How could I help your organisation?
Complaints normally indicate a problem that needs to be tackled. Often, this relates to communication. In other cases, even if you are unable to solve the problem, the fact that you have acted promptly and professionally will speak volumes for the organisation. In addition, if the complaint raises sensitive issues, or is complex, there is sometimes great benefit in calling in an independent investigator of professional standing, such as myself. This also releases valuable management time and energy, so that the whole organisation does not grind to a halt whilst the investigation is carried out.

Whether or not a complaint is 'serious' is a fairly subjective matter, and whether it is wise to notify in borderline cases is often a matter for careful consideration. It is all too easy for the statisticians in the statutory bodies to take the number of complaints as an indication of poor performance by the service provider, when in fact it may simply be an indication of honesty, good systems and over caution.

Finally, the trends and patterns review is often overlooked or under-prioritised. In my experience, many care providers and managers are good at knowing the details of complaints and how many were made, but less able to say (and even less able quickly to prove) which members of staff have had the most complaints against them, which months of the year saw the most complaints, or how trends and patterns in complaints relate to trends and patterns in other areas eg staff turnover, or staff on duty. All these are issues I would be happy to review, whether on a one-off or a regular basis, with appropriate reporting to senior management and proprietors / trustees / governing authority.

You think you need help with a complaint, or with complaints reviewing. What do you do next?
Please telephone me on 0117 962 2356 or e-mail me with relevant details.

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