Complaints Policy
Scope
Your Care Plus is committed to delivering safe, high-quality, person-centred care. We value all feedback, including concerns or complaints, as opportunities to improve our service. This policy outlines how you can raise concerns, how we handle complaints, and how to escalate issues externally if needed.
General Concerns (Pre-Complaint)
If you have a niggle or minor dissatisfaction (e.g., tone of voice, communication style, timing), we encourage you to raise it informally with a staff member or manager. These are logged and reviewed regularly but are not treated as formal complaints.
How to Make a Complaint
You can make a complaint by:
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Calling your local Your Care Plus branch
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Speaking with your care worker, supervisor, or manager
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Writing to us via email or letter
You’ll also have the opportunity to give formal feedback every three months during scheduled service reviews we welcome all feedback at any time.
Our Commitment to You
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We will acknowledge all complaints within 2 working days
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We aim to provide a full written response within 7 working days from the date of acknowledgment
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If your complaint requires a longer investigation, we’ll write to inform you of the delay and provide an updated timeframe
All complaints are investigated by the Registered Manager, and the Nominated Individual will be notified of every complaint received.
Complaint Stages
Stage 1 – Minor Complaint / Dissatisfaction
Examples: Staff attitude, late arrival, miscommunication
Action: Investigated by a supervisor or team leader
Timeframe: Resolved within 5 working days
Outcome: Apology, explanation, and improvement plan
Stage 2 – Service Delivery Failure
Examples: Missed visit, incorrect care task, repeat issues
Action: Investigated by the Registered Manager
Timeframe: Resolved within 10 working days
Outcome: Formal response, service review, and remedial action
Note: These issues are treated seriously, as they may risk client withdrawal or distress
Stage 3 – Serious Complaint / Safeguarding Concern
Examples: Allegations of abuse, harm, or serious professional misconduct
Action: Escalated immediately to the Registered Manager. May be referred to external agencies such as:
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Local Authority Adult Social Care Safeguarding Team
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Care Quality Commission (CQC)
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Police, where a crime may have been committed
Timeframe: Investigation starts immediately. Final response within 20 working days, or longer if external bodies are involved
Escalation to External Bodies
If you are not satisfied with our response or how we handled your complaint, you can escalate it to:
Care Quality Commission (CQC)
The CQC monitors service safety and regulation, but cannot resolve individual complaints.
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Phone: 03000 616161
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Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk
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Website: www.cqc.org.uk
Local Authority – Adult Social Care
If you have a safeguarding concern, you may contact your local council’s Adult Safeguarding team directly.
Independent Advocacy
If you need support raising a complaint, you may seek help from an independent advocate. Ask us for referrals if needed.
Record Keeping and Learning
All complaints and concerns are logged and securely stored. We regularly analyse complaint trends to improve our service, staff training, and overall quality.