Being thorough and fair
An effective complaint handling system makes sure staff take a thorough, proportionate and balanced look into the issues raised in a complaint. It gives people fair and open answers to their questions based on the facts, and takes full accountability for mistakes identified.
- Organisations make sure all staff have the appropriate level of training, skills and authority to look into complaints thoroughly.
- Organisations make sure all staff who look at complaints have the appropriate resources, support and protected time to consistently meet these expectations.
- Staff actively listen and demonstrate a clear understanding of what the main issues are for the person who has made the complaint, and the outcomes they seek.
- Staff discuss timescales with everyone involved in the complaint and agree how people will be kept informed and involved. They provide regular updates as agreed with the parties, throughout.
- Staff look for ways they can resolve complaints at the earliest opportunity.
- Staff make sure everyone involved in a complaint (including those specifically complained about) know how they will look into the issues. This includes what information complaints staff will need, who they will speak to, who will be responsible for providing the final response and how they will communicate their findings.
- Staff give everyone involved in a complaint the opportunity to give their views and respond to emerging information, where appropriate. They take everyone’s comments into account and act openly and transparently and with empathy when discussing this information.
- When a complaint does not suit early resolution and needs more detailed consideration and investigation, this is done fairly. Where possible, staff who have not been involved in the issues complained about should look at the complaint. If this is not possible, the person looking into the complaint should openly demonstrate they are acting fairly when they consider all the issues.
- Organisations publish a local complaints procedure that meets the Complaint Standards and all relevant complaint handling regulations. Each procedure clearly sets out how staff will handle complaints and which quality standards and behaviours they are expected to follow when doing so.