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Our Complaints Process

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Our Complaints Process

Introduction

We always aim to provide a high standard of care in all our services. Our customers’ views are important to us and help to ensure our services are consistently meeting people’s needs. If you are unhappy with any of our services or place of work it is important that you let us know.

If a complaint alerts us to possible abuse or neglect, we will tell the Council’s Adult Safeguarding Team. The Safeguarding Team will decide how to investigate and monitor outcomes.

1. Making a complaint

We aim to handle complaints quickly, effectively and in a fair and honest way. We take all complaints seriously and use the information from investigations to help us improve the service we provide.

We treat all complaints in confidence.

Avante Care & Support assures clients and their families that it will not withdraw or reduce services because someone makes a complaint in good faith.

2. Who can complain

Service users and their families, and anyone affected by the way Avante Care & Support provides services can make a complaint.

If you are not happy about making a complaint yourself and you do not know someone who can talk or write to us on your behalf, we will be happy to find someone from an independent organisation to act as an advocate for you.

3. Anonymous complaints

We deal with anonymous complaints under the same procedure; however, it is better if you can provide contact details so we can tell you the outcome of our investigation.

4. Responsibility

The care home Registered Manager has overall responsibility for dealing with all complaints made about their service.

We will provide, as far as is reasonably practical:

  • any help you need to understand the complaints procedure; or
  • advice on where you may get that help.

5. How we handle complaints

The care home Registered Manager may ask one of the Management Team to investigate the complaint. That person will have enough seniority and experience to deal with the issues raised by the complaint.

We will acknowledge a complaint within 3 working days and give you the name and contact details of the person investigating it.

We will keep you informed about the progress of the investigation. We aim to have all complaints finished within 28 working days unless we agree a different time scale with you. If the complaint deals with an urgent matter, we will complete our investigation within 7 days.

When we have finished our investigation, we will write to you with the following information and arrange to meet with you to discuss the outcome if you prefer:

  • details of the findings;
  • any action we have taken; and
  • our proposals to resolve your complaint.

6. Time limits

You should submit your complaint as soon as you can after the date on which the event occurred or came to your notice. If you complain more than twelve months later, we may not be able to investigate properly. However, we shall also consider whether you had good reason for not making the complaint sooner and whether, despite the delay, it is still possible to investigate effectively and fairly.

7. Further steps

At any stage during the process, if you are not happy with the way your complaint is being dealt with, you can contact the Local Authority that funds you (if applicable).

Once we have dealt with your complaint but in your opinion we have failed to respond appropriately, you can in the first instance refer your complaint to the Managing Director at De Gelsey House, 1 Jubilee Way, Faversham, Kent ME13 9GD

Alternatively, you can contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO) to ask for your complaint to be reviewed. The LGO provides a free independent service.

Tel: 0300 061 0614
Website: www.lgo.org.uk

 

NB: The LGO will not normally investigate a complaint until the provider has had an opportunity to respond and resolve matters.

Avante Care & Support 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 services at any time.

Care Quality Commission National Correspondence
Citygate
Gallowgate
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4PA

Tel: 03000 616161
Web site: www.cqc.org.uk

Our Complaints Form

  • We deal with anonymous complaints under the same procedure; however, it is better if you can provide contact details so we can tell you the outcome of our investigation.
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