Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership

Making a complaint about Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our action, lack of action or the standard of service provided by us or someone on behalf of us.

If something goes wrong or you are not happy with our services, please tell us.

Renfrewshire Health & Social Care Partnership is committed to effectively responding to and learning from the experiences of individuals, families and carers to ensure the delivery of safe and high quality services within Renfrewshire adult social care services and all community health services.

What you can complain about

At Renfrewshire Health & Social Care Partnership (HSCP), we deliver adult social care services and all community health services for adults and children in the Renfrewshire area.

You can complain to Renfrewshire HSCP about any of the services we provide.

You can also make a complaint regarding the function or decisions made by Renfrewshire Integration Joint Board.

What you can't complain about

If you wish to complain about a GP, dentist, pharmacist or optometrist please be aware that they are independent contractors. Please contact the practice manager directly to make a complaint.

issues that are in court or have already been heard by a court or a tribunal
disagreement with a decision where there is a statutory procedure for the decision, such as freedom of information requests or subject access requests
disagreement with decisions based on social work recommendations determined by a court or other statutory body, such as a children's panel, parole board or mental health tribunal
a request for information under the Data Protection or Freedom of Information (Scotland) Acts
a grievance by a staff member or a grievance relating to employment or staff recruitment
a concern raised internally by a member of staff, such as a whistleblowing concern
a concern about a child or an adult's safety
reopening or asking us to reconsider a complaint where we have already given our final decision
abuse or unsubstantiated allegations about our organisation or staff that are covered by our unacceptable behaviour policy.

Please also be aware that any complaints about services provided by Renfrewshire Council, such as Children's social work services, should be directed to Renfrewshire Council. Please see their website for further details.

Make a complaint about Renfrewshire Council

If you wish to make a complaint about another part of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, please see the following webpage for further guidance:

NHSGGC: Complaints about NHSGGC services

Who can make a complaint

Anyone who receives or asks for a service from us, or is directly affected by one of our services, can make a complaint.
This includes a relative, friend, advocacy worker or advisor making a complaint on behalf of someone else. If you are making a complaint on someone else's behalf, you will need to provide their written consent.

Renfrewshire HSCP complaints consent form [282KB]

If they do not have the capacity to consent, we will discuss this with you as part of the process.

Please note: If you are a parent of a child over 12, they are of an age to make decisions about their own care and they will need to give their consent.

How to make a complaint

It is easier to address complaints if you make them quickly and directly to the service concerned. Talk to a member of our staff at the service you are complaining about. They can then try to resolve the issue at the earliest opportunity - at Stage 1 of the process.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint at Stage 1, or if you do not wish to pursue this option, we will investigate your complaint at Stage 2 of the process.

Please submit your complaint to:

Email: RenfrewshireHSCP.Complaints@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Address: Complaints, Renfrewshire Health & Social Care Partnership, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley, PA1 1AL

Please download and fill in the Renfrewshire HSCP complaints form [54KB] or provide as much information as you can, but must include the following:

• your full name and address

• your phone number or email address

• the full name, address and date of birth of the person affected if you are complaining on behalf of somebody else

When to complain

Normally, you must make your complaint within six months of:

• the event you want to complain about; or

• finding out that you have a reason to complain, but no longer than 12 months after the event itself.

In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to accept a complaint after the time limit. If you feel the time limit does not apply to your complaint, please tell us why.

What happens after I have made a complaint?

We will always tell you who is dealing with your complaint. Our complaints procedure has two stages.

Stage 1 - Local/Frontline resolution

We aim to respond to complaints quickly where possible. We aim to resolve a Stage 1 complaint within five working days. This could mean an on-the-spot apology and explanation if something has gone wrong, or an immediate action to resolve the problem.

Stage 2 - Investigation

If we deal with your complaint as an investigation, we will:

· acknowledge receipt of your complaint within three working days

· confirm our understanding of the complaint and what outcomes you are looking for

· give you a full response as soon as possible, normally within 20 working days

We will let you know in advance, if our investigation will take longer than 20 working days. We will tell you our revised time scale and keep you updated on the progress of your complaint.

Get help to make your complaint

We are committed to making our service easy to use for everyone. We will always make sure reasonable adjustments are made to help you to access and use our services.

If you are unable or reluctant to make a complaint yourself, you can get someone else to help you with your complaint. You will need to provide consent for them to act on your behalf.

Renfrewshire HSCP complaints consent form [282KB]

You can get free, independent and confidential advice from Citizens Advice Scotland.

If you wish to make a complaint about an NHS service that we provide you can request assistance from the independent Patient Advice & Support Service (PASS). If you do require assistance, PASS can be contacted via your local Citizens Advice Bureau office or on 0800 917 2127. Their services are free of charge.

The Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance website also has information about independent advocacy services. They can also help you put your complaint in writing or give you this information in another language or format, such as large font or Braille.

Complaints handling procedure

For more detailed information, please see our

Full Complaints Handling Procedure [449KB]

Contact

RenfrewshireHSCP.Complaints@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Complaints, Renfrewshire Health & Social Care Partnership

Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley, PA1 1AL

Telephone: 0141 487 2861 (please call 0141 487 2888 if you are unable to connect.)

Feedback

We want to know about your experience of our complaints process. Your feedback is important to us and helps us improve our service.

If you would like to provide feedback about how your complaint has been handled, either positive or negative, please fill in the form below:

Complaints Feedback Form

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