Our Aim
We want to provide good quality services so if you have a
comment or suggestion or complaint, please tell us about it.
This will help us to improve services and, if you have a complaint,
it will give us the opportunity to put it right for you and learn
from what you say.
How do I make a complaint?
You can:
Complaints Procedure Manager,
Adult & Health Services,
Freepost SWB10433,
Bath BA1 1BF
- Use the link to the on-line form opposite.
- Fill in our complaint form and send to the address
above.
If you need an interpreter, tell us your language and we can
make arrangements for an interpreter.
Is there anyone else who can help?
You can ask for a friend or relative to speak or write to us for
you.
We can also put you in touch with other organisations that
provide advocacy support.
What can I complain about?
These are some of the things you might want to complain
about:
- If we do not deliver a service on time
- If you receive a poor quality service
- The attitude or behaviour of staff
- If you are unhappy with an assessment, care plan or review
- Decisions you do not agree with
- Quality, frequency or cost of services
- Impact of our policies on you and your services
- How our assessment and eligibility criteria affect you and your
services
If you complain about something that happened or a decision made
more than 12 months ago we may not accept your
complaint. If we do not accept your complaint we will
write and tell you why not.
What happens when I make a complaint?
The complaints procedure can be used by anyone who is a service
user or potential service user and their carers.
Most complaints can be sorted out by talking informally to the
person responsible for providing you with a service. If it
isn’t possible to sort it out in this way we will begin the
complaint procedure.
We will try to deal with your complaint in confidence, however,
we will need to talk to other people so that we can investigate
thoroughly.
If your complaint is about an independent provider, such as a
care home we will usually expect them to look into your complaint
about their services in the first instance.
There are three stages to the complaints procedure:
Stage 1 Complaint Resolution
- When you complain, we will write to you within 2 working days
to say which manager will deal your complaint.
- The manager will try to resolve your complaint within 10
working days. To resolve your complaint, the manager will
need to understand what the problem is and also how you think it
can be sorted out.
- If the manager is not able to resolve your complaint fully
within 10 working days, they will contact you to arrange more
time. You might also want more time to meet with your
advocate. The manager should take no more than 20 working
days to answer your complaint.
- The manager will write to you saying how they have tried to
sort out your complaint. Sometimes they may not agree with
all of your complaints and they will give reasons for this in their
letter.
- If your complaint involves other organisations such as health
or education we will try to provide a joint response to your
complaint.
What if I am not satisfied with the manager’s response to my
complaint?
We will do all we can to sort out your complaint at Stage
1. However, if you are not satisfied, you can choose to
progress to Stage 2 of the Complaints Procedure.
To do this you should contact the Complaints Procedure Manager
within 20 working days of getting the letter about your stage 1
complaint.
If your complaint is very complicated we can miss out stage 1
and treat it as a stage 2 complaint from the beginning.
Stage 2 investigation
You may be unhappy because you do not agree with what the
manager has said or because you have not had a response within the
agreed time.
We will talk to you about your complaint and what think should
be done to put it right. We may suggest ways of sorting out
your complaint without having to do an investigation.
The investigating officer will gather all the facts about your
complaint, which will involve interviewing everyone concerned as
well as reading files and letters. The investigating officer
will write a report and then a senior manager will write to you to
explain what action will be taken. A copy of the report will
be sent to you.
Is there anything else I can do if I am still not
satisfied?
If you are still not satisfied, you can ask for a review of the
Council’s recommendations and decisions by a Review Panel.
Stage 3 Review Panel
You will need to make your request for a Review Panel within 25
days of receiving the letter with the findings of the Stage 2
investigation.
The Panel is made up of three people who are completely
independent of the Council.
You can have someone to support you at the Panel.
The members of the Review Panel will make recommendations to the
Council about anything it should do to sort out your complaint.
Your Local Government Ombudsman
We hope that we can sort out your complaint to your
satisfaction. There are no further stages in our complaints
procedure. If you are unhappy with the outcome of the
investigation, you may contact the Local Government Ombudsman.
Your Local Government Ombudsman can be contacted
at:
The Oaks No 2
Westwood Way
Westwood Business Park
Coventry CV4 8JB
Advice Line: Lo-call 0845 602
1983 Enquiries.coventry@lgov.org.uk
When we deal with your complaint we promise
to:
- Treat you with respect
- Treat you complaint seriously and do out utmost to put it right
as quickly as possible
- Respect your confidentiality
- Keep you informed about what is going on
For more information
If you would like to know more about the complaints process,
please contact
Complaints Procedure Manager, Adult & Health Services,
Freepost SWB10433, Bath BA1 1BF
Tel: 01225 477931
Fax: 01225 396268
Email: complaints_proceduremanager@bathnes.gov.uk
