We are committed to learning from the feedback we receive through complaints. They are a vital tool for understanding the experiences of our service users and for driving improvements in our service delivery. By analysing the causes, themes, and outcomes of complaints, we can identify areas that require attention and implement measures to enhance the quality of care we provide.

Throughout the year, the Complaints Team has engaged in regular discussions with officers from Adult Social Services and producing monthly reports for senior management. These discussions have helped foster a culture of continuous improvement and responsiveness. Additionally, staff from the service have been actively involved in reflecting on complaints during supervisions and one-on-one meetings, ensuring that learning is embedded and consistent throughout the year.

Key issues requiring some improvement:

• Service quality
• Policy and Procedure
• Communication
• Financial transparency
• Staff conduct

In 2022 to 2023 there were several complaints which caused us to act and make changes to service delivery. These are provided below.

To address a complaint regarding care home service quality, we intensified our quality and assurance oversight as part of our quarterly contract monitoring and quality assurance visits.

This was to try to ensure that our care home providers met the standards expected by our service users and their families.

In response to complaints about poor communication around the cost of a client financial a resident transitioning into a care home, we reinforced the importance of transparent communication among our staff to prevent any potential misunderstandings reoccurring in the future.

Following a complaint relating to hospital discharge processes, we amended our procedures to place a greater emphasis on reviewing a person's previous records and how they have responded to care and support at home.

Due to a concern about the support for neurodivergent individuals, we initiated discussions at the senior management level to reform the ICMP team's approach to better cater to these individuals' needs.

To address a complaint about poor record-keeping and communication timeliness, we have provided additional training to our staff, to try to ensure all decisions and assessment are documented to a high standard.

After receiving a complaint about delays in our safeguarding process, we reviewed and updated our procedures to monitor the allocation of safeguarding within better timescales.