Service User Guide Part 5
Compliments and Complaints
Who is the Consortiums Complaints and Compliments Procedure for?
Anybody can use this information to make complaints or give compliments. You could be a:
Service User, or a friend or family member of a service user.
Consortium staff member, or someone working for another organisation.
Member of the public.
Complaints
When you are unhappy about something the Consortium or it’s staff have done, you must be able to tell someone about it.
You want the Consortium to listen to you and tell you what they are going to do about your complaint.
Compliments
You might also want to tell the Consortium when you think they are doing something well or something is good.
This helps the Consortium to make the things they do even better.
If in Doubt Speak Out
If you want to tell someone about your complaint or when you think something is good, you can talk to a member of staff who you get on with at any time. This person will probably be your Keyworker.
You can also tell staff if you are happy or not happy during your Monthly Personal Planning meeting or regular House Meeting.
You might want to get help from your friends, family, Social Worker or Community Nurse or an independent person to help you speak to your staff.
If you are unhappy with the way staff have dealt with your complaint, or you don’t want to talk to your staff in the first place, you can make a formal complaint.
Making a complaint
Speak to a Consortium staff member you know well. They will listen to your complaint and write it down.
They will work with a Contract Manager to sort out your complaint. They will come to you within 14 days to agree with you how they will sort out your complaint.
They will write down what you have agreed in a way you can understand.
Your Service Co-ordinator or Contract Manager will look at my complaint and get back to me within 14 days. If it cannot be sorted out within 14 days they may come back to you and agree another 14 days.
If you want to speak to someone at the Consortium office
If you are unhappy with how staff who work with you have dealt wtih your complaint, of if you don't want to talk to staff who work with you, you can speak to the Consortium Director.
You can telephone the Consortium and ask to speak to the Director, the telephone number to call is:
01792 646640
The Director will ask a Senior Manager to sort out your complaint. They will come back to you within 14 days to agree with you how they will sort out your complaint.
They will write down what you have agreed in a way you can understand.
If your complaint cannot be sorted out within 14 days they may come back to you and agree another 14 days.
Speaking to somebody outside of the Consortium
If you are unhappy with how the Consortium has dealt with your complaint, or if you don’t want to speak to the Consortium about your complaint, you can speak to somebody outside of the Consortium.
Please tell the Consortium Director that you want to speak to somebody outside the Consortium.
The Director will ask the Management Committee to agree with you somebody who does not work for the Consortium to look at your complaint.
What will happen then?
This person will look into your complaint.
They will talk with you and may meet with other people involved in your complaint.
They may look at reports or information that will help to show what happened.
They will then write a report about what has happened and what has happened and what the Consortium should do to sort out your complaint.
They will write down what you have agreed in a way you can understand.
They will tell you how they think the Consortium should sort out your complaint within 35 days. If they cannot do this they will tell you and ask for up to another 35 days.
Who else may get involved with my complaint?
Sometimes other organisations may get involved with complaints. This could be because:
Staff involved in your complaint may be investigated by us to see if disciplinary action is necessary.
This means that they may receive a warning from us or in the most serious cases we may stop them working for the Consortium.
The Police may become involved, if the law has been broken.
Social Services may investigate if somebody may have been abused.
This could mean that somebody may have been hit, spoken to unkindly, or shouted at. It could also mean that somebody has taken their things or money.
If other agencies become involved the Consortium may need to stop looking at your complaint while these other people are involved.
If this happens the manager involved in your complaint will explain this to you.
They will record the reason why this is happening and when we expect to be able to start to look at your complaint again.
Who are the other people outside the Consortium you can make a complaint to?
You can make your complaints to:
Care and Social Services Inspectorate of Wales (CSSIW)
The CSSIW are a department of the Welsh Assembly and are responsible for making sure that The Consortium provides a good service to you and that your home is well looked after.
If you want to you can tell the CSSIW at any time when you are happy or unhappy with your service or home.
South West Wales Regional Office, Unit C and D, Tawe Business Village, Swansea Enterprise Park, Swansea, SA7 9LA, 01792 310420
Help and advice you can get from Social Services
There is a leaflet telling people how to make a complaint to the Social Services Department. You can ask your Staff, Social Worker or Community Nurse to get you a copy of this leaflet.
Swansea Social Services
01792 636000
Neath and Port Talbot - Social Services
01639 764612
Help and advice you can get from someone indepentent
If you don’t want to complain to someone at The Consortium, CSSIW or Social Services, you can get help from these organisations: -
Mencap Cymru - 0808 800 300
People First - 01639 631246
Swansea Participation Service - 01792 653666
