If you are unhappy with something that adult social care (often known as social services) has done, or failed to do, we will try to put things right.
More information
We want you to get the best possible service from us, and your compliments, comments and suggestions are always welcome.
If you are unhappy with something, please tell us about it. You can do this by contacting your social worker. If you live in a residential or nursing home, or you attend any activity organised by the council, you can talk to the staff or manager of the service.
A complaint should normally be made within 12 months of the issue arising, or if later the date on which the complaint issue first came to your notice.
We hope that in most cases your problem or complaint can be sorted out directly with the member of staff providing your service.
We will try to sort things out for you as quickly as possible – on the spot if we can. If this is not possible, we will acknowledge your complaint within three working days of receiving it.
We will contact you to discuss your complaint. We will let you know who will be dealing with your complaint and agree with you how long we think it is going to take to look into your concerns.
While we are dealing with your complaint, we will keep you informed. If it is taking longer than we initially thought to look into your complaint, we will contact you to discuss this and agree new timescales with you.
If, following the written response to your complaint, you remain unhappy, then you can talk to the complaints manager and we will consider the best way forward.
You can contact the complaints manager by:
Download our Complaints Service Standards for more details of how your complaint will be handled.
We follow a set procedure when dealing with complaints.
Our complaints procedure aims to protect the rights of all adult social care service users. It says that problems should be resolved fairly and openly.
The procedure also helps us to make our services better by highlighting where we need to improve.
The procedure has two stages:
Stage 1: Local resolution
Stage 2: Contacting the Local Government Ombudsman
Stage 1: Local resolution
Local resolution means we will try to resolve your complaint as close to where your concerns arose as possible.
It is usually the manager of the service that you are complaining about who will investigate your complaint. They will respond to you in writing, within a set timescale.
If you’re still not satisfied that your complaint has been resolved, you can contact the complaints manager within 20 working days. They will then discuss further options with you.
Stage 2: Contacting the Local Government Ombudsman
If you’re still not satisfied with what has happened as a result of your complaint, the second stage of the procedure is to contact the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO).
You can contact the LGO at any point of your complaint. However, they would usually ask you to go through the council’s complaints procedure in the first instance.
The LGO can consider complaints about:
· Things that have gone wrong with a council service
· The way a decision has been made
- Write to: Local Government Ombudsman, PO Box 4771, Coventry, CV4 0EH
Several organisations can provide advice and support if you want to make a complaint about social care services. Some of them are listed below.
Akwwaaba Ayeh
40 Chandos Street
Leicester LE2 1BL
Offering advice, support and information to African, African-Caribbean and Asian people who experience mental ill health difficulties and their carers.
Tel: 0116 247 1525
Fax: 0116 255 3625
Website: www.akwaabaayeh.com
Ansaar
112 Melbourne Road
Leicester LE2 0DS
Leicester-based community project, specifically set up for people with learning disabilities.
Telephone: 0116 262 1000
Email: info@ansaar.org
Website: www.ansaar.org
Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland
Lansdowne House
113 Princess Road East
Leicester LE1 7LA
Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland's mission is to promote the wellbeing of older people and to make later life a fulfilling and enjoyable experience.
Tel: 0116 299 2233
Fax: 0116 299 2244
Email: enquiries@ageukleics.org.uk
Website: www.ageuk.org.uk/leics
Alzheimer's Society
5 Oak Spinney Park
Ratby Lane
Leicester Forest East
LE3 3LG
Alzheimer's Society is a membership organisation which works to improve the quality of life of people affected by dementia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Tel:0116 231 1111
Email:leicestershireandrutland@alzheimers.org.uk
Website: www.alzheimers.org.uk
The Carers Centre
Unit 19, 4th Floor
Matrix House
7 Constitution Hill
Leicester LE1 1PL
Charity which provides a wide range of support services for carers living in Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland and surrounding areas.
Tel: 0116 251 0999
Email:enquiries@claspthecarerscentre.org.uk
Website: www.claspthecarerscentre.org.uk
Leicestershire Action for Mental Health Project (LAMP)
65 Regent Road
Leicester LE1 6YF
Independent voluntary organisation working to promote good mental health for everyone living in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
Tel: 0116 255 6286
Website: www.lampdirect.org.uk
Leicester Community Legal Advice Centre
3rd Floor, 60 Charles St
Leicester LE1 1FB
Providing free, independent and confidential advice.
Tel: 0845 456 0074 or 0116 242 6720
Email: leicester@communitylegaladvice.org.uk
Fax: 0116 251 8411
Website: www.clac.leicester.gov.uk
Leicestershire Ethnic Elderly
Advocacy Project (LEEAP)
33 Chandos Street
Leicester LE2 1BL
Support, advice and representation for elderly members of black and minority ethnic (BME) communities.
Tel: 0116 275 5515
Fax: 0116 2857 374
MOSAIC
2 Oak Spinney Park
Ratby Lane
Leicester Forest East
LE3 3AW
Providing individual independent advocacy to people with physical and sensory impairments in the city and the county; also to people with learning difficulties in the county
Tel: 0116 231 8720
Information Service Helpline: 0116 231 4425
This helpline provides a free and confidential service providing information and advice for disabled people in Leicester and Leicestershire.
Fax: 0116 231 2037
E-mail:
enquiries@mosaic1898.co.uk Website: www.mosaic1898.co.uk
Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living
5-9 Upper Brown Street
Leicester
LE1 5TE
Organisation established by disabled people, for disabled people, to empower disabled people.
Telephone: 0116 222 5005
Fax: 0116 222 5008
Text: 07910 864 594
Minicom: 0116 222 5007
Email: admin@lcil.org.uk
Website: www.lcil.org.uk
Further information
The complaints manager can provide further information about support and advocacy (where somebody speaks on your behalf).
As well as telling us when things go wrong, we would like to hear when we have got things right. You can contact us using the details above.
Adult Social Care produces a detailed annual report about the complaints and compliments that it has received during the year. For more information about this report please contact the Complaints Manager.
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