COMPLAINTS

1. OUR AIM

The Soul Care Retreat is committed to providing a quality service and working in an open and accountable way that builds trust and respect. One of the ways in which we can continue to improve our service is by listening and responding to the views of our retreaters and in particular by responding positively to complaints, and by putting mistakes right. 
Therefore we aim to ensure that:
•    making a compliment or complaint is as easy as possible
•    we welcome compliments, feedback and suggestions
•    we treat a complaint as a clear expression of dissatisfaction with our service which calls for an immediate response
•    we deal with it promptly, politely and, when appropriate, confidentially
•    we respond in the right way - for example, with an explanation, or an apology where we have got things wrong, or information on any action taken etc.
•    we learn from complaints, use them to improve our service, and review annually our complaints policy and procedures
We recognise that many concerns will be raised informally, and dealt with quickly. 
Our aims are to:
•    resolve informal concerns quickly
•    keep matters low-key
•    enable mediation between the complainant and the individual to whom the complaint has been referred
This policy ensures that we welcome compliments and provide guidelines for dealing with complaints from members of the public about our services, facilities, staff and volunteers.

2. DEFINITIONS
A compliment is an expression of satisfaction about the standard of service we provide. 

A complaint is defined as any expression of dissatisfaction, however, it is expressed. This would include complaints expressed face to face, via a phone call, in writing, via email or any other method. All staff should have sufficient knowledge to be able to identify an “expression of dissatisfaction” even when the word “complain” or “complaint” is not used.

3. Purpose

We are always glad to hear from people who are satisfied with the services we offer.  All compliments are recorded, acknowledged, and a copy is sent to the relevant service manager to provide feedback to the member of staff or service.

4. Complaints

The formal complaints procedure is intended to ensure that all complaints are handled fairly, consistently and wherever possible resolved to the complainant's satisfaction.

5. Responsibilities

 The Soul Care Retreat will;

• acknowledge the formal complaint in writing;

• respond within a stated period of time;

• deal reasonably and sensitively with the complaint; and

• take action where appropriate.

 

A complainant's responsibility is to:

• bring their complaint, in writing, to The Soul Care Retreat's  attention, within 1 month of the issue arising;

• raise concerns promptly and directly with a member of staff in [name of clinic / organisation];

• explain the problem as clearly and as fully as possible, including any action taken to date;

• allow [name of clinic / organisation] a reasonable time to deal with the matter, and

• recognise that some circumstances may be beyond The Soul Care Retreat’s control.

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3. COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
Written records must be made by The Soul Care Retreat at each stage of the procedure.
Stage 1
In the first instance, staff member(s) must establish the seriousness of the complaint. An informal approach is appropriate when it can be achieved. But if concerns cannot be satisfactorily resolved informally, then the formal complaints procedure should be followed.
Stage 2
If the complaint cannot be resolved informally, the member of the public should be advised that a formal complaint may be made and the following procedure should be explained to them. It may sometimes be appropriate for a different member of staff, preferably a member of the Management Team, to make this explanation.
a)    A formal complaint should be made in writing. 
b)    In all cases, the complaint must be addressed and passed on to Amanda McGregor. 
c)   Your complaint will be acknowledged  in writing (via post or email) within 7 working days of receiving it.
d)    You  will receive a response based on the investigation within four weeks of the complaint being received. If this is not possible then a letter must be sent explaining why.

 

ADDRESSING YOUR COMPLAINT

Please address your complaint to Amanda McGregor and send via the email address at the top of the page. IPlease remember to include the date you retreated with us, the date and time (if applicable) of the incident.

 

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE UNHAPPY WITH OUR RESOLUTION

If you are unhappy with our resolution to your complaint, the Citizens Advice Bureau has some  useful information on how to escalate your complaint. Click here