Our complaints process

Our clients are at the centre of everything we do. We listen to the people we care for and their feedback helps us to continually improve our services and continue to make them effective safer and more responsive to needs. We will always learn lessons from feedbacks that will benefit our clients and our staff. Sharing and learning from what our clients tell us helps us with the planning and the delivery of care in all our services.

If a complainant alerts us to possible abuse or neglect we will inform the Local Authority Safeguarding Team. The safeguarding team will decide how to investigate and monitor outcomes.

You can provide your feedback – good or bad – quickly and easily through the feedback form on this site.

If you are dissatisfied about anything regarding your care service, please get in touch with us. By discussing your concern with the care colleagues or care manager, issues can usually be resolved swiftly. They will be able to discuss the problem with you and together you can agree the next steps.

We take all complaints we receive very seriously and do our best to work with our customers to sort them out as soon as possible.

We ask that you give us the details of your complaint within 12 months of the incident, or within 12 months of you becoming aware of the problem. We will respond to your concerns considerately, quickly and as effectively as possible.

You can make a complaint:

• in writing
• verbally (in person or by phone)
• electronically e.g. email or text message
• via online

When we look at your complaint, we will aim to:

• find out what happened
• identify what went wrong
• ensure you receive an apology where due
• identify what we can do to avoid similar issues in future

The complaints process follows three stages, and we find the majority can be resolved during the first stage.

We recommend that all concerns should be raised with the Care Manager in the first instance, as many issues can be resolved immediately.

We do understand it isn’t always possible to raise a complaint directly with the people involved in providing the care, so in that situation you are welcomed to raise your complaint with the Customer Care Team. Use the feedback form above or contact the Complaints Officer on 0203 643 5295 or complaints@verityhealthcare.co.uk

We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days of receiving it. We will start a thorough investigation and provide you with a formal written response within timeframe of 20 working days.

Often many complaints are resolved much quicker, however it may be helpful for you to meet with the Care Manager and the team to discuss your concerns or have telephone conversations where you are updated on progress. In exceptional cases we may request more time to conduct our investigation, if this is the case you will be kept informed and provided with a revised response date.

If you are unhappy with the response you receive from stage one, you can contact the Complaints office within 14 days of receiving a formal written response. The Complaints Officer will look into the matter further for you and allocate to an appropriate person.

Again, this will be acknowledged by them, within 3 working days of receiving the escalation and a formal response will be provided within 20 working days.

The Complaints Officer
Verity Healthcare Services,
210 Church Road,
Gateway Business Centre
Suite 1-4, Top Floor
London, E10 7JQ

Once your complaint has been dealt with through stage 1 and stage 2 of Company Process, if you are still not satisfied with the outcome you can refer your complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) and ask for the complaint to be reviewed. The LGO provides a free, independent service.

Local Government Ombudsman (services in England):

www.lgo.org.uk

The Local Government Ombudsman

PO Box 4771

Coventry

CV4 0EH

0300 061 0614

Please note: the complaints process does not cover Verity Healthcare employees wishing to raise a grievance regarding their employment. If you are a Verity Healthcare employee and would like to raise a concern regarding your employment please contact your regional HR manager, via the Switchboard: 0203 643 5295 who will put you in touch with the correct person.