Contact Irene Unwin, Complaints Officer, ext 7256

1. Attached is the Annual Report of the Complaints Service for the year 2000 - 2001. There is a requirement in the National Health Service and Community Care Act (1990) and The Children Act (1989) that such a report be produced and presented to members.

2. In the year covered by the report there was an increase in the number of informal complaints by 185, compared to a decrease by 165 the previous year. This increase could be attributed to a number of factors such as better recording systems and a greater awareness of people using our services of their right to complain and it cannot be assumed that the increase is because of any reduction in the quality of service.

3. The number of complaints investigated under the formal complaints procedure, fifteen in number, remained the same as the previous year. Therefore, more complaints were resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant at a local level than in the previous year.

4. The fifteen formal complaints reflect less than 0.025% of the number of referrals to the department over the course of the year (approximately 62,000)

5. The number of review panels, the final stage of the formal procedure, was reduced to one single panel from eight in the previous year. This significant reduction is attributed to improvements in the investigation process and reports and a willingness to look at alternative and more satisfactory approaches to resolution.

Recommendations

1 That this committeee endorse the findings of the Annual Report of the Comaplints Procedure.

2 That this committee acknowledge the work of the members of the Independent Persons Panel in carrying out effective investigations and conciliation.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - Background Documents

The Following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt of confidential information as defined in the Act.

1

None