Complaints procedure
Purpose
The aim of this document is to provide a clear explanation of how to access and use our Complaints Procedure and what will happen at each Stage of the process.
THE COMPLAINTS PROCESS
Within 2 working days - Complaint Acknowledgement
We will contact complainant either to discuss and resolve dissatisfaction or confirm via a letter that complaint has been logged at Stage 1 of our Complaints Procedure.
Within 10 days - Stage 1
We aim to investigate and respond in writing within 10 working days of the complaint being logged.
Within 20 days
Complainant given time to accept Stage 1 decision or request that complaint is escalated to Stage 2
Within 2 days
Escalation request received and Senior Manager will review new reasons and/or additional information provided by complainant alongside our original response.
Decision will be confirmed in writing to complainant advising whether or not request to escalate has been accepted or it has not.
Within 20 Days – Stage 2
We aim to investigate and respond in writing within 20 working days of confirming that we have accepted the request to escalate.
Within 20 days
Complainant given time to accept Stage 2 decision or request that complaint is escalated to Stage 3.
Within 5 days
Escalation request received and Senior Management will review new reasons and/or additional information alongside our previous responses at Stage 1 and Stage 2.
Within 15 days – Stage 3
Complaints' panel arranged. Complainant invited to attend and present their complaint to 2 Board Members and Fairhive Director.
Within 5 days
Complaints' panel will write to complainant with the final outcome.
At any point during the complaints process, the complainant can contact the Housing Ombudsman. Contact details for Housing Ombudsman is listed in section 7.
1. How to access the Complaints process
1.1 Complaints or expressions of dissatisfaction can be made in different ways:
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By phone, calling 01296 732600
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Via the website www.fairhive.co.uk
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By e-mailing complaintsgeneral@Fairhive.co.uk
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By writing to us at the main office address
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Through social media
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Completing and returning a complaints leaflet available to download from our website or via post upon request..
When you first contact us we will aim to resolve your concerns either through our Customer Service Team and/or with the support of colleagues within the organisation.
We will aim to do this within 2 days of you contacting us to reduce the length of time you have to wait for a resolution. Importantly this work is logged in our system.
Any evidence of poor service delivery identified by us at this stage will be logged as a Learning action.
If you are not happy with our response at this stage you can ask for your concerns to be logged as a formal Complaint at Stage One of our Complaints process.
2. STAGE ONE (1) – We aim to complete this stage within 10 working days
Your complaint will be logged in our Housing Management system and allocated a unique reference number.
Your complaint will be assigned to a Service Manager who will carry out a full investigation, including discussing your concerns with you. They will endeavour to respond to you within 10 working days. If, for any reason, this timescale is unlikely to be achieved the Service Manager will contact you and explain the reasons for the delay and advise you of an anticipated date of response.
Following the conclusion of the investigation and the Service Manager discussing the outcomes with you, we will send you a letter confirming the discussion including any further actions to be taken.
Should you remain dissatisfied following the conclusion of our investigation you have 20 working days in which to contact us with valid reasons for requesting that your complaint is escalated to Stage Two (2).
Your reasons will be reviewed by a Head of Service or an Assistant Director who will contact you to either confirm that your complaint has been escalated or the reasons why it has not.
3. STAGE TWO (2) – We aim to complete this stage within 20 working days
Your complaint will be investigated by either a Head of Service or an Assistant Director who will review our Stage One (1) response along with the additional information that you have provided. They will contact you to discuss your concerns and aim to respond in writing within 20 working days advising whether or not your complaint has been upheld.
Again if, for any reason, this timescale is unlikely to be achieved we will contact you explaining the reasons for the delay and advise you of an anticipated date of response.
Should you remain dissatisfied following the decision taken at this stage you can request for escalation to Stage Three (3).
The Executive Director will contact you in writing to confirm their decision and if they consider there is no valid reason for your complaint to be escalated. If they do believe that your reasons are valid you will be advised that a Complaints’ Panel at Stage 3 of our Complaints process will be convened.
4. STAGE THREE (3) – We aim to complete this stage within 20 working days
A Complaints’ Panel consisting of two members of our Board and the Chief Executive
or another Executive Director who has not been involved in the case previously will be convened as soon as possible. Depending upon circumstances the relevant Assistant Director and/or Head of Service may also be requested to attend the meeting. Also in attendance will be a support officer to keep a record of the meeting. This meeting will take place no later than 15 working days following the date on which the complaint reached Stage 3.
Such decisions will only be reached following consultation with and approval by an Executive Director of the organisation.
You will be invited to attend the Panel meeting and given the opportunity to present your case. If you wish to you can bring along an advocate to support you. Advocates can include relatives, care providers, voluntary workers or a member of the Resident’s Forum. The Panel will hear the complaint and will have the opportunity to question the complainant and if in attendance, the Head of Service. A record of the meeting
will be made.
The Panel will write to you with their decision within 5 working days of the Panel hearing.
Note: If at any point we believe that you have not provided valid reasons or suitable grounds for wanting your complaint escalated for example you wish to escalate the complaint for the sole purpose of hoping to receive a more favourable outcome from a different employee, we reserve the right not to escalate the complaint further and will consider the complaint as closed. At this point we will advise you that you have exhausted our Complaints process.
5. Unreasonable or persistent complainants
In a very small number of cases the actions or behaviour of a complainant may be considered unacceptable. For guidance on this matter please refer to the Unreasonable or persistent complainants – Guidance
6. Customer satisfaction
We are committed to engaging with all of its customers including complainants who can often provide useful insight into how we are delivering our services. Therefore 20 working days after we consider your complaint has been closed we will submit your contact details to our 3rd party provider who captures customer feedback. As part of this process you may be contacted and asked to give your views about our approach to managing your complaint. Your feedback may be used may be used for training or auditing purposes in the future.
If you do not wish to be contacted by our survey provider please let us know.
7. Appeal to the Housing Ombudsman
At any point during the complaints process, you can refer your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman. Their contact details are:
Housing Ombudsman Service
PO Box 152
Liverpool
L33 7WQ
Telephone: 0330 111 3000
Email: info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk
Web: www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk
8. Improvement Opportunities
Improvement opportunities are identified by reviewing complaints on a regular basis to ensure lessons learnt are captured, where applicable changes made to processes and effectiveness of improvements monitored.
9. Monitoring and Review
As part of our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement our Performance Improvement Manager will be responsible for reviewing this procedure and updating as required every 12 months. In addition the process will be formally reviewed every three years in order to reflect good practice/or changes in legislation.
10. Compensation
There may be occasions where you are entitled to compensation due to poor service delivery after the investigation of your complaint. Please see our Compensation Policy for details.
11. Legislation and related documents
Legislation relevant to this policy and supporting procedure:
- The Housing Act 1996
- The Housing & Regeneration Act 2008
- The Localism Act 2011
- The Data Protection Act 2018
- Equality Act 2010
- Membership of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme is mandatory
- Complaints Policy
- Compensation Policy
- All our Policies covering operational process and procedures
| Author | Faziela Dharsey |
|---|---|
| Job title | Performance Improvement Manager |
| Faziela.dharsey@fairhive.co.uk | |
| Reviewed | February 2023 |
| Next Review | February 2024 |