Decision details

Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham was commissioned to carry out an analysis of complaints reporting by Health and Wellbeing Board partners, building on the work of Healthwatch around how complainants experienced the complaints process.

The report will provide the Board with information about the way that complaints are handled in the system.

The Board:

(i)  Noted the recommendations set out in Appendix A of the report, namely:

(a)  That service providers make it a priority to engage with complainants at least once a year,

(b)  That the views and experiences of complainants contribute to any re-design of complaints procedures.

(c)  That organisations wishing to make their complaints procedures more user friendly follow the advice given in the report of the Complaints Programme Board ‘My expectations for raising concerns and complaints’.

(d)  Organisations should consider including in their annual complaints reports more testaments from complainants as to how the process worked for them.

(e)  Organisational annual complaints reports should be clearer about what their analysis is saying and what changes will be brought about as a result. This should be fed back to complainants who have contributed through highlighting the situation.

(f)  Complainants should be advised of agencies or advocates who can help them with their complaint.

(ii)  Agreed that partners would take the recommendations back to their organisations and would actively consider implementing them within their organisation’s processes.