Complaints policy

MIRACLE WORKERS AGENCY

COMPLAINTS AND COMPLIMENTS POLICY

Introduction

If there is a cause for complaint at any time please let the registered person know as soon as possible. There is a separate complaints procedure. However, if your complaint cannot be resolved you can inform Care Inspectorate Wales Office at South East Region, Government Buildings, Rhydycar, Merthyr Tydfil, CF48 1UZ. Tel 0300 7900126

CIW is not a complaints agency and cannot deal with complaints linked to individual circumstances. If they are not able to deal with your particular complaint, they may direct you to the organisation best placed to help you, they may also carry out an inspection in light of any complaints received.

General Principles

Miracle Workers Agency Complaints and Compliments Policy outlines the procedures to be followed should a client, or representative, wish to make a complaint, comment or compliment about services received. A full copy of the policy is available upon request;

The policy is used to encourage clients to express their views and to ensure that clients are confident that any complaint they, or their family/representative, wish to make regarding the service provided is listened to; taken seriously and acted upon;

ALL clients and workers will receive information, within their handbooks, in relation to making a complaint, comment or compliment. New clients will be given this information and a full explanation during the initial assessment. The Agency will maintain client information leaflets which will be available upon request and, if needed, can be made available in other formats, for example, other languages, large print etc;

Making a complaint can often raise anxieties for clients and workers. However, the Agency views the receipt of complaints as a positive process;

Miracle Workers Agency will use the information gained from complaints, comments and compliments to improve services and develop new practices;

All workers employed by, or through Miracle Workers Agency will follow the procedures outlined in the policy;

The complaints procedure is available to anyone who wishes to make a complaint or compliment about services they have accessed, or are still accessing, through Miracle Workers Agency;

The procedure is also available to anyone who is complaining, on behalf of a client, who is unhappy with services;

Sometimes it may be difficult for clients to express their views as fully as they would wish. On such occasions Miracle Workers Agency staff will make every effort to assist a client, for example, by providing interpretation or through the use of large print/Braille etc;

Staff will also assist clients to make a complaint by pointing the client in the direction of the most appropriate person to assist, for example, an advocate; Care Inspectorate Wales (the regulatory body for social care provision); Public Services Ombudsman; Commissioner for Older People etc;

If a complaint is made about an issue over which Miracle Workers Agency has no responsibility or control, the client (or representative) will be informed of this and will be given advice on how to make the complaint elsewhere;

Where a complaint might involve criminal behaviour it may be necessary to involve the Police and, in all instances where a crime is suspected, Miracle Workers Agency will inform Care Inspectorate Wales;

For the purposes of clarity, Miracle Workers Agency identifies complaints, comments and compliments as follows:-

- A Complaint – any verbal or written expression of dissatisfaction with the quality of service provision, to which a response is required;
- A Comment – any suggestions on how services could be changed, to which a response is not necessarily required;
- A Compliment – any praise made about the quality of the service.

Miracle Workers Agency will make every effort to resolve clients’
complaints as quickly as possible;

Complaints will be dealt with in a consistent and prompt manner, by acknowledging the complaint in an appropriate form and by commencing any investigation within a specified period of time. Time scales are outlined within the full policy and within the Complaints client information leaflet;

If the person making the complaint is unhappy, at any stage, with Miracle Workers Agency’s handling of the complaint, s/he has the right to take the complaint directly to Care Inspectorate Wales;

Where Miracle Workers Agency is unable to resolve a complaint within a maximum period of 20 working days, the agency will inform the person complaining and also inform Care Inspectorate Wales;

Miracle Workers Agency wishes to demonstrate its fairness to complainants and workers by:-

Ensuring that clients know how to access the process and carrying out a FULL investigation and;
By informing workers of the complaints procedure at induction, and on-going, training to feel confident and supported to receive and deal with views of clients.

Due regard will be given to the need for confidentiality in respect of information gained during a complaints investigation;

Where a complaint raises concerns about the protection of vulnerable adults; whistle-blowing issues or disciplinary matters, the Agency will immediately inform Care Inspectorate Wales;

Clients (or their representatives), and workers, can expect to be kept informed at each stage of the investigation.

Clients will be provided with information on how to progress the complaint should they be dissatisfied with the outcome(s) of the investigation.

Contact information for others who can assist in the complaints process is available within the policy and within the client information leaflet;

Miracle Workers Agency applies three stages to the complaints process:-

- Stage One is often referred to as “informal” resolution. The worker, or a member of Miracle Workers Agency staff, will try to resolve the issue for the client or his/her representative. All Stage One complaints should be dealt with and satisfactorily resolved within 10 working days. The client may choose to extend this period of time by up to a further 10 working days but Miracle Workers Agency may not extend to 20 working days without the express permission of the person who is complaining. On completion of the “informal” resolution, the Agency will write to the complainant to confirm that s/he is happy with the outcome;

- Stage Two is often referred to as “formal” consideration. It is used when either a complaint is serious enough to warrant by-passing Stage One; or where the complainant decides to by-pass Stage One and refer the matter directly to Care Inspectorate Wales; or where the complainant feels that a Stage One complaint has not been successfully handled or resolved and decides to move onto Stage Two of the process; or there has been no resolution within the designated timeframe; or another statutory body, for example, Local Authority refers to Care Inspectorate Wales a complaint that appears to raise regulatory issues;
- Any request for a Stage Two investigation will usually result in the investigation being undertaken by someone not involved with Miracle Workers Agency;
- Other than in exceptional circumstances, the formal consideration must be completed and a written response sent to the complainant within 25 working days;
- Stage Three is the right to an Independent Panel hearing. This responsibility lies with the Welsh Assembly. If a client, or representative, is still dissatisfied after the formal consideration, s/he may write to the Independent Secretariat to request an Independent Panel to examine their complaint (contact information within the policy and within client information leaflet);
- After an Independent Panel hearing has been held, the Chair of the Panel will produce and send a written report to the complainant and others involved within 5 working days.

The client may choose not to request an Independent Panel but, instead, take the complaint directly to the Public Services Ombudsman or after an Independent Panel, if still dissatisfied, pursue the complaint through the Public Services Ombudsman;

Should a client, or representative, choose to go directly to the Public Services Ombudsman, and then remain dissatisfied, s/he cannot then request an Independent Panel hearing;

Records relating to complaint investigations, outcomes and any actions taken will be kept on the client’s and worker’s files;

As part of the quality control system, Miracle Workers Agency will follow up it’s handling of complaints during the overall process of monitoring quality of provision. This is done on a quarterly basis;

Miracle Workers Agency will monitor, analyse and identify patterns of complaints and, on an annual basis, will produce a summary report of complaints, comments and compliments. This is a public document;

The Director, Miracle Workers Agency, has overall responsibility for the management of complaints;

Contact information – should a client, or representative, feel they wish to refer or progress a complaint through an alternative body:-

Care Inspectorate Wales

Government Buildings,

Rhydycar,

Merthyr Tydfil

CF48 4UZ

Tel: 0300 790 0126

Independent Complaints Secretariat

PO Box 21

Cardiff

CF10 2ZR

Tel: 02920 376 840

Fax: 02920 376 826

Public Services Ombudsman for Wales

1, Ffordd yr Hen Gae

Pencoed

CF35 5LJ

Tel: 01656 641150

Fax: 01656 641199

Sara Morgan

Registered Manager