We always try to provide a high-quality service and want you to get the best possible support from us.
We want to hear your views on what we have done well, how to put things right and improve our services for the future.
Your experiences can help us, so your service requests, compliments and complaints about our services are welcomed.
We recognise that sometimes things do go wrong. If you are not happy with the service we have provided, you should:
Step 1: Speak with your health or social care worker to try to resolve the issue informally. In most cases they will be able to deal with your problem straight away.
Step 2: If you are still unhappy and your issue has not been resolved informally, make a formal complaint to the Adult Care Complaints Officer.
We understand that sometimes it is difficult to complain but we want to reassure you that you will not be disadvantaged by making a complaint.
You can make the complaint yourself or with the help of a family member, friend, or an independent advocate.
If you want an independent advocate to support you through the process, you can ask your health or social worker to arrange this for you.
We may need to seek your consent to investigate a complaint raised by someone else on your behalf.
How can a Complaint or Compliment be made?
A complaint or a compliment can be made to any member of Council’s staff, however, to assist, contact can also be made by the following methods:
Online
You can submit compliments and complaints online using the links below:
You can submit a compliment or complaint by emailing: Complaints@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk
Phone
You can submit a compliment or complaint by calling: 01642 771500
Post
You can submit a compliment or complaint by post by sending it to: Complaints Team, Corporate Services, Redcar & Cleveland House, Kirkleatham Street, Redcar, TS10 1RT
In person
You can also submit a compliment or complaint in person at any Council office.
Completing a complaints and compliments form
Available at Council buildings, request a copy from your social care worker or by calling 01642 771500
The Council is committed to ensuring that all the services we provide are relevant and are fully accessible to all sections of the community who may need them. As part of the initial contact, we will ascertain if the complainant requires any reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010. The Council will keep a record of any reasonable adjustment agreed and keep them under active review.
Adult Social Care Complaints and Compliments Procedure and Reports
You can also read our Adult Social care Complaints and Compliments Procedure which explains how we handle complaints and compliments:
Our annual report on complaints and compliments are available below:
What happens after you make a complaint?
We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days to confirm we have received it. We will appoint an investigating officer to contact you to discuss your concerns and what you would like to happen for us to put things right.
Complaint response
After the complaint investigation, we will write to you explaining how we have investigated your concerns, what the findings are and take any further action that is needed.
We aim to respond to most complaints within 20 working days but if we need extra time due to the complexity of the complaint, we will write to you to advise of when you may expect to receive our response. We will keep you updated of any delays during the process.
What if you remain unhappy after our investigation?
If you are unhappy with our complaint response, you can ask the local government and social care ombudsman (LGSCO) to review the way we have dealt with your complaint.
The ombudsman will only review a complaint after the council have investigated under their complaint’s procedure.
You can view our latest annual performance letter from the LGSCO here: LGSCO Annual Review Letters
You can contact the LGSCO at:
• complete the online form at: The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman website
• call: 0300 061 0614
• write to: The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, PO Box 4771, Coventry, CV4 0EH.