We value your feedback and believe that open communication is essential in providing exceptional service. Whether you have a complaint or a compliment, we encourage you to share your experience with us. Your feedback helps us improve our services and ensures that we continue to meet your expectations.
We would love to hear your feedback
We value your feedback and believe that open communication is essential in providing exceptional service. Whether you have a complaint or a compliment, we encourage you to share your experience with us. Your feedback helps us improve our services and ensures that we continue to meet your expectations.
How to Submit Feedback
Compliments and concerns can be given verbally or in writing to any staff member or submitted to the Registered Manager. The Company Lead for compliments and complaints is Madissar Iqbal.
Complaints must be submitted in writing (via email, text or letter) to the Registered Manager (or a reasonable alternative if the complaint relates to the Lead for compliments and complaints). This is to ensure clarity of the full and specific details of the complaint. Where the complainant is unable to submit a complaint in writing, they should raise the complaint with the Registered Manager, who will then record the complaint.
Comments on social media websites will not normally be deemed to be formal complaints unless submitted in writing via one of the means outlined above.
Asana Lodge will ensure full information is provided about this Policy in the form of leaflets and posters that are available throughout the Company, including in areas accessible to the public, and on the Company website. The information will be available in different styles and languages where this is required.
Compliments Management Process
All compliments received in writing should be documented. They should also be circulated amongst relevant staff members so that they are aware of the number of compliments received, and the specific topics which are raised.
There is no requirement to record compliments which are received verbally, but this is encouraged wherever possible.
No formal acknowledgement of compliments is necessary, however where this is deemed appropriate, it should be encouraged.
Concerns Management Process
Many concerns arise out of a lack of information or understanding, and very often the matter can be resolved via the provision of further information, advice or an apology. This means they can often be dealt with at the time of their raising with a front-line staff member. On other occasions it may be that staff members can take swift action in order to resolve a concern straightaway or find the most appropriate person to help. Staff members should feel empowered to deal with concerns promptly and informally without the need for a more in-depth investigation.
On receipt of a concern staff members will:
- Ensure that the immediate health care needs of the person affected by the concern are being met (where the person affected is still in Asana Lodge’s care)
- Make sure that the person raising the concern does not wish to make a formal complaint
- Undertake any enquiries required to resolve the matter respond to the person raising the concern with the appropriate information/advice/apology and/or explain what has been done to resolve the matter
- Offer the person raising the concern the opportunity to discuss their concern further.
However, concerns are handled, staff members should aim to ensure that they are resolved as soon as possible after being raised. Excellent communication at this stage is essential to prevent the concern from escalating into a formal complaint. It is recommended that verbal communication be used primarily at this stage, either face-to- face or via telephone. However, if preferred by the person raising the concern, this can also be in writing, via email or text.
All concerns must be recorded on the incident management system. The record will include details of the concern, how it was resolved, and any further actions required.
Where the concern cannot be resolved in the above manner, it should be forwarded to the Registered Manager. The Registered Manager can discuss the issue with the person raising the concern and initiate the formal complaints process outlined below if required.
Complaints Management Process
Once a complaint has been received, it should be recorded on the incident management system and formally acknowledged within 3 working days of receipt. The acknowledgement should normally be in writing but can be given verbally if appropriate.
The Registered Manager will then either investigate the complaint fully themselves or nominate a ‘Lead Investigator’. If a ‘Lead Investigator’ has been nominated, the complainant must be informed with the name and contact details of the nominated person.
The person investigating the complaint will ensure that it is handled in a way to ensure that it is resolved without undue delay. Complainants should ordinarily receive a written response within 28 working days from the date of receipt. It is important that the right balance is struck between a timely response and one that is informed by comprehensive local action, as this will provide the best response to the complainant and the best opportunities for learning within the business.
The complainant should be sent regular updates on the progress of the investigation and likely timescales for receiving the formal response. If agreed timescales cannot be met, it is essential that the lead investigator informs the complainant of the reason for the delay and that new timescales are mutually agreed. In conducting the investigation, the lead investigator may undertake any of the following:
- Contact the complainant to identify the outcome that they are seeking
- Provide the complainant the opportunity to give their account and views of what took place
- Review the relevant documentation, checking for evidence regarding issues raised
- Interview any staff members involved in the incident
- Develop a timeline of what happened
- Identify any shortfalls in level(s) of care provided
- When appropriate, using a Root Cause Analysis, identify the causes/contributory factors/validity of the concerns that have been raised
- Identify clear and assigned actions to prevent recurrence and to improve care quality.
The lead investigator will then:
- Decide whether the complaint should be upheld in full, upheld in part or not upheld
- Make a record of the details of the investigation, outcomes and actions to be taken on the incident management system.
- It is essential that every stage of the investigation is based on the best available evidence. The formal response from the
Lead Investigator should be structured as follows:
- Outline how the complaint has been considered
- Explain how conclusions have been reached in relation to the complaint and
- Whether it was upheld in part, in full or not upheld
- Describe how any action needed as a result of the complaint has been taken, or is proposed to be taken
- Explain that if they are not happy with the findings, an internal appeal is possible
- Provide details of the regulatory body, should the complainant still be unhappy and wish for their complaint to undergo external review.
The Lead Investigator should ensure that the full written response is filed alongside the initial complaint on the incident management system. If, after receiving the formal response, the complainant is not happy with the outcome, they may write to the Senior Management Team to request an internal appeal.
Independent Review
Once a complaint has been fully dealt with by Asana Lodge, if the complainant remains unsatisfied with the outcome of the internal appeal, they can refer the complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman:
PO Box 4771, Coventry, CV4 0EH
Tel: 0300 061 0614
Our service is registered with and regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The CQC cannot get involved in individual complaints about providers but is happy to receive information about our services at any time. The CQC can be contacted at:
Care Quality Commission, National Correspondence, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4PA,
Tel: 03000616161, Fax: 03000 616171
Monitoring and Learning from Complaints
Asana Lodge regards all forms of feedback as an opportunity to improve the levels of care offered to service users. Asana Lodge operates within the ‘just culture’ framework. This means that employees are not apportioned unconstructive guilt or blame for genuine mistakes, but that they always remain accountable for deliberate policy deviations. The culture within Asana Lodge is a supportive one. Where areas of learning are identified following the receipt of feedback, these will be addressed.
In order to ensure that the rest of the business is equally able to learn from feedback received, details of the lessons learned will be shared across the business. The Registered Manager will then be responsible for discussing the most appropriate method of sharing proposed service improvements with the Senior Management Team.
Issues arising from complaints should be a standard agenda item for discussion at the Senior Management Team meeting and the Registered Manager should ensure that themes and trends and lessons learned are shared with staff members.