We trust that all Residents will be satisfied with the quality of the care they receive. However, there may be occasions when a Resident or their relative may wish to raise a concern or make a formal complaint. We wish you to know that you should feel completely free to raise your concerns.
We would advise you initially to contact the Care Manager on duty who will deal with your concern. If unresolved you may contact the Registered Home Manager(s), Jackie Pope or Gail Kelly.
If the complaint is concerning one of the Registered Manager(s) then a member of the senior management team will handle the complaint. In this instance please contact Sam Adby or the other Registered Manager in the first instance.
A written complaint will be acknowledged within three working days. It may be that a discussion will resolve the issue, however we may need to carry out an investigation. If this occurs, a complaint will be investigated within 14 days of being made and we will contact you again in writing within 28 days to let you know the outcome and what actions we propose to take.
Once your complaint has been fully dealt with by Margaret House, if you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can refer your complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) and ask for it to be reviewed. The LGO provides a free, independent service. You can contact the LGO for information or to register your complaint: Tel: 0300 061 0614 Web: www.lgo.org.uk/adult-social-care/ (there is a link to a complaint form on this page) Or write to: The Local Government Ombudsman, PO Box 4771, Coventry CV4 0EH The LGO will not usually investigate a complaint until the provider has had an opportunity to respond and resolve matters. Our service is registered with and regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The CQC cannot get involved in individual complaints about providers but is happy to receive information about our services at any time. You can contact the CQC at:
Care Quality Commission National Correspondence
Citygate
Gallowgate
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE1 4PA
Tel: 03000 616161
Web : www.cqc.org.uk/contactus.cfm
The Local Government Ombudsmen investigate complaints of injustice arising from mal administration by local authorities and certain other bodies including Care Homes. There are three Local Government Ombudsmen in England and they each deal with complaints from different parts of the country. They investigate complaints about most matters, but they cannot question what has been done simply because someone does not agree with it.
Alternatively, you can also contact as appropriate:
Hertfordshire County Council Adult Care Services
Farnham House,
Six Hills Way
Stevenage,
SG1 2FQ
Tel: 0300 123 4042
Safeguarding Adults Team
0300 123 4042
A complainant must give the council/care home concerned an opportunity to deal with a complaint against it first. It is best to use the council’s own complaints procedure, if it has one. If the complainant is not satisfied with the action the council/care home takes, he or she can send a written complaint to the local Government Ombudsman or ask a councilor to do so on their behalf.
The Ombudsman is:
Mr. E B C Osmotherly CB
Local Government Ombudsman
21 Queen Anne’s Gate
London, SW1H 9BU
Tel: 020 7915 3210 Fax: 020 7233 0396