Our complaints process and timescales

It is always best if you can resolve any complaint by talking to the relevant people informally if you have a concern or issue.  However, where it is not possible to resolve matters this way, you can make a formal complaint.  

If you wish to make a complaint you should do so as soon as possible after the events that you need to complain about.  We cannot normally investigate complaints about events that occurred, or came to your attention, more than 12 months ago.  If there are good reasons for not being able to submit a complaint within this time limit, and it is still possible to investigate the complaint effectively and fairly, we may decide to consider your complaint.  The final decision on whether to consider a complaint at this stage will be made by the Director of Corporate Accountability and Engagement. 

• To make a formal complaint, please contact us by letter or email setting out your concerns as clearly as possible.  You should provide any relevant supporting information at the same time to help us respond promptly. 
• Please let us know if you do not wish your identity to be known to those we will need to talk to about your complaint 
• If you do not tell us who you are, we will investigate your complaint, but we will not provide you with a response   

All complaints will be forwarded to the Corporate Affairs team as soon as possible.  A Corporate Affairs Officer will log each complaint received and acknowledge receipt to the complainant within three working days.  We may ask you for more information if we need to understand your complaint more fully.  If we ask for more information but do not hear back within 20 working days, the case will be closed. 

We will investigate your complaint when we have the information we need and send you a full reply as soon as possible, usually within 20 working days.  If your complaint cannot be resolved within 20 working days, we will let you know why and advise how long we think it will take to provide you with a full reply. 

Once a complaint has been investigated, we will confirm our findings, conclusions, and any recommended actions when we respond.