Adult social care complaints
In Knowsley, we are committed to providing the best possible
health and wellbeing services to our local communities. Your
comments, suggestions and complaints are very important to us and
telling us about your experience helps us to learn, develop and
improve as an organisation. Customer feedback not only tells
us what we’re doing well, it also highlights where we can do things
differently and make a real difference in people’s lives.
Your say is important!
If you think we’re doing something well then please let us know;
all our staff and teams like to know when they are appreciated and
doing a good job! We record all comments, compliments and
suggestions received and ensure that these are used to promote
services and help improve other areas of Knowsley Health and
Wellbeing. If you provide any comments, compliments or suggestions
you can be assured that we will acknowledge it promptly and, where
possible, tell you how it has helped us.
Has something gone wrong?
Although we try to offer the best possible service, sometimes we
can get things wrong. If you have any concerns about a service, a
team or if you feel you have been treated unfairly please let us
know straight away. All complaints and concerns are treated
seriously and are carefully considered. Although we cannot change
the past, we can improve for the future and if you do have concerns
or want to make a complaint, here’s how you can do it and what to
expect;
What should I do?
You can always raise your concerns verbally by speaking to the
member of staff, team or manager involved in your care. You can
expect a sympathetic response and to be treated with dignity and
respect at all times. Remember, raising a concern or making a
complaint will not affect the care you or your family receives. If
you don’t feel comfortable talking to the people directly involved
in your care you can also speak confidentially to the Team Manager,
who will help you try and resolve the problem as quickly as
possible. You can also write to us, contact us by telephone, email
us, ask for a meeting or complete and return one of our feedback
forms. The Complaints Manager is also available to discuss any
concerns in detail.
What can I expect?
Our complaints and feedback process is impartial and aims to
resolve issues through negotiation and mutual
agreement. In the early stages it is important that we
discuss your concerns fully with you and establish what outcome you
would prefer (or what you would like to see happen as a result).
Based on these initial discussions we will agree a practical
timescale with you for us to investigate. We always hope to resolve
concerns as quickly as possible and in the majority of cases we
would expect this take no more than 10 working days. More complex
issues may, of course, take longer than this but we will keep you
informed of progress at all times.
Can I contact you about other local providers?
Other providers of social care, such as domiciliary care
agencies have their own complaints procedures and it is always
advisable to approach the provider or service concerned initially
to discuss any problems. However, you can contact us first if you
feel that the issue is serious enough for us to be involved and we
will do all we can to provide you with appropriate advice and agree
the best way forward. Depending on how serious the issue is, this
could mean us taking an active role in coordinating your
complaint.
What about advocates?
Some people need support when making a complaint and where
necessary, we will sign-post you to an appropriate advocate to help
you. An advocate is someone who can support you and speak on your
behalf and can be anyone from a family member or friend to
professional organisations offering services free of charge. As
long as we know they are speaking on your behalf and with your
consent then we will always work with advocates to solve problems
and resolve any concerns.
Is there anything else I need to know?
To help us help you it is better to raise any issues or report
problems within twelve months of the event (or within twelve months
of realising you have a complaint to make). If someone is
complaining on your behalf, make sure you provide some confirmation
that you are happy for us to speak to them, as some information we
provide could be confidential or sensitive and you may not want it
to be shared. The Complaints Manager or PALS will be able to
explain this requirement in more detail.
Where can I get further advice or help?
The Patient Advice and Liaison Service
(PALS)
Health and Wellbeing Headquarters, Nutgrove Villa, Westmorland
Road, Huyton L36 6GA
Tel: 0800 073 0578 (Freephone)
Complaints Manager
Health and Wellbeing Headquarters, Nutgrove Villa, Westmorland
Road, Huyton L36 6GA
Tel: 0151 443 4870
Knowsley LINk
Network of groups and individuals who want to make sure that
health and social care services are planned and delivered to meet
the needs of the people in the Knowsley community;
www.knowsleylink.org.uk
