Complaints Policy and Procedure

Introduction

Ruils is committed to enabling members, clients and everyone who comes into contact with our projects and services to share their views, feedback and experiences of our organisation.

We welcome compliments, comments and suggestions, as well as concerns and complaints. If we have made a mistake, we want to know about it so that we can put things right, learn from what has happened and improve our services.

This procedure explains how to make a complaint if you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the service you have received from Ruils.

Scope

This procedure is designed to provide a means to resolve any dispute which may arise between someone wishing to make a complaint and Ruils.  It does not address complaints made by staff and volunteers (dealt with through grievance procedures), nor job applicants (recruitment procedures).

Procedure

Anyone who wishes to make a complaint has the right to be supported by a representative of their choice. This may be a friend, family member, advocate or someone from another organisation. They can help the person make their complaint and if required can accompany them to any meetings with Ruils.

The following procedure should be adopted:

Where the complaint is made against the Chief Executive the same procedure will be followed, with the Chair of the Board of Trustees substituting for the Chief Executive’s role at all stages.

Stage 1 – Making the Complaint

A complaint may be made by completing a complaint form (see Appendix) or by email, by letter, by telephone or in person.

If a complaint is raised with a member of staff, they should direct the individual to the Chief Executive, who is responsible for overseeing the complaints process. Complaints may be made in whichever format is most appropriate and accessible for the individual.

The complainant should provide as much information as possible about the matter, including what happened, when it occurred and the outcome they are seeking.

Where possible, complaints should be submitted in writing and marked Private and Confidential. However, if an individual is unable to make their complaint in writing, Ruils will provide appropriate support, including arranging a meeting, taking details over the telephone, or recording the complaint on their behalf. If the complaint is made verbally, a written record of the complaint will be shared with the individual for confirmation.

Complaints should be raised as soon as reasonably practicable. However, Ruils recognises that there may be circumstances that prevent an individual from doing so and will consider complaints made after a delay where appropriate.

Receipt of a complaint will be acknowledged within 2 working days.

Stage 2 – Investigating the Complaint

The complaint will be investigated by the Chief Executive or senior manager appointed by them. They will review the complaint and carry out an appropriate investigation. This may include speaking with the complainant, the member of staff concerned, witnesses and any other relevant individuals, as well as reviewing records and documentation relating to the matter.

The Chief Executive will ensure that the complaint is considered fairly, objectively and confidentially. Where further information is required, the complainant may be contacted during the investigation.

Ruils aims to provide a full written response within 20 working days of receiving the complaint. Where this is not possible due to the complexity of the complaint or the availability of relevant individuals, the complainant will be informed of the reason for the delay and advised when a response can be expected.

The Chief Executive will log any internal investigations on the Corrective Action Report.

Stage 3 – Letter of explanation and or Actions taken

The Chief Executive will provide a formal written response to the complaint. This will include information gathered from the member of staff concerned and any other relevant parties. The response will outline the findings of the investigation, any actions that will be taken, and the reasons for any decisions made.

If no further communication is received from the complainant within 30 calendar days, the complaint will be considered resolved and closed.

If the complainant remains dissatisfied with the outcome, they may request that the complaint be reviewed by the Board of Trustees. This request must be made in writing within 30 calendar days of the date of the Chief Executive’s response.

If new information becomes available or there are exceptional circumstances that prevented the complainant from responding within this timescale, we may agree to reopen the complaint at our discretion.

Stage 4 – Board of Trustees

If the complainant remains dissatisfied following Stage 3, they may request a review by the Board of Trustees. This request should be submitted in writing within 30 calendar days of receiving the Chief Executive’s response.

The Chief Executive will refer the complaint to the Board of Trustees within 5 working days of receiving the request for review. The Chair, or appointed trustee, acting on behalf of the Board, will consider the complaint, review how it has been handled, and determine whether any further action is appropriate.

The Chair will write to the complainant setting out the Board’s findings and any further actions that will be taken. The Board’s decision will normally be considered the final stage of Ruils’ complaints process.

If no further communication is received from the complainant within 30 calendar days, the complaint will be considered resolved and closed.

Stage 5 – Local Government Ombudsman

Following the completion of Stage 4, Ruils’ internal complaints procedure will be considered concluded.

If the complainant remains dissatisfied and the complaint relates to a service commissioned or funded by the local authority, NHS or other body, Ruils will, where appropriate, provide information about any external complaints or review processes available to the complainant.

For complaints relating to services commissioned or funded by Richmond Council, complainants may contact:

Corporate Complaints
Adult and Community Services
3rd Floor, Civic Centre
44 York Street
Twickenham,
TW1 3BZ

Or call 020 8891 1411 or email customer.services@richmond.gov.uk

Or they can contact their Local Government Ombudsman by calling 0300 061 0614, or by completing an online complaint form using the following link https://www.lgo.org.uk/make-a-complaint

Recording & Monitoring Complaints

All complaints are logged on Charity Log and a separate client folder is created in the Complaints folder on the Ruils One Drive. All correspondence, investigation notes and the Complaints Monitoring form should be saved in the client’s folder in the Complaints Folder and not on Charity Log. This is to ensure confidentiality.

The Complaints Monitoring Form is used to record the nature of the complaint, notes from the investigation undertaken, feedback given to the complainant and any actions taken.

A Corrective Action Report is also raised which refers and links to the Complaints Monitoring Form.  A report on Complaints (and resulting actions) is presented to the Quality Management Review Committee on a quarterly basis. Complaints and Service Concerns are included under Quality Matters which is a Standing Item on the Staff Team Meeting Agenda and are discussed with the team to ensure that lessons are learnt across the team and that internal actions are followed.

Ruils will regularly review complaints and service concerns, whether formal or informal, to monitor the effective running of the organisation, its services and projects. This review will be undertaken without revealing the identity of complainants and will include only the information necessary to consider any wider issues raised.

The Chief Executive will include an update on complaints and any resulting actions in their report to the quarterly Quality Management Review Committee and to the Board through their bi-monthly Board Report.

Data Protection & Confidentiality

Where possible a complainant’s wish for confidentiality will be respected. However, this may not always be possible if the complaint is to be dealt with adequately. Anonymous complaints will be considered wherever possible; however, the ability to investigate and respond fully may be limited where insufficient information is available.

If the complaint involves issues that will affect other members or clients it may not be possible to keep total confidentiality.  However, in all cases, information shared will be strictly limited to what is necessary to investigate and resolve the complaint and will only be shared with those involved in the investigation.

Complaint records will be retained in accordance with Ruils’ Data Retention and Data Protection policies and will be securely destroyed when no longer required.

Access to the Complaints Policy & Procedure

The Chief Executive is responsible for ensuring that Complaints Policy and Procedure is available on the Ruils website and is accessible to clients, members, staff and other stakeholders.

All Trustees will receive a copy of the policy, and all staff will be made aware of its contents and the procedure for making a complaint.

How to contact Ruils

Write to us at: The DAAC 4, Waldegrave Road, Teddington, TW11 8HT

Tel:  020 8831 6083