Last updated: [04/26]
To Be Reviewed: [04/27]

Complaints Policy

At Connex Community Support (CCS), we are committed to ensuring that everyone who uses our services or interacts with us can raise concerns or complaints with confidence. This policy explains:

• How to make a complaint
• What you can expect from us throughout the process
• Our commitment to openness, fairness, and learning from feedback

By providing a clear and accessible complaints process, we aim to improve the quality of our services, build trust, and respond promptly and transparently, in line with legal and regulatory requirements.

Our Commitment

• We welcome complaints because they help us learn and improve.
• We are open and transparent about the complaints we receive and the processes we follow.
• We believe that understanding what is not working helps us take the right action to make things better.

Introduction

We welcome feedback on all aspects of our work, including the services we provide and the activities we undertake to promote and fund our work. Feedback, whether positive or negative, helps us improve. We understand that sometimes things do go wrong, and it is important that people feel able to tell us when this happens so we can put things right and learn from the experience.

This policy explains how to make a complaint about our services or the way we work and what to expect from us. Every complaint will be managed in line with this policy.

Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, Regulation 16 requires our regulated care services:

• Have effective and accessible system to identify, receive, record, handle, and respond to complaints.
• Investigate, and take necessary and proportionate action where failures are identified.
• Enable people to complain to any member of staff, verbally or in writing.
• A Duty of Candour, a legal and ethical requirement for health and social care providers in England to be open and honest with people when something goes wrong with their care or treatment

This policy is also available in Easy Read format and can be provided in other languages or formats on request.

Our Approach

We are committed to providing high-quality services and understand that complaints help us improve. We show this commitment by:

• Making the complaints process simple and accessible.
• Providing this policy in alternative formats or languages when needed.
• Treating all complaints seriously, confidentially, and with empathy.
• Investigating complaints thoroughly, including those made anonymously.
• Ensuring all colleagues understand their role in managing and resolving complaints.
• Meeting internal and external reporting responsibilities, including notifying relevant authorities if a complaint involves safeguarding concerns.

Principles We Follow

We follow the principles of the NHS England ‘Ask Listen Do’ approach:

• Ask: We actively encourage feedback and assures people that their care, support, or advice will not be negatively affected because of a complaint.
• Listen: We listen carefully and undertake thorough, balanced investigations.
• Do: We act on what we learn and make improvements, keeping the complainant informed about what we are doing.

Equality and Fairness

We are committed to treating every complaint fairly and with respect. Recognising that people may experience inequalities based on age, disability, race/ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, poverty, or other status. We work to ensure that these do not create further barriers in the complaints process.

What is a Complaint?

A complaint is a criticism that expects a response and requires action or changes to be made. We define a complaint as a communication of dissatisfaction with an activity or experience with us that has fallen short of the expectations of the person complaining or identifies a shortfall in the values we hold.

Complaints can be difficult to make and may sometimes be hard to identify. If a person raises several concerns, raises a concern in anger, or simply states they are unhappy about something we have done, that is a complaint and should be treated as such. We recognise that people sometimes feel more comfortable suggesting improvements or ideas about how we can do things better. We encourage people to share their suggestions with the local team or manager.

How to Make a Complaint

Complaints can be made formally or informally:

• In person
• By telephone
• By letter
• By email

What Happens Next?

Once received, your complaint will be forwarded immediately to the relevant person. They will either investigate the complaint or appoint an investigating officer. If the complaint concerns this person, an independent manager will be appointed to investigate.

We aim to resolve complaints at the first point of contact. If this is not possible, the following process applies:

Stage One

• We will acknowledge your complaint within seven working days.
• We will provide:
  • The name, position, and contact details of the Investigating Officer
  • An explanation of the complaints procedure

• If the complaint relates to CQC-regulated activity, we will provide information about your rights.
• If the complaint relates to a fundraising activity, we will provide information about your rights.

Please remember if your complaint relates to CQC regulated activity you have the right to:

• Complain directly to the CQC at any time, even if you have not used our complaints process.
• Please note: CQC does not resolve individual complaints but uses the information to monitor and inspect services.

The Investigating Officer will report findings in writing usually within 28 days. If more time is needed, we will send a holding response explaining why and giving an explanation and a revised timescale.

The response letter will also provide contact details for escalating a complaint within the seven-day timescale.

Stage Two

If a complaint remains dissatisfied, they may request a review within seven days of receiving our response, explaining why they are unhappy. This review will be undertaken by an unconnected person to the investigating officer. We will aim to respond within 14 days.

For fundraising complaints, a final response will include details of the right to contact the Fundraising Regulator within two months if a complainant is dissatisfied with our response.

If your complaint is about our regulated care services, you can contact:

Care Quality Commission (CQC)

• Phone: 03000 616161
• Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk
• Website: www.cqc.org.uk
• Post: Care Quality Commission, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4PA

If your complaint is about adult care, you can contact:

Derbyshire County Council Adult Care Complaints

• Phone: 01629 5322

If your complaint is about fundraising, you can contact:

Fundraising Regulator

• Phone: 0300 999 3407 (Mon–Fri, 09:30–16:30)
• Email: complaints@fundraisingregulator.org.uk
• Website: www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/make a complaint
• Post: Fundraising Regulator, 50 Featherstone Street, London EC1Y 8RT

Recording Complaints

All formal complaints are recorded and reported at least annually to our Board of Trustees. Where necessary, all complaints will be reported to the appropriate regulatory or legal authority in line with statutory requirements and organisational obligations.

How to Contact Us

To raise a concern or make a complaint contact us:

• Telephone: 01298 23970
• Email: feedback@connex.org.uk
• Post: Connex Community Support, 16 Eagle Parade, Buxton, SK17 6EQ