Customer Feedback Annual Report 2022-2023
How did we do?
This report presents a summary of feedback received for the period 1 April 2022 – 31 March 2023, in the form of compliments and complaints.
Its purpose is to support our continuous improvement work and ensure that learning from our residents’ feedback is captured and used to help enhance the customer experience we offer as a council.
We have statutory requirements to report on both children’s and adults’ social services complaints, but we also need to capture and learn from other complaints and compliments to provide a rounded view of our customer feedback.
This annual report is therefore important; it provides key insights on how we are performing and as such, it is essential for informing our performance management, business assurance and public engagement objectives. The report highlights what were the key themes and trends in the year and explains how the council has performed against the required standards.
Overall, the number of complaints received was slightly lower than the previous year, continuing a downward trend in complaints for the fifth successive year.
The percentage of complaints received to the number of residents in North Lincolnshire remains low at 0.2%.
Welcome to our Annual Customer Feedback Report 2022-2023: How Did We Do? This report sets out how we have performed in responding to feedback from our residents. It assists us in meeting our requirements to publish information about the performance of statutory services for Adults and Children, including information received from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman in their Annual Letter to councils.
We provide our residents with a clear and accessible process to share with us their feedback and experiences. As a council our focus is on early resolution and continuous improvement, to enable a culture of listening and learning. We embrace Restorative Practice and during the very early stages of a complaint, we engage with residents and attempt to resolve at the earliest stage possible.
It is pleasing to note that the number of complaints received continues a downward trend in complaints for the fifth successive year.
Although it is disappointing when we occasionally fall below the expected standard, it is encouraging to recognise that such issues are captured, reviewed and improvements are made, so that our offer can be refined as a direct result of the information residents
have provided: You Said – We Did. Examples of the learning and improvements made can be found throughout this report, together with a wide range of compliments received from customers this year.
We receive many compliments from our residents when the service or support they have received has exceeded their expectations. We do like to recognise our compliments alongside our complaints. It is also good opportunity for us to say ‘thank you’ to our dedicated teams for their continued support throughout the year.
Councillor Tim Mitchell
Connectivity Cabinet Member
Compliments
We have received hundreds of compliments in the year regarding the positive outcomes customers received which illustrate how we are delivering on our council plan priorities:
“Just a big thank you. You were brilliant in sorting out my mother’s placement. Above and beyond the call of duty! Nothing was too much trouble…. and very professional too. ” Adults
“I would like to offer thanks for the professionalism and care received from the Adult social services team.” Adults
“I wish to thank the Home First team for the 5-star service received as a family. The communication was exceptional, and an alarm and key system were put in place which we were not aware of.” Adults
“I am sorry I have taken so long to get this to you, but I did feel it was important that I do because I need to tell you just how amazing you all are and how happy we are to have you guys supporting us and the children we have in our care.“ Children
“The social worker is really good, she understood everything and explained it, so we understood. There is nothing she could do better. Any questions we asked she answered them perfectly. She was easy to talk to. This made us feel more comfortable.“ Children
“We love working with the social worker, she is amazing. I can say how I feel and don’t have to worry about saying the wrong thing. She does listen and take our views understands that we have other children.“ Children
“Called to say what an excellent job is taking place on the highway. The work men are doing amazing, the road surface is very smooth, and works are being carried out to an excellent standard. “ Highways
“Can I congratulate you for having such a beautiful park in Scunthorpe, all the grounds and the trees are stunning. We are from out of the area, and it pales our parks into insignificance, well done.“ Neighbourhood
“I reported fly tipping of concrete and soil that had been dumped in the ten foot. I would just like to say a huge thank you for your quick actions on the matter. Within the hour there were 2 workers around to clear the mess. A big thank you!“ Highways
“I would like to take the opportunity to say ‘Thank You’ to the Blue Badge team for their kindness, courtesy, patience, and helpfulness in giving guidance to successfully apply for a Blue Badge. I am looking forward to receiving and using it to make life a little easier when going shopping, visiting hospital, and parking.“ Customer Transactions
“I have been looked after during the Blue Badge process; it was completed much faster than I expected. Fantastic service.“ Customer Transactions
“I visited the Hall and walled garden. I would like to express my thanks to all the staff on their welcome and being helpful. The historical timeline of the hall was particularly good, but the best of all was the walled garden. It was the best walled garden in terms of its upkeep, and we could see the transition to the no-dig method. We had a great chat to the gardener who made the visit very special. Well informed and communicated his passion. Something we had in common. Please pass on our thanks, especially to your gardener.“ Normanby Hall
“We just wanted to thank you for a wonderful weekend at the No Limits Festival. The staff were so friendly and helpful, the atmosphere and music in the entrance hall was perfect and we really enjoyed the whole weekend. We hope this will become a regular event and we look forward to seeing you all again next year.“ Normanby Hall
“We are delighted with the offer and pass on our very grateful thanks to the whole team for the support with the two grant applications.“
Customer Transactions
“A very big thank you for all the help that was given to me regarding food vouchers, household support fund and the energy rebate. I am over the moon with this and without your help & support I couldn’t have applied on my own. You went above & beyond your duties to help me, and you are a credit to the council.“ Contact Centre
“I would like to say thank you for the service from the Contact Centre, not just now, but over the last few years. The service and assistance I always receive, gives me extra piece of mind and it is much appreciated.“ Contact Centre
“I just want to pass on a message to say the officer working in the children’s library today was an absolute joy. I called into the library in my dinner break to get my son some new books, and after a stressful morning she cheered me right up and she really gave me the impression that she loves her job.“ Scunthorpe Central
“We have recently moved to Scunthorpe. We visited the recycling centre to dispose of items that could not be collected via our wheelie bin. Could we kindly request that you pass on our thanks to the staff for their friendly manner and help with finding where items should be placed.“ Waste
Complaints
Introduction and background
This section presents a summary of complaints received for the period 1 April 2022 – 31 March 2023.
Our Customer Complaints & Contact Policy is published on our website at: northlincs.gov.uk/complaints. Its purpose is to set out our process for receiving, managing and responding to complaints and other feedback we receive.
The Customer Standards sits alongside the complaints policy, which represents our promise to customers and the standards we aspire to achieve.
Customer Complaints Procedure:
There are two stages to the corporate complaints process:
- Stage 1 – the complaint will be acknowledged within 1 working day and responded to by the appropriate manager within 15 working days.
- Stage 2 – if the customer is not satisfied with the stage 1 response, they may ask (within 20 days) for the complaint to be reconsidered. A senior manager will investigate and respond within 25 working days.
Our target is that we will respond to 95% of complaints within the agreed timescale.
If a customer remains dissatisfied, they may appeal to the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman (LG&SCO).
Summary of complaints
Five-Year Trend Of Complaints Received & Upheld
- Complaints have slightly reduced continuing a downward trend for the fifth successive year, 320 complaints compared to 325 in the previous year
- 72% of complaints were not upheld following investigation
- 88% of complaints were responded to within timescale.
| Service area | Number of complaints 2021-22 | Number of complaints upheld (part or whole) 2021-22 | Number of complaints 2022-23 | Number of complaints upheld (part or whole) 2022-23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highways and neighbourhoods | 38 | 11 | 34 | 10 |
| Local taxation and benefits | 32 | 14 | 52 | 16 |
| Children’s services | 24 | 5 | 42 | 7 |
| Planning | 25 | 8 | 9 | 3 |
| Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman | 24 | 1 | 15 | 0 |
| Adult services | 49 | 19 | 47 | 28 |
| Waste | 23 | 5 | 26 | 18 |
| Information complaints | 36 | 19 | 30 | 0 |
| Environmental health and housing | 22 | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| Licensing, registrars and bereavement | 15 | 4 | 13 | 0 |
| Leisure, community hubs and customer service | 9 | 2 | 18 | 4 |
| Parking | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other council services | 20 | 4 | 28 | 4 |
;
- Service quality – 53.49%
- Information and communication- 30.91%
- Service delivery – 13.17%
You said – We did
Feedback from customers is vital in order for us to continuously improve our offer to residents. The table below summarises customer feedback and the specific actions that we have taken as a result.
| You said | We did |
|---|---|
| There was too much mud on the road in certain areas of North Lincolnshire. | We have enhanced our road cleaning offer in these areas. |
| We want to make sure that our crematorium donations are not placed in the wrong donation box. | A new protocol was put into place which will endeavour to recover any monies if they have been placed in the wrong box. |
Children’s Statutory Complaints
This section provides a summary of the complaints received regarding statutory services to children and families for the year 1 April 2022 – 31 March 2023.
It outlines the complaints made under the statutory procedure and the actions taken in response. The report makes extensive use throughout of feedback received, as well as insight and learning from professional teams.
The complaints procedure is designed to make sure that issues of concern are responded to without delay and without unnecessary complication. It alerts the council to any issue requiring change, or where there
is learning, for the benefit of children, young people or families. As such, it is an important part of the learning and improvement framework.
We embrace the Restorative Practice approach and during the very early stages of a complaint, we engage with children and families and attempt to resolve at the earliest stage possible.
The scope of the report is in respect of complaints that have been received under the terms of the ‘Children Act 1989, Representations Procedure Regulations (England) 2006’.
The Children Act 1989 places a duty on all councils to establish and publicise a procedure for the consideration of representations and complaints made to them about the services provided to them under the Act.
The Act also requires that local authorities responsible for Children’s Services produce and publish an annual report on the statutory complaints and representations procedures.
The Children Act procedure applies to representations about Children’s Social Care Services and specifically services that are provided under parts 3, 4 & 5 of the Children Act.
These services include the following provision:
- family support services
- services for children with a disability
- care and protection of children & young people
- services to care leavers
- adoption and special guardianship orders
Some complaints received do not meet the criteria to be dealt with under the statutory process. When this is the case, these are processed though the council’s general complaints process.
We want anyone who is involved in the process, in whatever capacity, to have confidence in it; the principles of the procedure are therefore that:
- the procedure is easy to use and understand;
- complaints are dealt within an objective, open manner;
- the complaint is subject to a thorough scrutiny;
- the process is led by the complainant;
- people involved in the process will get the support they need;
- the process is focused on finding solutions;
- the team is open to learning from the complaints raised.
This procedure will ensure that:
- concerns are taken seriously;
- complaints are dealt with promptly and effectively;
- there is a full response and a clear outcome for complainants;
- complaints are dealt with fairly and even handedly;
- those involved in the process, complainants, the representatives and staff, are treated with dignity and respect;
- there is equality of access and standard of service for all complainants with particular consideration for those people who may find it more difficult to use the process e.g. younger children, people with disabilities, those whose first language is not English, young people on their own behalf, by parents or carers and by any other person that the child wants to represent them, or who has a sufficient interest in the welfare of the child.
The key principles of the complaint’s procedure are that it is accessible, transparent and fair. We want anyone who has a concern to feel confident that they can raise their concerns and that they will be dealt with in a way that is independent and impartial.
The complaints procedure is regarded as another means of capturing the voice of the child and the family. Whilst it is always hoped that the need to make a complaint would not arise, it is recognised that there will be occasions when, despite best efforts, we do not meet expectations. In those circumstances the complaints procedure offers a framework for hearing what people think of their service, for resolution of concerns and for learning about our provision.
We recognise that it is not always easy for individuals to make a complaint so advice and, where required, support is made available. Children and young people have the assistance and support of the children’s advocate if they need it.
Complaints offer the opportunity to look in detail at areas of provision and at practice. In so doing they provide the opportunity to learn about what is working well and where services can be developed, and improvements can be made.
There are three stages in the statutory children’s complaints process:
This stage allows the people most closely involved with the area concerned to deal with the issue that has been raised. This is because usually these practitioners are familiar with issues raised and understand what can be done to resolve it promptly. Complaints at stage one should be resolved in 10 working days, however up to 20 working days is allowed for more complex complaints.
If the complainant considers that their complaint has not been resolved at stage one they may request to progress it to stage two. This stage involves the appointment of an Investigating Officer. The Investigating Officer is independent of the authority.
If the complaint directly involves a child or young person then someone independent of the council, the ‘Independent Person’ oversees the investigation. The Independent Person provides an extra assurance that the complaint is investigated properly and fairly.
The complainant will get a full report from the investigation, along with the responsible manager’s decision. The responsible manager is the senior officer of the area concerned.
The investigation should be completed, and the response sent to the complainant within 25 working days of the date on which the complaint was agreed. If the complaint is complex, or there are reasons why the investigation will take longer there can be an extension, with the agreement of the complainant. This extension must not be later than 65 working days in total from the date the complaint was agreed.
The Investigating Officer will present their report to the Adjudicating Officer (the Principal Officer responsible for the area concerned in the complaint, or someone nominated to act on their behalf) at a meeting which they attend along with the Customer Complaints Manager and the Independent Person.
The complainant will receive a copy of the Investigating Officer’s report, the Independent Person’s comments, and the Adjudicating Officer’s response.
Stage three is the final stage of the procedure, if required. It is an independent review of the complaint. A panel of three people, who are all new to the complaint and who are independent of the Local Authority, review the information from the stage two investigation. They talk to the complainant, the Investigating Officer and the responsible manager.
The panel review will be held within 30 working days of the request being received. The Chair of Panel Director will meet with the appropriate Director (or their nominated representative) to explain the panel’s decision.
Within 20 working days of the panel review the Director will inform the complainant about what action of will be taken in response to panel’s conclusion.
Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LG&SCO)
Once the three-stage statutory process has been exhausted a complainant has the right to take their complaint to the LG&SCO.
Summary of complaints
This section of the report provides a summary of the Children’s Statutory Complaints that were received within the year 2022-2023. Complaints made under the Children Act procedure are subject to statutory timescales.
- 31 statutory complaints were received, which is an statutory timescale. increase of 11 complaints compared to the previous year.
- In comparison to the number of children and families we work with the number of complaints received still remains low, representing 3% of all contacts, which is consistent with the previous year.
- Nine stage two complaints were received, consistent with the previous year.
- Four stage three complaints were received, compared to three in the previous year.
- 94% of complaints were completed within the statutory timescale.
Who made complaints about Children’s Services?
It is of the upmost importance that children and young people can express their concerns through a complaint’s procedure. Complaints from children and young people show a different perspective. Children and young people complain to the council in various ways including use of the council’s complaints leaflets, online via our website, social media and the children’s advocacy service, whose role is to support and advise children through the complaints process.
- 74% of the complaints made, were made by parents, compared to 69% in the previous year. Parents complain about the service from the families experience as a whole, or on behalf of their children.
- 16% of complaints were made by children and young people, compared to 22% in the previous year. These complaints have been supported by the children’s advocacy service.
- 7% of the complaints were made by other relatives, compared to 9% in the previous year.
- 3% of the complaints were made by carers, compared to none in the previous year.
- 84% of complaints received in the year were not upheld, compared to 75% in the previous year.
- 16% of complaints were upheld in whole or in part, compared to 25% in the previous year.
- 9 stage 2 complaints were received consistent with the previous year.
- 4 stage 3 complaints were received, with none upheld. 3 stage 3 complaints were received in the previous year.
Complaints about Service Delivery relate to whether the appropriate support has been provided by the relevant team. The complainant may also complain that there has been a failure to provide a service. The category of service delivery received the highest number of complaints.
Examples of these complaints in 2022-2023 included:
- Social workers actions and performance.
- Timely communication.
- Dissatisfaction with the service received.
Complaints about Service Quality occur when there are issues in the quality of the service being delivered. This differs from family to family, but for example, it could include complaints about delays in assessments or standards that are below what is expected.
Examples of these complaints in 2022-2023 included:
- Complaints regarding the quality of social workers’ interventions.
- Delays in assessments.
Complaints about Information and Communication relate to complainants’ concerns that they do not think that they are fully aware of their social workers actions, their plans or are involved in the decision making regarding their family.
Examples of these complaints included:
- Communication issues between families and social workers.
- Expectations not fully understood.
The following are key learning points identified from the children’s complaints received during 2022-2023.
These have been shared with managers and staff teams to help support best practice.
- Always ensure that expectations are fully understood and recorded.
- Keep delays at a minimum when sharing reports and assessments with families.
- Ensure paperwork is accurate before being sent.
- Ensure effective and timely communication with families.
Information from complaints is shared in a number of ways:
- Meetings with senior managers. These meetings review complaints to consider specific issues in relation to individual complaints and identifying any themes and cross cutting issues. This is an opportunity to learn from complaints and improve our delivery.
- Complaints information is included in regular performance monitoring reports. Teams report on complaints within their routine performance monitoring arrangements, thus informing them about qualitative aspects of performance and ensuring the information is integral to monitoring and development.
- Sharing specific reports with senior leaders, cabinet members and partner organisations.
Adults’ Statutory Complaints
This section sets out the annual complaints report for the year 1 April 2022 – 31 March 2023 for Adult Social Care, which has been addressed under the terms of: The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009, Making Experiences Count.
It outlines the complaints made under the statutory procedure and the actions taken in response.
The Making Experiences Count procedure applies to social care services that are provided or commissioned by the Local Authority for: people with a learning disability; people with a physical disability and older people.
We have adopted a strengths-based, person centred and relational model of practice, which we have implemented to provide a clear framework for practice across adult services.
We support change that improves a person’s wellbeing and outcomes by:
- Working with people, rather than working for them, or doing to them, to develop different ways of thinking about their experiences and difficulties.
- Understanding lived experiences as a whole and providing narrative and context around challenges.
- Identifying and building on people’s strengths and assets.
- Building and modelling a trusting and effective positive relationship, based on honesty and openness.
- Supporting social networks and connections between the person, their family and the wider community, supporting resilience through relationships.
The statutory procedure that applies in adult services is a two-stage procedure; the first stage rests with the Local Authority, the second stage with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
Teams work closely with people to ensure that people and their families understand what is happening and what will happen following any contact or request for care and support. There may be occasions where concerns and enquiries are raised from both the
person and their family on their behalf. In the first instance, the service will offer to address and resolve any concerns informally. This may stop the need for making a complaint, as issues are addressed as soon as they occur.
Where a more formal response is required, people will be directed to our complaint’s procedure.
Complaints should be concluded wherever possible within 15 working days of the complaint being received; this can be extended up to no more than 20 working days if the complaint is more complex.
For more complex complaints, or in circumstances where an element of independence is required, complaints are investigated by someone independent of the area, either a manager from another area or someone who is independent of the council. These investigations will report to a senior manager on their findings. A full response is supplied to the complainant, and they are kept fully informed throughout the process of the investigation.
The principle in dealing with complaints in one stage is to ‘do it once do it right’ with the focus on resolution. If the complainant is not satisfied with the response, they receive at stage one, then the reason for the dissatisfaction will be reviewed. Where the complaint has been thoroughly investigated and the complainant is unhappy with the outcome then this too will be reviewed to ensure that the outcome is fair and appropriate and that all actions that should be taken have been identified. If the response has been a complete response and no further actions can be taken, then the complainant will be referred to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman for stage 2 of the procedure.
There are several mechanisms for incorporating the views of people, and we encourage citizen voice and support a number of citizen engagement groups, which inform strategic planning and delivery.
The representations procedure for Adult Social Care is also a route by which our customers can let us know what they think about our offer.
We recognise the value of hearing people’s views and concerns and understands that from time to time, despite best efforts, some circumstances warrant the use of the formal complaint’s procedure. In doing so, we seek to ensure that the responses are timely, open and robust so that customers are assured, and teams utilise learning from complaints to improve and develop their offers as appropriate.
It is important that access to the complaint’s procedure is as straightforward as possible for anyone who wishes to use it. Information about the procedure is made public on our website.
Advocacy support is available when people need assistance with any concerns or complaints they may have.
Summary of complaints
This section of the report provides a summary of the complaints that were received within the year 2022-2023.
- 41 statutory complaints were received for adults, compared to 47 complaints in the previous year.
- the percentage of complaints continues at a low level (2%) in comparison to the number of care users. In the previous year, the figure was 3%.
- Complaints should be concluded wherever possible within 15 working days of the complaint being received; this can be extended up to no more than 20 working days if the complaint is more complex.
- 80% of complaints were responded to within statutory timescale.
Who made complaints about Adult’s Services?
- Consistent with previous years, the majority of complaints have been made on behalf of care users, by their relatives. Care users often depend on their family to provide support to make a complaint.
- 41% of the complaints received were not upheld, compared to 62% in the previous year.
- 59% of the complaints were upheld in whole or in part, compared to 38% in the previous year.
- No complaints received this year have been categorised as not found.
Complaints about Service Quality arise where there are issues, for example delays or inadequate standards, rather than concerns about the nature of the service itself. This was the highest complaint reason in
2022-2023.
Examples of these complaints in 2022-2023 included:
- Quality of care provided by care providers and care homes.
Issues of Information and Communication relate to complainants’ concerns that they are not made fully aware of the service’s actions, plans or decision making. This was the second highest complaint reason in 2022-2023.
Examples of these complaints in 2022-2023 included:
- Communication issues between families and workers.
- Communication in relation to Hospital discharge procedures and financial information.
- Inclusion of family members in assessments.
Complaints about Service Delivery are about whether a support has been provided or what the complainants consider is the failure to provide a response.
Examples of these complaints in 2022-2023 included:
- Delay in care needs assessment review.
- Care costs that were not expected.
The following are key learning points identified from the adult’s complaints received during 2022-2023. These have been shared with managers and staff teams to help support best practice.
- Ensure correct placement dates are always applied to ensure customer invoices are correct and minutes of meetings are recorded accurately.
- The importance of ensuring that the correct names and addresses are included on all forms.
- Ensure that it is made explicitly clear to families the funding of placements.
- Be mindful to always talk to care users and their families in an empathetic manner.
- Information on forms must be checked before referring.
- Always communicate with care users and their families in a timely manner.
- Ensure that handover periods are recorded satisfactorily.
- When care providers deliver care, ensure that it meets the expectations of the care user.
- Ensure families are included as necessary in assessments and make sure that contact details are up to date.
- Embed our practice model with clear practice standards and continue to support a strengths-based practice framework.
- Enhance the information, advice and guidance available to people to further promote independence, choice and control.
- Develop a model for integrated multiagency neighbourhood working which has a consistent and proportionate approach.
- Changing lives developments aimed at increasing the number of younger adults living independently and in voluntary and paid employment.
- Increase the proportion of reviews conducted in a timely way to maximise people’s opportunities for independence.
Information from complaints is shared in a number of ways:
- Meetings with senior managers. These meetings review complaints to consider specific issues in relation to individual complaints and identifying any themes and cross cutting issues. This is an opportunity to learn from complaints and improve delivery.
- Complaint information is included in regular performance monitoring reports. Teams report on complaints within their routine performance monitoring arrangements, informing the area about qualitative aspects of performance monitoring and team development.
- Sharing specific reports with senior leaders, cabinet members and partner organisations.
Information Governance Complaints
We have an Information Complaints Policy which is published on our website.
Its purpose is to set out how we will manage complaints relating to Information management and related issues. There is one stage to the information complaints process.
- Stage 1- the complaint will be acknowledged within five working days and responded to within 20 working days, which can be increased to 40 working days if necessary for a thorough investigation.
If the customer remains dissatisfied, they may appeal to the Information Commissioner’s Office. The ICO website is at: ico.org.uk
- 30 Information Governance complaints were received compared to 36 complaints in the previous year.
- 82% of complaints were responded to on time compared to 71% in the previous year.
- 9 complainants appealed to the Information Commissioner’s Office in 2022-2023.
| Year | Number of complaints upheld in whole or part | Number not upheld |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 5 | 25 |
| 2021-22 | 5 | 31 |
| 2020-21 | 6 | 18 |
| 2019-20 | 11 | 11 |
| 2018-19 | 14 | 34 |
The primary complaint issues were:
- Providing information
- Protecting information and time limits
- Time limits
We will:
- Ensure that requests for information are responded to within statutory timescale.
- Ensure correspondence is checked before being sent to ensure it is correct.
- Ensure sufficient clarification is given as to why an exemption is being relied upon to withhold information and the need to ensure all releasable information is released.
Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman Complaints
Introduction & Background
Complainants who remain dissatisfied after stage 1 of the Adults statutory complaints procedure, Stage 2 of the council’s complaints procedure or stage 3 of the Children Services statutory complaints procedure may escalate their complaint to the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman (LG&SCO).
LG&SCO Annual Letter:
The LG&SCO produces an Annual Letter each year, which sets out the number of complaints they have received in the year and the decisions they have made. It also provides a comment on our effectiveness in providing remedies and how our performance compares to other councils. The Local Government Ombudsman anonymises cases and publishes the decisions on their website at: lgo.org.uk/Decisions
In 2022-2023, the LG&SCO notified us of 21 complaints, compared to 25 in the previous year.
The LG&SCO undertook 3 detailed complaint investigations, of which 2 were upheld.
How many complaints were received & upheld?
The LG&SCO confirmed that we complied with 100% of their recommendations in 2022-2023.
What lessons were learned?
We will ensure that the learning arising from complaints made to the LG&SCO is carried through into our professional practice.
Conclusion
Complaints provide an opportunity for us to learn from the feedback we receive and put in place measures that support the continuous improvement of our offer to residents.
Examples of action and improvements implemented in the year include:
- Continuing our restorative practice methods to help resolve complaints and issues at the earliest opportunity.
- Continuing to improve the way in which the council learns from complaints and thus improving our offer to residents.
- Using the findings from upheld complaints to inform development of improved training materials and practice guidance.
- Reviewing and addressing the training needs of staff.
- Sharing the insight from complaints with senior leaders and relevant cabinet members to inform their development priorities.
- Reviewing and enhancing the information we publish externally to ensure that it is clear and informative.
- Ensuring remedy requests by the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman are completed within the required timescales.