How to make a complaint

You can make a complaint in person, by phone, letter or email.

We want to ensure you’re heard. Let us know what support you need – we can provide support from another member of staff, arrange translation, make a referral to advocacy services, or provide IT aids to help you make a complaint.

We’ll ask for some details about your complaint – try to be as detailed as possible to help us to respond to your complaint more accurately.

We’ll also ask you what you’d like to happen next. We’ll ask for some personal information but will respect if you’d like to remain anonymous.

We’ll aim to resolve your complaint immediately. However, if we need to make more enquiries we’ll explain what happens next and give you a response within five working days.

If we’re not able to resolve your complaint within five working days, we’ll explain why and tell you when we’ll be in touch – this won’t take longer than another five working days.

If you tell us that you’re unsatisfied with our response, your complaint will be moved onto Stage 2. Our Chief Executive or Depute Chief Executive will then look into your complaint and the way it was handled and will acknowledge your complaint within three working days.

You’ll receive a decision within 20 working days from the date your complaint was moved to Stage 2 unless there’s a clear reason for needing more time.

If your complaint is complex or needs a more detailed investigation, we may take your complaint straight to Stage 2.

If your complaint is unresolved after you’ve gone through these stages, you can contact the Scottish Public Service Ombudsman (SPSO) or the Care Inspectorate.

The SPSO is an independent and free service that’s responsible for ensuring that local authorities and publicly funded services handle complaints objectively and in line with best practice.

You can contact them at:
Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, Bridgeside House, 99 McDonald Road, Edinburgh EH7 4NS
Freephone T: 0800 377 7330
www.spso.org.uk/contact-us

The Care Inspectorate is the national regulator for care in Scotland. They inspect services and evaluate the quality of care they deliver. They can deal with complaints and carry out enforcement actions.

You can contact them at:
The Care Inspectorate, Compass House, 11 Riverside Drive, Dundee DD1 4NY
T: 0345 600 9527
www.careinspectorate.com/index.php/contact-us

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the UK’s data privacy regulator that ensures organisations adhere to data protection laws.

You can contact then at:
The Information Commissioner’s Office, 45 Melville Street, Edinburgh EH3 7HL
T: 0303 123 1115
www.ico.org.uk