CQC by a Director and staff are required to follow the instructions of CQC at all times.
Note: Service Users should be aware that we may be required to disclose to Statutory Authorities, including CQC, Jobcentre Plus, Social Services, Primary Care Trust and others about the nature, action taken and disposition of complaints. Neuro Partners will advise Service Users where this is happening.
Note: All Service Users have the right to refer their complaint to whom they wish.
Note: All Service Users will be issued with this Policy and Procedure, and associated attachments.
Forms:
1. Complaints Forms can be obtained by emailling
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