Contact: Stuart Dorward Ext: 6110 [email protected]

1 Introduction

1.1 The Recreation and Heritage services use a number of methods to seek feedback from customers and users. An important source of information is the complaints, suggestions and compliments that service users make when they visit libraries, museums, country parks etc. This report provides an overview of the main issues arising from the routine monitoring of this customer feedback during the year ending 31 March 2006.

1.2 The County Council operates a corporate policy on the handling of suggestions and complaints. This specifies procedures and standards that all Departments are expected to meet. There is a formal requirement to report annually to the Policy Review Committee on the Department's record in handling of suggestions and complaints and this report also serves that purpose. A consolidated report covering all departments of the County Council will be considered by Cabinet at a later date.

2 Background

2.1 The corporate policy on suggestions and complaints¹ makes the following commitments on behalf of all County Council services:

· acknowledgements are sent within 5 working days of receiving a communication stating who will be handling the case and how long it will take to send a full reply

· a full response will be given within 20 working days.

2.2 The policy also sets out an escalation procedure if a complainant is not satisfied with the response:

· Stage One: Local manager to deal with the complaint in the first instance

· Stage Two: Head of Department

· Stage Three: Chief Executive.

Beyond this, complainants have the right to raise their concerns with the Local Government Ombudsman

2.3 There is a particular requirement to monitor the incidence of racial or disability related complaints. Complainants are asked to volunteer information about their personal circumstances to assist this.

2.4 Within Recreation and Heritage, suggestions and complaints are usually dealt with on a service basis. Services also keep of record of compliments received. The Departmental Management Team monitors and reviews the operation of the policy for the whole Department.

3 Performance in 2005/06

3.1 The table below compares the total recorded complaints and compliments in 2005/06 with those in 2004/05 on a service by service basis:

3.2 993 (97%) of the 1,025 complaints received were handled by service managers at the local level. 32 (3%) were referred to the Head of Service. In 2004/05 88% of complaints were resolved at the local level and 12% by the Head of Service. In 2004/05 two complaints were further referred to the Chief Executive. No complaints went on to this stage in 2005/06. 100% of complaints in 2005/06 were fully answered within 20 days, as was the case in 2004/05. No complaints about Recreation and Heritage services were made to the Local Government Ombudsman in 2005/06.

3.3 The increase in both complaints and compliments in the Countryside Service and the Library and Information Service and the reduction in complaints in Museums and Archives are the most striking feature of the statistics, for which there is no single explanation. A major factor is that, following the circulation of revised guidance on the recording and handling of complaints, suggestions and compliments as part of the preparation for Charter Mark assessment, staff are more aware of the need to record this information from all sources - letters, phone calls, e-mails, suggestion forms, comment books etc. A more comprehensive reporting system was introduced in the Countryside Service during the year and this has undoubtedly contributed to the number of recorded complaints and compliments. The major changes taking place in many libraries are also likely to be giving rise to an increased level of comments recorded by the Library and Information Service.

3.4 The Recreation and Heritage services analyse complaints under a number of broad headings. The table below compares the results for 2005/06 and 2004/05:

3.5 There has been an overall increase in the number of complaints. The most marked change is in the "quality of service" category. There is no obvious explanation for this, but it is likely that, as mentioned in paragraph 3.3, the greater emphasis now being given to recording customer feedback, stimulated by the work on Charter Mark, is a major factor.

3.6 There has been an increase the number of complaints about staff following a big fall in such complaints in 2004/05. This relatively small number of complaints is considerably outweighed by the many instances of compliments on the outstanding service offered by staff across all services. It is often the case that a complaint may appear, at first sight, to be about staff, but in fact is really concerned with the nature, range and quality of services. For example, it is apparent that the greater availability of public access internet terminals in libraries is giving rise to more complaints about technical problems. These often manifest themselves in the first instance as complaints about the willingness or ability of library staff to resolve them immediately.

3.7 There has been a significant drop in the number of complaints about buildings. This follows a big increase in such complaints in 2004/05, which was mainly attributable to the Library and Information Service. This was unsurprising in a year when there had been extensive building work going on in many libraries with, in some cases, services operating from temporary premises for a considerable time.

3.8 Seven disability related complaints were received in the year. In Hampshire Record Office a complaint about the accessibility of the public common room led to a rearrangements of furniture to help wheelchair users. The other six complaints were recorded in the Library and Information Service and covered issues such as the accessibility of toilets, the availability of computer terminals with disability adaptations and a faulty induction loop. Changes have been made in response. Complaints of this nature clearly help to inform policies and actions on disabled access to Recreation and Heritage facilities.

3.9 In considering the number of complaints received it is important to remember the number of people using the Recreation and Heritage services. In 2005/06 the following total visits were recorded in the Library and Information Service and in Museums and Archives:

3.10 The level and nature of complaints should also be considered in the context of overall customer satisfaction. The most up to date and comprehensive information we have comes from the third MORI survey of residents' opinions, based on fieldwork carried out in January 2005. The following table sets out the results and compares them with those achieved in the same survey in 2002/03, the last time these data were collected:

3.11 The results of this survey generally show high and growing levels of satisfaction with services provided or supported by Recreation and Heritage. The trend in libraries is borne out by the results of the Public Library User Survey, which is carried out annually in a representative sample of Hampshire's libraries (all of the county's libraries, including mobiles, are surveyed over a three year cycle). In 2005/06 the overall satisfaction rate increased to 94.9% from 94.5% in 2004/05.

3.12 Keeping satisfaction ratings at these levels in the future represents a considerable challenge to services. However, the complaints figures suggest that some of our users have very high expectations about the nature and quality of the services we provide and the buildings we operate.

3.13 It is difficult to generalise about the complaints received. In the Library and Information Service, users have raised concerns about book purchasing policy, the nature and availability of book and other lending materials and the use and perceived abuse of public access internet terminals. At a local level, Library Managers deal with a host of issues - tidiness, furniture, noise etc.

3.14 In the Countryside Service many complaints arise from perceived misuse of facilities by others (e.g. dog fouling, use of "off road" vehicles), reflecting the difficulties of managing access to sites and rights of way for the enjoyment of different groups. Other complaints relate to delays in clearing fly tips and obstructions to rights of way.

3.15 In the Hampshire Record Office complaints included the quality of microfiche and the policy of not allowing personal photography in the search room.

3.16 Appropriate responses were made to all complaints, but in many instances the cause was not within the control of staff. Wherever possible the Department acts on complaints and suggestions to introduce improvements or rectify faults. Examples include:

· A thorough clean of microfiche readers in Hampshire Record Office, which has generated very positive responses

· Improvements made to lighting levels in Eastleigh library following a number of complaints

· Introduction of a trial queuing system at Gosport Discovery Centre

· A range of improvements at individual libraries, such as adjusting the heights of shelves to make them easier to use, changes in layout and better internal signage and information provision

· Modifications made to the public rights of way map website following its launch in response to comments about its usability.

3.17 The Departmental objectives agreed for the Recreation and Heritage services place a particular emphasis on customer care and service improvement. All Recreation and Heritage services have been working towards achieving Charter Mark status over the last two years. Formal assessments by an external accreditation body began in September 2005. Eight services have been reviewed to date and all have been awarded Charter Mark. One further assessment is due to be undertaken in July this year. If successful, the whole of the Department will have the Charter Mark award. The assessment process places considerable emphasis on using customer feedback, both positive and negative, to drive service improvement. Continuous monitoring of customer feedback and the Charter Mark programme will therefore contribute directly to Aim 5 of the Corporate Strategy (Improving Services).

Recommendation

That the information on the monitoring of customer feedback in the year ending 31 March 2006 contained in the report be noted and submitted for consideration by the Executive Member for Recreation and Heritage and Cabinet.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

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 or confidential information as defined in the Act.

TITLE LOCATION

Working Papers Mottisfont Court