When to complain, and who to contact
Before making a complaint to us
Make sure you are clear about the type of problem, and who is responsible. If you're unsure, you could try one of the following services before making a complaint to Adult Social Care:
Complaining about a service provider
If you are unhappy with any aspect of a service from a care and support provider, you should contact the service provider directly to discuss your concerns. They should have their own complaints procedures that they will follow.
Services arranged or funded by us
We have the final responsibility for care that we have arranged, whether or not we are funding the service. If you want to complain about a council-arranged or council-funded service, you can ask us to consider the issue in the following situations:
- there is a person in a vulnerable position, and making a complaint directly to the service provider may affect their safety or peace of mind
- you've already made a complaint directly to the service provider, and you're unhappy with the way that they have handled the issue
Privately arranged care
Care that you have arranged and paid for independently is not part of any council service. If you there is a problem, you should first complain directly to the service provider. If there is an issue with a vulnerable person, or you don't feel the provider has resolved the issue, take your complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
What you can complain about
If you have a concern or wish to make a complaint about our Adult Social Care or Learning Disability services, please let us know. This will give us an opportunity to try and put things right. We also deal with complaints about the following issues:
- The charge you pay for services and how we have assessed the charge
- Safety and safeguarding
- The mental health social work service
- Deprivation of liberty (DOLS) and best interest assessment services
- Care Homes and Extra Care Housing (ECH) run by us
Your complaint could be about any of the following:
- The service you are receiving
- The way you have been treated
- The attitude or behaviour of staff
- Delays in decision making or delivery of services
- Getting the wrong advice
This is not an exhaustive list. If you need any information about making a complaint or raising a concern, you can email us at complaints_cypandadults@bathnes.gov.uk or call us on 01225 47 77 52
Who can make a complaint
Anyone who receives an adult social care or learning disability service, or has applied to use a service, can make a complaint.
Asking someone else to make your complaint for you
If you want someone to complain to us on your behalf (for example, a friend, relative or representative), we will work with them to resolve the issue. However, we will always need evidence that you have given your permission for that person to make the complaint for you, or that they have lasting power of attorney or deputyship.
If you would like help to make your complaint
The independent advocacy service POhWER can provide information about making a complaint, and support you with letters and at meetings.
The information we need
Please provide as much information as possible about your complaint, so we can investigate. We need to know the following:
- Details of the action or situation you are complaining about
- What you would like us to do to make things right
- Copies of any documents you have supporting your complaint
- Your contact details, in case we need to contact you
- Details of any accessibility needs you have, such as whether you use an induction loop, or need a translator or interpreter
How to make your complaint
Online
This is the quickest and most efficient way to contact us.
By phone
Call us on 01225 47 77 52
By post
Write to us at Complaints Team, Bath and North East Somerset Council, Freepost SWB10433, Bath BA1 1BF.What happens next
When we receive a complaint, we will follow the steps below:
- We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days.
- We will talk to you to find out what issues you want to raise, and how you would like us to resolve them. It may be helpful to have a meeting to talk about your complaint.
- We will also discuss with you when you can expect to receive a response to your complaint.
- If your complaint is particularly complicated or serious, we may ask an independent expert to investigate the issue, and write a report on their findings.
- We will provide you with a written response to your complaint within 15 working days.
If you're not happy with how we have handled your complaint
You can talk to us about other ways to resolve your complaint. We will also explain to you about taking your complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman