To receive a presentation on the review of the Corporate Complaints System and monitoring arrangements.
The Committee received a report and a briefing at its meeting on 9 July 2014 and asked for quarterly monitoring reports and an analysis of whether complaints were dealt with within the prescribed timescales. There has since been a review of the complaints system and monitoring arrangements and the presentation will focus on the outcomes of this.
Minutes:
The Committee had received a report and a briefing at its meeting on 9 July 2014 and had asked for quarterly monitoring reports and an analysis of whether complaints were dealt with within the prescribed timescales. A review of the complaints system and monitoring arrangements had since taken place and Alison Greenhill, Director of Finance and Caroline Deane, Vacancy Management Service Manager gave a presentation on the outcomes of the review. A copy of the presentation is attached.
In addition to the comments in the presentation, the following points were noted, some in response to Members’ questions:-
a) The review was looking at all systems that dealt with complaints.
b) Different complaint systems had different response times and some of the statutory procedures for Children’s Services were more focused on delivering a customer oriented outcome than complying with a response within a strict timeframe.
c) Not all complaints were captured within the CRM system which was considered to be outdated. A more simplified system was required which allowed customer services officers to have one portal logon rather than have to log into 26 individual systems.
d) To be effective the complaints monitoring needed a system that captured postcodes and ward references in relation to complaints.
e) More work needed to be done to train staff to differentiate between a service request and a complaint; there were numerous instances where service requests were treated as a complaint through an over cautious approach by staff.
f) The Council was not responsible for dealing with complaints where services were provided by external service suppliers. E.g housing associations should have their own complaints processes, but further work could be undertaken to see if staff could provide more help, advice and contact details for Members dealing with constituent’s complaints in these areas.
g) The recommendations in the presentation had been supported by the Senior Management Board. As a consequence work was progressing to evaluating a business case for a dedicated complaints team rather than staff undertaking complaints responsibilities as an ‘add on; to their main duties.
h) It was hoped to have the new system in place ready for the induction sessions for new Members after the May elections.
i) Positive comments received from the public were relayed to staff.
Following the presentation and questions Members made the following observations and comments:-
a) The experience of members of the outcomes of some complaints systems did not demonstrate confidence in the actual process of how individuals or members were dealt with during the process, contrary to good performance statistics.
b) The offer of a workshop for Members before any new system was introduced was welcomed.
c) The use of corporate e-mail addresses by Councillors to report issues had mixed outcomes. They were more effective for dealing with the issues such as the removal of fly-tips etc than trying to deal with constituent’s circumstances where eviction and homelessness was concerned.
d) Councillors needed to have confidence in the system dealing with all complaints.
e) A revision of the process should aim to be cost effective and deliver benefits to all concerned, using staff time more efficiently and delivering service improvements and benefits as well as proving complainants with a satisfactory outcome wherever possible.
f) Having fixed timescales is important but is was recognised that it is not always possible to deliver outcomes within them to the satisfaction of the complainant. It is equally important to maintain contact with the complainant and to manage expectations: complainants will often understand it make take longer to resolve an issue if they fully aware of what is being done and why.
g) Officers should only respond to complaints if they competent and skilled in doing so.
h) Some complaints about Councillors under the Code of Conduct had arisen from a complainant’s perception that the councillor was not responding to a complaint, when it was the complaints system that had slowed down the response to the Councillor. It would be helpful if this could be avoided in future.
i) Some members of the community were unable to make complaints themselves and the system should provide support to vulnerable people to enable them, or their advocate to make a complaint. There are a number of groups in the community who support vulnerable people and they should be engaged in the process.
j) Some complaints from constituent’s could involve other agencies such as the Police, NHS etc and the system should encompass a process for Councillors to deal with these as well.
k) The proposal to abolish four separate lead officers reviewing complaints to have a consolidated corporate approach was welcomed and supported.
l) Stephen Purser, Independent Member, offered to assist in providing an independent observation in reviewing the new proposed system.
RESOLVED:
1) That officers be thanked for their presentation and contribution to the meeting.
2) That the proposals for revising the complaints procedures be welcomed and that officers take Members comments into account when devising the new system.
3) That Mr Purser’s offer to act as an independent observer on the new complaints system be taken up by officers.