Complaints Procedure

Policy Statement

  • Signature encourages an open culture for our care community and everyone who accesses its services. An environment that welcomes free discussion of concerns and a process that openly addresses and resolves any concerns, supports the ethos of providing high quality support and care for our residents. This policy acknowledges that some people find it difficult to express concerns or make a complaint, therefore Signature’s complaints policy standards and procedure will support and enable complaints to be made.
  • An expression of concern will become a complaint when the person explicitly states they wish the issue being discussed to be officially recorded as a complaint. Complaints can be received either verbally or in writing by the person impacted or the advocate of the individual who wishes to raise the complaint.
  • Signature’s complaints procedure is designed to ensure the protection of individuals and the people we support and to maintain high standards of care received by them. It is also intended to promote our open ethos.

Procedure

At Signature Senior Lifestyle all staff are expected to listen courteously and respectfully to concerns and complaints and attempt to resolve these initially at local level. If staff are not able to do so they should explain to the complainant the Company’s policy for making a complaint. Signature’s policy has four possible stages as follows:

 

Stage 1 (Local informal)

Discuss with the senior person in charge at the time your concern(s) as they may be in a position to address the issue(s) directly and rectify the problem(s) in a timely manner.

If this is unsatisfactory then please proceed to the below formal process.

Stage 1 (Local formal)

Contact the General Manager or provide written details of your concern(s)/complaint(s). A letter of acknowledgment will be sent within three days following the receipt of your concern/complaint.

The General Manager will investigate your concern(s) and respond to you in writing within 21 working days, setting out the investigation undertaken and any action taken in light of their findings.

If there is no resolution to the matter at this point and you remain dissatisfied with the outcome or you do not feel comfortable discussing the matter with the General Manager, then please take your complaint to stage 2 of the process.

 

Stage 2 (Regional)

Contact the Regional Operations Director for the home (The General Manager will make you aware of who this person is or alternatively you can contact the relevant Director on the address detailed below). The Regional Operations Director will investigate your complaint or concerns further and inform you of the outcome within 21 working days.

Address is as follows:

Signature Senior Lifestyle Operations Limited
Grosvenor House
Horseshoe Crescent
Beaconsfield
HP9 1LJ

Tel: 01494 680873

Email: regionaldirector@signaturesl.co.uk

 

Stage 3 (Company)

Contact the Chief Operating Officer who is the nominated person within Signature Senior Lifestyle to oversee the resolution of complaints should you not be satisfied that your complaint has been fully investigated and can be contacted at

Signature Senior Lifestyle Operations Limited
Grosvenor House
Horseshoe Crescent
Beaconsfield
HP9 1LJ

Tel: 01494 680873

Email: chiefoperatingofficer@signaturesl.co.uk

 

Stage 4 (External)

Local Government Ombudsman

Tel: 0300 061 0614

Email: advice@lgo.org.uk

Web: www.lgo.org.uk

Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 (Part 3) require providers to receive and act upon complaints. However they are unable to take complaints up on behalf of a resident. The only exception to this is for people whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act. They can be contacted at the following address:

CQC National Customer Service Centre
Citygate,
Gallowgate,
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4PA

Tel: 0300 061 6161

Timescale

  • A complaint must be made no later than 12 months after the date the event occurred or, if later, the date the event came to notice.
  • The time limit will not apply if Signature Senior Lifestyle is satisfied that the complainant can give a good reason for not making the complaint within the specified time limit or despite the delay, it is still possible to investigate the complaint effectively and fairly.
  • It is Signature Senior Lifestyle’s expectation that all concerns and complaints brought to our attention should be satisfactorily resolved within six months of initial contact or where a different timescale has been agreed within that agreed period.

Complaints made on behalf of a person resident in a service

 We are only able to accept complaints made on behalf of a resident where we are satisfied that the person has consented either verbally or in writing to the issues being raised, or where the resident cannot complain unaided and cannot give consent because they lack capacity as established within the Mental Health Capacity Act 2005, and the Representative acts in the resident’s best interest, i.e. to prevent detriment to the person.