www.hertsdirect.org adult care services / hertfordshire care providers association- december 2010...

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Adult Care Services / Hertfordshire Care Providers Association-

December 2010

“Reporting Compliments Complaints and information”

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New complaints Regulations April 2009(Implemented September 2009)

• Council’s three complaints stage process ended

• Stage 1- Local Resolution by Council (6 months)

• Stage 2 – Local Government Ombudsman

• Introduced - Complaint Planning with an emphasis on early resolution

• Creative approach responding to complaints

• A “Duty to cooperate” between Health and Social Care

• Consent from the complainant before passing to a provider

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Amendment to Regulations September 2009

• Where a complaint is made about a commissioned service;

• This is as if the complaint is being made about the County Council

• “The local authority has made arrangements with a person for the discharge of a relevant function; and the complaint relates to the discharge of, or the failure to discharge, a relevant function under those arrangements.”

• A relevant function means, “any of the local authority's social services functions; or any function to be discharged by the local authority under arrangements,” through providers.

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Local Government Ombudsman- LGO

• From October 2010 the LGO will have new powers to investigate complaints about care providers, from people purchasing or arranging their own care. ( Homecare and Residential / Nursing Homes)

• The LGO can investigate Local Authority commissioned care alongside privately funded or arranged care

• Council first / Provider first – but with exceptions

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Current Reporting Format

• Complaints Concerns and Compliments should be reported to ACS Service Solutions Teams

• Local Teams and ACS Commissioning use this information to monitor the quality of care being provided

• It is referred to in Safeguarding and Serious Concerns Processes

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Proposed Format

• Information to be reported electronically via Herts Direct Website

• All complaints and concerns to be reported for commissioned and non commissioned residents

• Non commissioned residents personal data, to be replaced with a reference number

• Homes can also inform Adult Care Services of Compliments, Issues and developments in service Delivery

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What does this mean?

• ACS would be able to monitor information about Commissioned Services more reliably

• Where there is a dual complaint / safeguarding matter, clear direction

• Identify trends within residential homes before a Safeguarding or Serious Concerns processes begin

• Learning and Development can be identified

• Balanced picture of compliments and good practice

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Adult Care ServicesCommissioned Services

Concerns/Complaint/Compliment and Service Improvement Report

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Main MenuAdd a new report/Search for an existing report

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Adding a new report (screen opens up according to service type and type of report chosen)

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Adding a new reportExample of completed residential concern

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Adding a new reportConfirmation screen

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Main menuSearching for an existing report

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Main menuSearch results

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View of existing report(Cannot change original entries, but additional details can be added)

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View of additional details added for an existing report

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Adding outcomes to an existing report

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Complaints and safeguarding - Update 2010

On receiving a complaint, the responsible manager should consider if aninvestigation under the safeguarding procedure should be carried out.Where a safeguarding concern referred to Adult Care Services is investigated,the investigating manager must consider if there is a complaint to answer toand at what stage this can be dealt with. This is particularly important if thepolice are investigating a possible criminal offence.The complainant must then be informed of decisions by the responsiblemanager providing this does not interfere with the safeguarding process.If a complaint is placed on hold until the safeguarding process has concluded,it is important to ensure the complaint is then dealt with by the responsiblemanager.Where complaints and safeguarding overlap a record of this must be made bythe responsible team on both the complaints and client record.

David Price – Joint Head of Complaint and Client RelationsDavid Price - Head of Complaints and Client Relations

Karen Evans – Client Relations Manager

Stephanie Byway – Support Officer

Telephone – 01438 843404

E-mail – name @hertscc.gov.uk or acs.crelations@hertscc.gov.uk