complaints leaflet - Newcastle City Council

Not happy
about
something
How to make a complaint
to adult services
www.newcastle.gov.uk

Making a complaint to
Adult Services
Please tick the appropriate boxes below
Arabic
Urdu
Bengali
Punjabi
Hindi
Cantonese
I want this information by e-mail
I want this information in Braille
I want this information on audio tape
I want this information in large print
About you
Title (Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Name .................................................
Address ................................................
.......................................................
.................................. Postcode .............
Phone ..................................................
✂E-mail address ..........................................

Cut this page out and send it to:
Complaints Manager
Customer Relations Team
Adult Services Directorate
Newcastle City Council
FREEPOST NEA5336
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE1 1BR
You don’t need a stamp.
We will keep your information on our database
and use it only to check statistical purposes
only. We will not share your information with
other people.
Making a complaint to
Adult Services
Since April 2008 we have been using a new and simpler way of
dealing with your complaints.This leaflet tells you how you can
complain about our services and how we will try to put things right if
they go wrong.
Making a complaint will not affect your right to receive our
services.
If you are unhappy about a service we provide, or the care we have
arranged for you, you should contact:
Customer Relations Team
Newcastle City Council
Adult Services Directorate
FREEPOST NEA5336
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE1 1BR.
Phone: 0191 211 6340
Fax: 0191 211 4955
E-mail: adultservices.customer@newcastle.gov.uk
Website: www.newcastle.gov.uk
You can complain in person, by phone, letter, textphone, fax, or
e-mail. You can also use the form at the back of this leaflet and send
it to us for free.
✂
1

Who can make a
complaint
You can ask us to look into your complaint if you are:
•
•
the person who gets the service (the service user);
someone acting on behalf of the service user with their
permission; or,
• the person most closely related to a service user who is acting on
their behalf, because they are not able to make their own
decisions.
If you do not have the service user’s permission, we may still be able
to look into your complaint under our corporate complaints system. If
you would like information on our corporate complaints system,
please ask for a copy of the leaflet ‘“If you have a complaint’”.
What can I complain about
You can complain about:
•
receiving a poor-quality service, including services we have
arranged for you but that are delivered by an independent care
provider;
• our staff’s attitude or behaviour;
•
•
your assessment, care plan, or review of your services;
decisions you do not agree with, such as changes to the amount of
care you receive;
• the effect of our policies on you and your services, such as our
eligibility criteria (conditions); and,
• the charge you pay for your service and how we have assessed it. 3
What happens when I make
a complaint
When you contact us with your complaint, we will see if we can sort out
the problem without you needing to do anything else.
If this is not possible, we will write down your complaint and register it
on our computer.
We will talk to you about:
what has happened;
what you think should be done to put things right;
how long it is likely to take to examine look at your complaint; and.
• who will reply to you.
This is known as your complaint plan. You will normally get your
complaint plan within two to five days of contacting us, depending on
how complicated your complaint is.
We try to sort out most complaints within two to four weeks of sending
you the complaint plan, unless we have agreed a longer time with you.
You will receive a reply from the manager named in your plan. They will
explain what they have found out and what they will do to put things
right. Sometimes they may not agree with all of your complaints and
they will explain why.
If your complaint is about an independent care provider, and you have
not been able to sort out your problems with them yourself, we will look
at what they have done and reply direct to you.
If your complaint also involves a service provided by the NHS, such as
a hospital, we will contact them, with your permission, and agree who
will reply to you. We will let you know who will send you a reply to all
your complaints. You will not have to wait for separate replies from
each organisation.
Our aim is to put things right if they have gone wrong. If we can, we
will put things back to the way they were before the service went
wrong. We will make sure that the service is provided in the way it
should be.
2

What happens if I am not
happy with the way the
manager has dealt with
my complaint
If you are not happy with how the manager dealt with your complaint,
you should contact the Customer Relations Team within three weeks
(15 working days) of receiving the manager’s reply. We will talk to you
about why you are still not happy and what else you think we should
do to put things right.
We will discuss your complaint with the senior manager responsible
for the service and look at what was said in the reply to your
complaint.
We will see if there is any way of sorting out your complaint without
having to investigate it. We may suggest a meeting with a senior
manager to talk about your worries. This is known as a local resolution
meeting or mediation.
We will write to you to explain what other action, if any, we can take to
deal with your complaint. If your complaint is very complicated, we
may decide to investigate it.If we decide not to investigate your
complaint further any more, we will write to you to explain why and
what you can do next.
What happens if there is
an investigation
If we agree that your complaint is so serious or complicated that it
needs to be investigated, we will appoint an Investigating Officer.
This is usually a member of the Customer Relations Team.
The investigating officer will contact you and write down the things
you are still not happy with and what you want us to do about these.
They will update your complaint plan and ask to confirm that all the
details are correct and that it covers everything you want them to
look at.
The Investigating Officer will discuss how long the investigation is
likely to take and when you will get a reply. We aim to complete most
investigations within four weeks of agreeing the new complaint plan.
This might take longer depending on how complicated your
complaint is.
The Investigating Officer will write a short report and make
recommendations to the Head of Service for dealing with your
complaint. You will receive a copy of the report and a letter from the
Head of Service telling you what they plan to do to sort out your
complaint.
If you are not happy with the investigation or the how the Head of
Service has dealt with your complaint, you can contact the Local
Government Ombudsman and ask them to review how your
complaint was handled.
4
5

Local Government
Ombudsman
You may contact the Local Government Ombudsman at any time.
Local Government Ombudsman
Beverley House
17 Shipton Road
York
YO3 5FZ
Phone: 0845 602 1983
E-mail: enquiries.york@lgo.org.uk
Who can help me make a
complaint
You can ask:
•
a friend or relative to speak to us on your behalf;
your local councillor or MP to make a complaint for you;
your solicitor to make a complaint for you; or,
us to put you in touch with an independent organisation, such as
Citizens Advice or Newcastle Advocacy Centre, to help you with
your complaint.
Other procedures
If you do not want us to use this new way of dealing with your
complaint, please tell us when you contact us. Until April 2009, you
keep your right to have your complaint examined under the old social
care complaints procedure instead. If you want information on this
procedure, please ask for a copy of the leaflet “Making a complaint
to Social Services” or phone the Customer Relations Team on
0191 211 6340 for more information.
This document was produced by
Newcastle City Council, Adult Services Directorate, Customer Relations Team
January 2009
Adult Services Complaints form
Your name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Your address and postcode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Your phone number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If you are complaining on behalf of someone else
Their name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Their address and postcode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Do they know you are making this complaint (please tick) Yes No
If we give you more than one service, which service do you want to
complain about . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What are you not happy about . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How would you like us to put it right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Have you made this complaint before Yes No
If ‘Yes’, who did you complain to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
When you have completed the form, moisten the top three edges, fold the
form in half and stick together. Post to the address on the front of the form.
YOU DO NOT NEED A STAMP
6

Open here for form
You do
not need
a stamp
Complaints Manager
Customer Relations Team
Newcastle City Council
Adult Services Directorate
FREEPOST NEA 5336
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 1BR