MARGARET HOUSE
Residential & Dementia Care Home
Complaints Procedure
For residents, relatives, representatives and visitors
Service Margaret House
Responsible person Registered Manager — Jackie Pope
Provider / Responsible Individual Jeevan Singh — jeevansingh1b@gmail.com
Procedure review At least annually and following significant learning, regulatory change or identified weakness
Regulatory basis Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 – Regulation 16
1. Purpose
Margaret House welcomes comments, concerns and complaints. Complaints are an important source of feedback and learning. We will listen openly, investigate concerns fairly, explain what we have found and take necessary and proportionate action where improvements are required.
No resident will be disadvantaged, treated differently or have their care affected because they, a relative or representative has raised a concern or complaint.
2. Our commitment
- Make it easy for people to raise concerns verbally or in writing.
- Take concerns seriously and respond in a respectful, person-centred way.
- Provide reasonable adjustments and communication support where needed.
- Investigate complaints thoroughly, proportionately and without avoidable delay.
- Keep the complainant informed where an investigation takes longer than expected.
- Apologise where appropriate and explain what will be done to put matters right.
- Record complaints, outcomes, actions and learning so that improvements can be monitored.
- Protect confidentiality and share information only where necessary and lawful.
3. Who can make a complaint?
A complaint may be made by a resident, relative, friend, advocate, representative, visitor or another person affected by the service. Where someone complains on behalf of a resident, Margaret House will normally confirm that the resident has consented to that person acting for them, unless the resident lacks capacity or there is another lawful basis for proceeding.
4. How to raise a concern or complaint
Concerns can be raised with any member of staff. Staff should try to resolve straightforward concerns promptly where it is safe and appropriate to do so, while ensuring the concern is passed to the appropriate senior person and recorded where required.
Formal complaints can be made verbally, by letter or by email to the Registered Manager, Jackie Pope. A person does not have to use the words ‘formal complaint’ for a concern to be treated seriously.
If the complaint concerns the Registered Manager, or the complainant would not feel comfortable raising it with the Registered Manager, it should be referred to the Provider/Responsible Individual, Jeevan Singh (jeevansingh1b@gmail.com), or another appropriate senior person independent of the matters complained about.
5. What happens when we receive a complaint?
- The complaint will be recorded on the home’s complaints log.
- We will acknowledge the complaint promptly and confirm who will be dealing with it.
- We will clarify the concerns and the outcome the complainant is seeking where this is not already clear.
- The investigating person will review relevant records and, where appropriate, speak with the resident, staff, relatives or other professionals.
- Immediate safety, safeguarding, medication, clinical or other urgent concerns will be acted upon straight away and will not wait for completion of the complaints investigation.
- The complainant will receive a written outcome explaining the concerns considered, what was found, whether the complaint is upheld, partly upheld or not upheld, and what action will be taken where appropriate.
- Any actions will be allocated to a named person and monitored to completion. Where appropriate, a follow-up audit or review will be completed to check that improvements have been sustained.
6. Timescales
Margaret House aims to acknowledge formal complaints within 3 working days and, wherever reasonably possible, provide a full written response within 20 working days.
Some complaints are complex or depend on information from external professionals. If the investigation cannot reasonably be completed within 20 working days, the complainant will be told why, given an update and provided with a revised expected response date. Complaints should be resolved as soon as reasonably possible rather than being allowed to drift.
7. Safeguarding and serious concerns
A complaint may identify a safeguarding concern, possible abuse or neglect, a serious incident, unsafe practice or another matter requiring external notification. The Registered Manager, Jackie Pope, will consider and make any necessary safeguarding referrals, notifications or escalation without waiting for the complaints process to finish.
The complaints procedure does not replace safeguarding, whistleblowing, disciplinary, incident reporting, duty of candour or regulatory notification processes. These processes may run alongside a complaint investigation.
8. Complaints involving staff
Staff will be given a fair opportunity to provide relevant information. Information about employees will be handled confidentially. A complainant may be told what action has been taken to protect residents or improve the service, but confidential employment or disciplinary information about an individual member of staff will not normally be disclosed.
9. Complaints involving other organisations
Where a complaint concerns care commissioned by a local authority, NHS body or another organisation, Margaret House will cooperate with the relevant organisation and follow any applicable contractual or statutory arrangements. Where a complaint covers more than one organisation, we will seek to avoid the complainant having to repeat the same concerns unnecessarily, subject to consent and information-sharing requirements.
10. If you remain dissatisfied
If you are unhappy with our response, please tell the Registered Manager, Jackie Pope, or the Provider, Jeevan Singh (jeevansingh1b@gmail.com), what you remain dissatisfied with. We will consider whether any further internal review, clarification or action is appropriate.
Once Margaret House has had a reasonable opportunity to investigate and respond, a complainant who remains dissatisfied may refer the matter to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO). The LGSCO is a free and independent service and can consider complaints about adult social care providers, including privately arranged care.
Telephone: 0300 061 0614
Website: www.lgo.org.uk/adult-social-care/
Post: Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, PO Box 4771, Coventry CV4 0EH
Where the care has been arranged or commissioned by a local authority, the complainant may also wish to use the local authority’s adult social care complaints process.
11. Care Quality Commission
Margaret House is registered with and regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). CQC does not normally investigate individual complaints on a person’s behalf, but people can share information or concerns about the service with CQC.
Telephone: 03000 616161
Website: www.cqc.org.uk/contact-us
Post: Care Quality Commission National Correspondence, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4PA
12. Recording, governance and learning
The Registered Manager, Jackie Pope, will maintain a complaints record showing the nature of each complaint, dates, investigation, outcome, response, actions, responsible persons and evidence of completion. Complaint information will be reviewed for themes, repeat concerns, emerging risks and lessons for the service.
Where a complaint identifies shortcomings, the home will consider whether care plans, risk assessments, staff guidance, training, supervision, audits, systems or other governance arrangements need to change.
The Provider, Jeevan Singh, will have oversight of complaints and the completion of significant actions. Complaint learning will be shared with staff where appropriate, while maintaining confidentiality.
Margaret House will provide CQC with a summary of complaints, responses and relevant information when requested, within the regulatory requirements.
13. Accessibility
This procedure will be made available to residents and representatives in an accessible form. Staff will offer help to anyone who needs support to make a complaint, including access to an advocate, interpreter, large print, easy-read information or another reasonable adjustment where appropriate.
14. Staff responsibilities
All staff: listen, take concerns seriously, record and escalate them appropriately, and never discourage a person from complaining.
Senior staff: ensure immediate risks are addressed and relevant information is preserved.
Registered Manager (Jackie Pope): oversee investigation, responses, actions, safeguarding/regulatory escalation and complaint records.
Provider (Jeevan Singh): maintain oversight, review significant complaints and ensure learning and actions are embedded.
15. Review of this procedure
This procedure will be reviewed at least annually and sooner where there is a significant complaint, identified weakness, change in legislation/regulation, CQC feedback or learning that indicates the procedure should be amended.
Margaret House – Complaints Procedure
Margaret House | Complaints Procedure