Southwark Carers aims to provide a service to all its users in a way that is responsive, courteous, respectful and helpful to everyone who contacts us.

We have a commitment to consulting with carers to ensure that as a Carers Centre, we are providing the kind of support that carers want.

If you are unhappy with any aspect of our service, we will take this seriously.

We will notify you of the outcome of your complaint and any action we have taken or are taking to put things right.

We are also always very pleased to hear carers’ views or suggestions on any of our services and we encourage you to talk to any of the workers or to write to us with your ideas.

If you have a complaint please contact the Chief Executive on: 020 7708 4497.

If your complaint relates to the actions or behaviour of the Chief Executive you can write to the Chair of the Board of Trustees sending the letter to the Carers’ Centre address.

Making a complaint and how it will be investigated.

There are 3 stages in the complaints procedure:

Stage 1

If you wish to discuss a problems regarding the service you have received from the service you can

a) contact the person you normally deal with,

OR

b) the Chief Executive

This initial contact can be made in writing or over the phone.

We will listen and hopefully explain or resolve the problem to your satisfaction at this stage, or at the very least within 10 working days from your initial contact with us.

Stage 2

If your needs are not satisfied with the outcome of stage 1 or feel you would like to make a formal complaint, this needs to be done within 15 days and can be done in one of the follwong ways:

a) Complete a complaints form (which is available here)

OR

b) Phone us up and ask the person who replies to complete a complaints form over the phone. A copy of the form will be posted to you on the same day.

Whichever method you choose, please give us as much details as possible. If we need further details we will contact you. You will be sent an acknowledgement within 5 working days.

Investigating the complaint

The Chief Executive will deal with your complaint as quickly as possible. In the event of the complaint being about the Chief Executive, or where the Chief Executive dealt with the complaint at stage 1, the Chair of Southwark Carers will investigate the matter.

In the course of the investigations it may be necessary for us to arrange to see you. This meeting will be arranged in a place that suits you.

If you wish, a friend or relative can also be present. If you are bringing a legal representative, please let us know.

After the investigation, we will write to you with the outcome of your complaint normally within 28 days.

If longer is required you will be notified in writing.

Stage 3

If after Stage 2 you do not feel that your complaint has been dealt with satisfactorily, you have 28 days in which to request a formal review.

To do this, write to the Chair of the Board of Trustees C/O Southwark Carers marked confidential.

This review will be heard by the Review Panel, which is made up  of 3 people – two members of the Southwark Carers Board of Trustees and one independent person who will chair the panel. If you wish, you will be able to make a written submission to the panel and / or attend the panel hearing to speak to the members of the panel. A friend or relative can also be present and will be able to speak on your behalf. The panel will meet with 14 working days.

Please note the independent person is not employed by Southwark Carers, nor has any management links with Southwark Carers. They will be someone nominated by another voluntary sector agency.

The role of the review panel will be to:

1. look at all the facts,
2. make a recommendation on whether they agree or disagree with the decision made at stage 2,
3. decide on any consequent action and how this will be carried out
4. inform you in writing of the above

This will be completed within 28days of the panel meeting.

The decision of the review panel will be final. This is the end of the Southwark Carers Complaints Procedure.

Further Action

Southwark Carers is funded by public money from Southwark Council and Southwark CCG. Users of Southwark Carers are entitled, like any Southwark citizens, to contact these bodies if they have any concern about he running of Southwark Carers.

Letters should be addressed to:

Director of Social Services, Southwark Health and Social Care, London Borough of Southwark 132 Queens Road, London, SE15 2HP

CCG Chair, NHS Southwark CCG, PO BOX 64529, London, SE1P 5LX