COMPLAINTS & DUTY OF CANDOUR

All Service Users, Carers, relatives and friends are welcome to make comments about the quality of care in the Centre. We actively encourage feedback.

A comments book is kept and is inspected regularly by the Group Co-ordinator or the Management Committee and appropriate action taken.

MAKING YOUR COMPLAINT

Anyone may register a complaint with our Group. If you do have any cause for complaint, please express your concerns in the first instance, to the person in charge at the time in person or as soon as possible by telephone or in writing.

You may register your complaint by any of the following methods or means:

1. In person, to the responsible person (person in charge) on duty
2. Via our complaints forms, which are issued as part of our Information pack; are available
   from our office; and are on display within our centre
3. By telephone: 01355 244123
4. By letter to: East Kilbride & District Dementia Carers Group, 169 Pine Crescent, Greenhills, East Kilbride, G75 9HJ
5. Via the ‘Contact Us’ section of our website: www.dementiacarers.co.uk
6. Via e-mail to: info@dementiacarers.co.uk

STAGES OF COMPLAINTS

1. If your complaint is made verbally, either in person or by telephone, we will attempt to resolve it there and then. If this is not possible, you will be asked to submit your complaint in writing, and offered support to do so should you require it
2. On receipt of your written complaint, we will contact you within 3 working days, telling you when you can expect a full reply
3. If the Group Co-ordinator requires this to be passed to the Management Committee, then we will aim to send you our full letter of reply within 10 working days if possible. Should it take longer because of the nature of your complaint, we will let you know when you might receive a reply
4. Following a full investigation of your complaint, the Management Committee will advise you of the outcome, and if relevant, any action taken

CARE INSPECTORATE

Complaints may also be made at any stage to the Care Inspectorate by telephone on 0345 600 9527 or in writing to:

Care Inspectorate
Princes Gate
60 Castle Street
HAMILTON
ML3 6BU

t: 01698 208150

or

Care Inspectorate
Compass House
11 Riverside Drive
DUNDEE
DD1 4NY

t: 0345 600 9527

DUTY OF CANDOUR

The duty of candour means that services must take specific steps to carry out their duty of candour when a serious adverse event happens. They will need to let the people affected know, offer to meet with them, and apologise. This is an important part of being open with people who experience care, and also learning from things that go wrong. All care services must, by law, produce and publish a short annual report showing the learning from their duty of candour incidents that year, and notify The Care Inspectorate that it has been published. Our Duty of Candour Annual Report will be included in our published Annual Report in August each year and made available online.