Complaints Policy

1.    Introduction

Revive MS Support views complaints as an opportunity to learn and improve for the future, as well as a chance to put things right for the person or organisation that has made the complaint.

Our policy is:

• To provide a fair complaints procedure which is clear and easy to use for anyone wishing to make a complaint.
• To publicise the existence of our complaints procedure so that people know how to contact us to make a complaint.
• To make sure everyone at Revive knows what to do if a complaint is received.
• To make sure all complaints are investigated fairly and in a timely way.
• To make sure that complaints are, wherever possible, resolved and that relationships are repaired.
• To gather information which helps us to improve what we do.

2.    Definition of a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not, about any aspect of Revive.

3.    Where Complaints come from

Complaints may come from any those who use our services, our supporters and volunteers, our members, and members of the general public. A complaint can be received verbally, by phone, by email or in writing. This policy does not cover complaints from staff, who should refer to Revive’s internal policy on such matters.

4.    Confidentiality

All complaint information will be handled sensitively, telling only those who need to know, and will follow any relevant data protection requirements.

5.    Responsibility

Overall responsibility for this policy and its implementation lies with the Board of Trustees of Revive.

Complaints Procedure of Revive MS Support

1.    Contact Details for Complaints:

Written complaints can be sent to:

Revive MS Support

Moorpark Court

29 Dava Street

Glasgow G51 2JA

or by e-mail to info@revivemssupport.org.uk

Verbal complaints may be made by phone to 0141 945 3344 or in person to any of Revive’s staff or trustees at the same address as above or at any of our events.

2.    Receiving Complaints

The person who receives a phone or in person complaint should:

• Write down the facts of the complaint.
• Take the complainant’s name, address and telephone number.
• Note down the relationship of the complainant to Revive e.g. clients, donor, volunteer.
• Tell the complainant that we have a complaints procedure.
• Tell the complainant what will happen next and how long it will take.

Where appropriate, ask the complainant to send a written account by post or by email so that the complaint is recorded in the complainant’s own words.

3.    Resolving Complaints

Stage One

In many cases, a complaint is best resolved by the person responsible for the issue being complained about. If the complaint has been received by that person, they may be able to resolve it swiftly and should do so if possible and appropriate. Whether or not the complaint has been resolved, information about the complaint should be passed to the Revive Chief Executive Officer within five business days.

On receiving the complaint, the Chief Executive Officer must record it in the complaints’ logbook. If it has not already been resolved, they may delegate an appropriate person to investigate it and to take appropriate action. If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed and given a fair opportunity to respond.

Complaints should be acknowledged in writing by the person handling the complaint within five working days. The acknowledgement should say who is dealing with the complaint and when the person complaining can expect a reply. A copy of this complaints’ procedure should be attached. Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within a calendar month. If this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report should be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given.

Whether the complaint is justified or not, the outcome must be communicated to the complainant in writing and describe the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and any action taken as a result of the complaint.

Stage Two

If the complainant feels that the problem has not been satisfactorily resolved at Stage One, they can request that the complaint is reviewed at Board level.

At this stage, the complaint will be passed to the Board of Trustees. The request for Board level review should be acknowledged in writing within five working days of receiving it. The acknowledgement should say who will deal with the case and when the complainant can expect a reply.

The Board of Trustees may investigate the facts of the case themselves or delegate a suitably senior person to do so. This may involve reviewing initial investigation of the case and speaking with the person who dealt with the complaint at stage one. The person who dealt with the original complaint at stage one should be kept informed of what is happening.

If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed and given a further opportunity to respond. Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within a calendar month. If this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report should be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given.

Whether the complaint is upheld or not, the outcome must be communicated to the complainant in writing describing the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and any action taken as a result of the complaint. The decision taken at this stage is final, unless the Board decides it is appropriate to seek external assistance with resolution.

4.    External

Revive MS Support is regulated under Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS). HIS can help a client at any stage of the complaint process.

Programme Manager
Independent Healthcare Services Team
Healthcare Improvement Scotland
Gyle Square
1 South Gyle Crescent
Edinburgh
EH12 9EB

Tel: 0131 623 4342 (10am-2pm, Monday to Friday)

Email: his.ihcregulation@nhs.scot

As Revive is a Scottish registered charity, the complainant can complain to the Scottish Charity Regulator at any stage. Information about the kind of complaints the OSCR can involve itself in can be found on their website at: http://www.oscr.org.uk/charities/raise-a-concern-about-a-charity.

5.    Variation of the Complaints Procedure

The Board may vary the procedure for good reason. This may be necessary to avoid a conflict of interest, for example, a complaint about a Chair or trustee should not also have the Chair and/or trustee involved as a person leading a stage two review.

6.    Monitoring and Learning from Complaints

Complaints are reviewed quarterly by the Senior Management Team to identify any trends which may indicate a need to take further action. A Corrective Action Plan will be developed and implemented to address any issues identified from a complaint being made.

7.    Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed annually. It is the responsibility of the Chief Executive Officer to ensure that all employees are notified about any changes or amendments to this policy which are approved by the Board of Trustees.