National Care Service: complaints and redress research and co-design report

What we learned from co-design

In relation to the current complaints system, people with experience of handling complaints as part of their work and specialist complaint handlers from local authorities told us:

People often use different routes to submit complaints and can vary in how much detail they include.

People often submit their complaints by a number of different routes, which can lead to receiving duplicate complaints across services. This slows down efforts to resolve complaints, as different departments and services need to work together.

Other points around this included:

• different complaints submission routes include digital and non-digital submission which vary across the country
• using a structured form helps find a solution people want and speeds the process up
• having contact details of the person making the complaint is also very useful for follow-up conversations

People with experience of handling complaints told us:

“Multiple routes / people leads to more confusion than clarification. It causes us more problems than someone just logging [a complaint] via 1 route, for example, with the Local Authority to gather the information.”

“Don’t know words to explain the broadness of the types and variety of information [we] get. Sometimes a simple sentence to say I am unhappy with this issue / person. Sometimes get 70 page letters.”

Triaging complaints can often be straightforward but complaints across different services can become difficult.

Local services are good at receiving complaints and passing them onto the relevant services. They have knowledge that can help to pass the complaint on to the right person or department quickly.

Other points around this included:

• some local authorities and health boards might have different processes and structures around handling complaints. This means co-ordinating a response can be challenging, particularly if the complaints crosses over multiple services

A person with experience of handling complaints told us:

“We look at it case by case. Sometimes [there are] separate outcomes, sometimes [there are] separate investigations but it is pulled together for the response.”

Some people who make complaints are vulnerable and it is important to take a trauma-informed approach.

Sometimes a conversation might be needed to clarify details around the complaint. These conversations, and the wider experience of submitting a complaint, can often be emotional and a trauma-informed approach is needed.

Other points around this included:

• it can be hard to explain and manage expectations when people want to add more detail to an already submitted complaint, or to tell people that what they have submitted is not a complaint
• sometimes people submit historic complaints because they are not aware of the complaints process

A person with experience of handling complaints told us:

“More people are sending in complaints about 4 – 5 areas. It’s hard trying to get agreement sometimes. Especially in complex cases, e.g. who is going to lead on this.”

Complaint handlers need support and guidance.

There is existing national guidance around handling complaints. It is important that complaint handlers are properly trained and supported in their roles.

Other points around this included:

• complaint handlers need mental health training to support people during an emotional time
• different local authorities use different IT systems. These systems need to be easy to use so that complaint handlers can record and handle complaints information

People with experience of handling complaints told us:

"Need more support on how to deal with customers who are extremely upset or distressed, e.g. mental health illness or suicide. [It is] difficult to take notes, be on call and work to find information or what to do.”

“For us, we work well as a team and we share and support each other around things that we find difficult. We don’t have specific safeguarding or health or wellbeing for staff across the services.”

A national approach to complaints is an opportunity to do things better. However it may make things more complex.

A new national entry-point for submitting a complaint could improve the way people are given information about complaints.

However, a national entry point could:

• cause confusion about where to submit a complaint
• lead to longer timescales to respond to complaints
• affect local relationships and processes in handling complaints that often work well

People with experience of handling complaints told us:

“[It is] important to be able to give people the right information and signposting when making a complaint. It needs to be clear and consistent to remove confusion.”

"...I see this as sort of an advocacy service, giving people the right information and a structured way to make a complaint. This means that it is sorted before they are on our door.”

People with experience of submitting, or supporting people to submit a complaint told us:

People tend to approach others for help when they want to make a complaint.

They may approach other people for help to make a complaint or get advice on the best way to submit a complaint. These are people who:

• help them submit their complaint, such as a carer, independent advocate or advice services
• investigate and resolve their complaint, such as the service provider or local authority
• kick start or escalate the complaints process, such as their local MPs, MSPs, councillors or social worker

A person with experience of submitting complaints told us:

“There aren’t appropriate routes being taken – people need to use the support of family and carers to work this out. Not everyone can use the internet.”

People use a number of different ways to find out about how to make a complaint. Some are easier than others.

In addition to speaking to carers, advice services or MPs, MSPs and councillors for advice, people also use the internet to find information but this can be difficult.

Other points around this included:

• they told us it would be easier to understand the complaints process if the information was all in one place
• they would also like to be given information on making a complaint by services when they first engage with the service

A person with experience of submitting a complaint told us:

“Trying to find the information would mean scouring the internet trying to find out how to contact whatever option I was complaining to. This can often be difficult as rarely is this information provided somewhere obvious.”

People might want to submit a complaint in different ways, depending on their own needs and preferences.

They need to consider the best way to submit a complaint that works for them and their own accessibility needs. Some might not be able to go online and may prefer to submit a complaint by phone or post.

Other points around this included:

• people sometimes submit a complaint in a number of different ways to reassure them that at least one of these complaint submissions will be received and dealt with. A paper / audit trail is important for people to make sure there is evidence of the complaint
• it can be difficult when a particular complaints submission method is promoted by a service provider
• people would also like help to understand what to include in their complaint

A person with experience of submitting a complaint told us:

“I don’t think there should be just one way. There should be different accessible ways for different people to be able to contact someone about an issue you are having.”

People are worried about how different services work with each other to respond to complaints and that it can often take a long time.

Complaints that cover more than one service – especially when they relate to health and social care – can be handled by different departments.

Other points around this included:

• people told us they do not feel there is always a coordinated response and that these complaints take a long time to resolve
• they also told us that making a complaint isn’t always about an apology, but that they want to improve a service for others. It may help staff to resolve complaints if they are viewed as a way to make improvements
• some people worry that making a complaint may affect their care and this can be a barrier to submitting a complaint. Others feel there is a lack of accountability in resolving complaints

A person with experience of submitting a complaint told us:

“What if it’s a crossover complaint that involves social care and health services? You have to make sure that both departments talk to each other because sometimes that doesn’t happen.”