Complaints Policy

Do you need to raise a concern with or about Richmond Carers Centre?

Principles

Richmond Carers Centre is committed to delivering a high quality service. However, if you feel unhappy about the service you have received you may wish to raise this with us. We welcome such comments or complaints as an opportunity to better understand the views of our service users and to adopt new working practices where appropriate. All complaints will be treated confidentially and will not adversely affect the services you receive. Richmond Carers Centre retains general information about the number and nature of complaints received for reporting purposes.

Definition of a complaint

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction, not resolved immediately to your satisfaction, about the level, quality or nature of a service provided by Richmond Carers Centre. This could include the conduct of staff, volunteers, Members of the Board of Trustees or a third party providing a service on our behalf.

Making Complaints

A complaint can be made either by telephone, in person, in writing, or by email. All complaints will be logged onto the Richmond Carers Centre Contact Management System for monitoring purposes. Our contact details are: telephone- 020 8867 2380 or email info@richmondcarers.org

Stage 1

In the first instance, we will attempt to deal with complaints informally to your satisfaction. It helps if you outline the nature of the complaint and what you would like staff to do. Stage one complaints may be dealt with by any member of staff who will do all they can to resolve the matter. Details of the complaint will be recorded in writing, together with any action taken and final outcome, with a copy for the CEO. If a complaint cannot be resolved in the first instant, you will be asked to put your complaint in writing. You can be assisted in this process by dictating your complaint to a third party and signing when completed.

Stage 2

The CEO or a member of Richmond Carers Centre staff will acknowledge the complaint within 5 working days of receipt of a letter of complaint. A comprehensive response to the complaint will then be issued within the next 15 working days. If it is not possible to meet this time scale, you will be given an explanation for the delay and the date you can expect to receive a response. If the complaint is directed towards the CEO, the complaint will be forwarded to the Chair of Trustees. If the complaint is against a member of the Board of Trustees, the Chair or Vice Chair will manage the complaint procedure. It is the intention of Richmond Carers Centre to solve as many complaints as possible at this stage. The outcome of the investigation is recorded and any recommendations actioned as appropriate.

Stage 3

If you are not satisfied with outcome of the investigation, the CEO and a designated Trustee will meet with you at the earliest convenience and within 20 working days, with the aim to resolve the complaint. They will submit a written report of the meeting to the Board of Trustees.

Stage 4

If the matter remains unresolved Richmond Carers Centre will set up a panel to consider the complaint, consisting of up to three members of the Board of Trustees, who have hither to not been involved in investigating the complaint. The panel will make recommendations and these will be communicated to you within 20 working days. This is the last stage of Richmond Carers Centres complaints procedure and the decision of the panel is final.