This policy outlines how concerns or complaints should be raised, how they will be handled in a fair, transparent, and timely manner and how they will be used to improve and develop quality across our services.  

Cura is committed to delivering an outstanding domiciliary care service for all Service Users, their Families, Representatives and Staff working at Cura.  To help us maintain our high standards and continue to improve quality further, we really value your feedback, including concerns and complaints.  Should any person become dissatisfied at any point with their Cura experience, we encourage them to bring it to our attention immediately following the procedure outlined below.  

Aims of the Policy

• To ensure all complaints are dealt with efficiently, courteously, and systematically.
• To promote a culture where feedback, including complaints, is seen as a tool for improving our services.
• To provide an accessible, clear, and simple procedure for raising a concern or making a complaint.
• To ensure the confidentiality of the complainant and anyone involved in the concern or complaint.

Scope

This policy applies to:

• All Service Users of Cura Domiciliary Care.
• Service Users’ Family members or Representatives.
• Employees of Cura Domiciliary Care.
• External stakeholders interacting with Cura Domiciliary Care, e.g. suppliers, sub-contractors, local authority, independent organisations, etc.

Roles & Responsibilities

• All Staff: All Cura staff are expected to familiarise themselves fully with this policy and procedure and are responsible for ensuring that they understand and comply with them at all times.  All concerns or complaints raised must be reported to the appropriate Manager or Responsible Individual as soon as reasonably practicable.
• Managers: Managers are responsible for ensuring concerns are dealt with promptly and compassionately, escalating concerns to the Responsible Individual as a complaint if necessary.  They will communicate lessons learned from concerns and complaints to the Team, ensuring that staff are fully supported to implement changes, introduced from lessons learned, across the organisation.
• Responsible Individual: Our Responsible Individual will ensure all complaints are handled in accordance with Cura’s policies and procedures and fully investigated inline with all relevant regulations, statutory guidance and legislation.  They will ensure that no Complainant is ever discriminated against for making a complaint, provide written acknowledgement of concern / complaint receipt and offer comprehensive feedback to the Complainant on completion of investigation. They will also provide regular reports to the Senior Management team on complaints and outcomes

Definition of a Concern 

Matters that raise minimal cause for concern can often be addressed as they arise and may be dealt with by Staff members as and when they occur, e.g. minor criticisms that do not impact Service User care arrangements.  Any concerns raised to or by a member of staff should be recorded and reported to the Registered Manager and Responsible Individual discreetly and confidentially.  

If an individual is not satisfied with the actions or explanation offered by Cura staff to address a concern and wishes to escalate the matter, they should follow this procedure to submit a formal complaint to Cura’s Responsible Individual.

Definition of a Complaint

A complaint is a formal expression of dissatisfaction, whether verbal or written, about any aspect of our service, including the quality of care provided, the conduct of staff, or any operational matter.

Who Can Make a Complaint

Anyone affected by (or likely to be affected by) the actions, omissions or decisions taken by Cura, (or anyone acting on Cura’s behalf – provided they have the authority to do so), can raise a direct complaint, including those listed in the Scope section of this policy (outlined above).

Family, Friends, and / or Representatives are also able to submit a complaint on behalf of a Service User, for example, where a Service User is unable to make a complaint or express their views clearly themselves without assistance and requires support to raise a complaint. 

When to Make a Complaint

Any complaints relating to Service User or Staff safety or wellbeing should be raised immediately as soon as the Complainant becomes aware that there is an issue.  

All other complaints should be raised within 12 months of an issue occurring.  The Responsible Individual has the discretion to extend this time limit, for example:

• where it is felt it would be unreasonable in the circumstances of a particular case for the complaint to have been made earlier, 
• where it is still possible to investigate the facts of the case,
• where the Complainant has only recently become aware of the focus of the complaint. 

Non-discrimination

On no account should anyone feel discriminated against because they have raised a concern or complaint.  No discrimination shall be made towards any individuals raising a concern or complaint and every effort will be made to safeguard Service Users and ensure continuity of care remains unhindered while investigation is underway.  

Confidentiality

All complaints will be handled in strict confidence.  Only those involved in investigating and resolving the complaint will have access to the details.  The identity of the complainant and any staff involved will only be disclosed if absolutely necessary and only to relevant parties.

To maintain the confidentiality of both Service Users and Staff who may be involved in a complaint, complaint submissions, acknowledgement letters, investigation evidence, responses and all general communications relating to the complaint will be stored securely in a restricted location, only accessible by authorised Cura Management personnel.  Records must be kept separate from Service Users’ care notes and medical records and no references which might identify a complaint has been made should be included on the computerised notes system.

Monitoring and Reporting

Cura is committed to learning from complaints. While Cura will act immediately to resolve any problems relating to health & safety, wellbeing, or Safeguarding, we also use concerns and complaints to resolve any issues with service delivery more generally, by identifying any emerging trends and implementing quality, policy or staff training initiatives.  All complaints will be recorded, monitored, and reviewed to identify patterns or areas for improvement. Anonymised reports on complaints will be regularly reviewed by the management team to improve service quality.

Procedure for Making a Complaint

1. Raising Concerns and Verbal Complaints:

Wherever possible, complaints should be addressed informally by speaking to a member of Staff or the Manager directly responsible for the service.  Many complaints can be resolved quickly and effectively through discussion, e.g. A simple explanation and apology by staff at the time may be all that is required.  Staff are encouraged to resolve issues at the point of delivery, ensuring the matter is dealt with promptly.

A verbal complaint need not be responded to in writing if it is dealt with to the satisfaction of the complainant by the end of the next working day, nor does it need to be included in the annual Complaints Return. Cura will however record them for the purposes of monitoring trends or for Governance purposes and that record will be kept and monitored by the Responsible Individual. Verbal complaints not formally recorded will be discussed when trends or issues need to be addressed and at least annually, with the minutes of those discussions kept.

If resolution is not possible, the Responsible Individual will set down the details of the verbal complaint in writing and provide a copy to the complainant within three working days. This ensures that each side is well aware of the issues for resolution. The process followed will be the same as for written complaints.

2. Formal Written Complaints:

If a concern or issue cannot be resolved informally, or the Complainant favours a more formal approach, they can submit a written complaint to Cura Domiciliary Care Ltd. 

Formal complaints should include:

• The name and contact details of the complainant.
• A detailed description of the issue.
• Any supporting evidence (e.g., dates, times, names).

Formal complaints must be submitted to our Responsible Individual, Danielle Williams:

• Email: danielle@cura.wales 
• Post: Cura Domiciliary Care Ltd, 120 St. Teilo Street, Pontarddulais, Swansea, SA4 8RE.
• Phone: 01792 224221

3. Acknowledgement:

Upon receipt of a formal complaint, Cura will acknowledge it, in writing, within two working days.  

Acknowledgements should contain a named contact for handling the complaint and may contain an offer to discuss the following, depending on the nature of the complaint and circumstances: 

• any specific needs to be taken into account as the investigation proceeds; 
• ways in which the investigation will be handled; 
• how long it is likely to take and when a final response can be expected; 
• an offer of advocacy and support; 
• what outcome is expected by the person raising the concern; 
• confirmation that clinical records may be needed as part of the investigation.
• evidence of consent or power of attorney – if a complaint is being raised on behalf of someone with capacity to submit the complaint themselves, or access to sensitive or confidential information is required.

4. Investigation:

We ensure that every complaint is investigated in a manner appropriate to resolve it safely, quickly and effectively, according to the degree of seriousness involved.  

All complaints are logged, recorded and stored with relevant evidence needed by the Responsible Individual to conduct a full, thorough and fair investigation.  The investigation may involve reviewing care records, interviewing relevant staff or obtaining additional information from the Complainant where needed.  

Whenever possible, Cura aims to complete complaint investigations within twenty working days, however, should this not be possible, Complainants will be informed of the delay and the reason for it.

5. Response:

Once the investigation is complete, our Responsible Individual will provide Complainants with a full written response, usually within twenty working days, explaining:

• An apology (where appropriate)
• Summary of the concern
• Explanation of how the concern was investigated
• Copies of any expert opinions or relevant medical records obtained
• The findings of the investigation.
• Explanation of any actions taken or proposed
• Offer to discuss the complaint and investigation further
• Any options for further resolution if the complainant remains dissatisfied.

If a response within 20 days is not possible, Complainants will be informed of the reason for delay and a formal response must be sent as soon as possible (within 6 months of concern being raised).

6. Escalation:

If the complainant is not satisfied with the investigation outcome, complaints can be escalated to Cura’s Registered Manager, Helen Adam, emails should be marked ‘FAO Helen Adam and sent to: compliance@cura.wales or submitted by post to Cura’s registered office.

If a Complainant is still dissatisfied with Cura’s investigation findings and feels the need to escalate an issue further, e.g. if the complaint is in relation to a wider issue outside of Cura’s control, complaints may be submitted to the relevant Local Authority, either:

Carmarthenshire County Council

Swansea City and County Council.

Service Users also reserve the right to raise concerns with other external agencies, such as the Public Health Services Ombudsman for Wales, who has been appointed to look into complaints made by members of the public concerning maladministration – failure in a relevant service or failure to provide a relevant service by any ‘listed authority’ (i.e. councils) in Wales.  They are also responsible for policing ethical standards in local authorities.

Advocacy

If you find it difficult to understand your care and support or find it hard to speak up, there are people who can act as a spokesperson for you. They make sure you’re heard and are called advocates.  For example, they can help you:

• understand the care and support process
• talk about how you feel about your care
• make decisions
• challenge decisions about your care and support if you do not agree with them
• stand up for your rights

A paid carer cannot act as an advocate for you, but your local council has to provide an advocate if you do not have family or friends to help and you have difficulty:

• understanding and remembering information
• communicating your views
• understanding the pros and cons of different options

In Camarthenshire:

Carmarthenshire County Council Advocacy Information

In Swansea:

Swansea Council Advocacy Information

Advocacy Support Cymru (ASC) is a registered charity based in Wales

Though Cura cannot advocate for you, if you need any help to explore your options or access any advocacy services, please do let us know and we will happily assist you.

External Regulatory Agencies

Social Care Wales

Social Care Wales work with people who use care and support services and organisations to lead improvement in social care in Wales, promoting codes of practice and developing practice guidance for employees and employers.  SCW has a fundamental responsibility to regulate and train the workforce to achieve ongoing improvement and fitness to practice.  It is also responsible for developing and maintaining a Social Care Workforce register.

Care Inspectorate Wales

Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) act as the Service Regulator on behalf of Welsh Ministers.  They undertake the registration and inspection functions for regulated services.  Their primary concern is to ensure that people using services are safe and supported to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Older Peoples’ Commissioner for Wales

The Commissioner has a wide range of legal powers to help deliver the changes older people want and need.  Work is driven by what older people say matters most to them, and ensures their voices are at the heart of all the Commissioner does, e.g. promoting awareness of rights and interests, challenging discrimination, encourages best practice and treatment and reviews the law affecting the interests of older people in Wales.

Further Information

This policy will be reviewed annually, or earlier if required by legislative or regulatory changes, to ensure it remains up-to-date and effective.  Details of any updates will be added to this page and dated for transparency.  If you have any questions regarding this policy and / or procedure, please contact us.