Comments, Complaints and Compliments

This page details the process by which comments, complaints and compliments must be handled. JSA Psychotherapy views any feedback, good or bad, as an opportunity to improve or share good practice. The person responsible for handling all comments, complaints and compliments is the Operations Manager Alicia Barrett. All data regarding comments, complaints and compliments is reviewed every six months by the Operations Manager.

A comment may be positive or negative; in either case it falls short of a formal complaint or compliment but still requires acknowledgement and may require action to be taken.

A complaint is anything which causes a person to be dissatisfied with the service or any element of it. All complaints require investigation, an explanation of the actions that gave rise to dissatisfaction and in many cases action to prevent the same dissatisfaction occurring again. In all cases complainants must receive an apology for them being so dissatisfied as to have felt the need to complain.

A compliment may be general, about JSA, or more personal, naming members of staff. In either case a compliment is information provided to JSA Management which indicates or provides evidence of good practice to the extent that the person paying the compliment is impressed and wishes to share their views.

Our procedure for dealing with comments

Where a client, employee, 3^rd party or other stakeholder makes a comment to any member of staff, it must be reported to the Principal Psychotherapist as soon as is practical. The comment will also be documented in the personal files of the employee/client concerned where relevant and logged on the compliments tracker.
On receipt of any comments the Practice Manager will contact the person concerned and inform them that their comment has been noted. They will also be told of any actions to be taken as a result

Our procedure for dealing with complaints

On receipt of a verbal or written complaint, however minor, details will be logged on a complaints log and passed to the Principal Psychotherapist and the Practice Manager. Complaints may come from many sources but must be treated with equal regard whether they come from our own employees, clients or any other source.
The Practice Manager will contact the complainant and log the details on the complaints action tracker. A written acknowledgement will be sent the same day or at most within 3 days.
The Practice Manager will investigate the matter using the following guidelines:
First, talk to the complainant to establish their perception of the issue.
Do not offer any explanations at this stage but offer an apology for the inconvenience caused and reassurance that the matter is being taken seriously and will be investigated.
Make notes whilst speaking to the complainant and check with them that you have the facts correct.
Contact all persons named in the account and ask for their version of events. You may need to ask for statements from individuals. If these are required, the individual should be asked to attend the office to write up their statement.
Check all dates, allocation matters and, if necessary, timesheets.
Check the client/employee’s files to establish if previous incidents have occurred or if there is any other information that may be relevant.

The essential questions that must be answered are:

Did the incident giving rise to dissatisfaction happen?
Why did it happen?
Could it happen again?
What actions could be taken to prevent it happening again?
Who will take these actions?
By when?

After all investigations are completed, a judgement can be made as to whether or not the complaint was justified. This measurement is for internal processes only. If a client is dissatisfied in any way there must be a reason and it must be taken seriously.

Results of investigations will be summarised on the complaints action tracker and all documentations copied to the employee and client’s files as appropriate.
The Practice Manager will review the investigation with the Principal Psychotherapist.
The Principal Psychotherapist will set out actions to be taken to prevent a recurrence of the incident which gave rise to the complaint or concern.
Outcomes of investigations and action to prevent recurrence will be sent in writing to the complainant and copied to involved professional bodies as appropriate, for example, in the case of an adolescent client receiving therapy via the local authority. The dates of these letters must be entered onto the complaints action tracker.
Any complaint which could indicate any form of abuse to a client or employee must be reported to the Principal Psychotherapist immediately.
Investigations should be concluded within 4 weeks of the complaint, however a letter updating the complainant on the course of the investigation must be sent every 7 days until the complaint is satisfactorily resolved.
The date of final resolution (when it is confirmed that the complainant is satisfied) shall be entered onto the complaints action tracker.
Where applicable, complainants must also be reminded that they may also complain to Social Services and the Social Services Ombudsman. You can get in touch with the Local Government Ombudsman by telephoning 0300 061 0614.

Failure to listen to, document or follow up complaints in accordance with this procedure shall be deemed a disciplinary matter.

Our procedure for dealing with compliments

All compliments whether written or verbal must be recorded in the compliments tracker and notified to the Principal Psychotherapist.
All compliments must be acknowledged in writing within 3 days of receipt.
All compliments about employees must be notified to the employee concerned in writing and a copy of the letter placed in their personal file.

Management Review

On a monthly basis JSA will hold a formal review meeting. In attendance will be the Director(s) of the company and the Operations Manager.

In advance of the meeting the Operations Manager will prepare a report analysing the incidence of comments, complaints and compliments, identifying any trends and making recommendations for procedural changes, and reporting back on any changes which were made as a result of single incidents.

The Management team will consider the report and agree/make further procedural recommendations. An action plan will be drawn up giving clear direction on actions to be taken, by whom and by when.

At each such meeting the action plan from the previous meeting will also be reviewed for completion.