Complaints about adult social care
Some complaints about adult social care services must be handled under a statutory complaints procedure. This procedure is set out in The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 and applies to:
• Local authorities
• NHS organisations
• Primary care providers
• Independent providers delivering NHS or social care services
We work closely with Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to make sure this statutory process is followed consistently across jointly delivered services.
There are two stages to the adults statutory complaints procedure:
Stage 1 - local or commissioned investigation.
When we receive a complaint about adult social care, our Complaints Team will:
- Carry out an initial assessment. We check whether the issue can be dealt with under the statutory procedure and whether the eligibility criteria are met.
- Identify the specific issues to be investigated - allocate the complaint to an investigating officer. This is usually the manager responsible for the service the complaint relates to.
- We will write to you to explain:
- That your complaint will be investigated under the statutory process
- What will be looked at
- Who will be completing the investigation and providing the response
If your complaint cannot be dealt with under the statutory procedure, we will inform you. Where appropriate, we will provide further advice or signpost you to an alternative process or organisation.
After the investigation is completed, you will receive a written response explaining:
- How your complaint was considered
- The findings of the investigation
- Any actions we will take to resolve the issues you raised
Stage 2 – Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
If you have completed all stages of our procedure and are still unhappy with the outcome, you can ask the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to review your complaint. The Ombudsman is independent and looks at whether we acted fairly, followed proper processes, and responded appropriately.
Find out more about the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
