Agenda item

Purpose: To request the Adult Social Care Complaints Annual Report be reviewed and approval given for publication.

Paul Coe (Adult Social Care and Public Health Executive Director) the annual report on complaints and compliments within adult social care. He highlighted that the report provided an overview of the complaints received, the compliments recorded, and the actions taken to address concerns raised by service users and their families. He noted that the number of complaints remained low compared to the number of compliments received, and that the council had managed complaints effectively, with no significant issues raised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO).

During the debate, the following points were discussed:

·       It was noted that the number of complaints was significantly lower than the number of compliments received, which was seen as a positive reflection of the service provided by adult social care.

·       A question was raised about the term "refused complaints" mentioned in the report. It was clarified that these referred to complaints that were not formally progressed because the issue had been resolved before the formal complaint process was initiated. It was suggested that the term "refused" might be misleading and could be reconsidered in future reports.

·       It was discussed that the majority of complaints were submitted by family members rather than service users themselves. This raised concerns about whether individuals who lacked confidence or capacity, and who did not have family or friends to advocate on their behalf, were adequately supported to raise complaints. Paul Coe confirmed that advocacy services were available to support individuals in such circumstances, but acknowledged the challenge of identifying those who might need this support.

·       The transitions process for young people moving from childrens to adult services was identified as a key area where complaints were more frequent. It was noted that this was a particularly stressful time for families, and the differences in statutory frameworks between children’s and adult services could be difficult to navigate. Paul Coe highlighted that additional staff had been allocated to the transitions team to address these concerns and provide better support to families.

·       A question was asked about the proportion of complaints submitted by professionals, which was reported as 9%. It was clarified that these complaints were typically raised by professionals who had concerns about the care or support provided to their clients. Further details on the nature of these complaints were requested for future reports.

·       It was discussed that the report focused on complaints related to long-term adult social care services. A question was raised about whether complaints related to other types of services, such as short-term or reablement services, were also captured. Paul Coe explained that the focus on long-term services provided a clear and measurable dataset but acknowledged that complaints related to other services could also be considered in future reporting.

·       The importance of learning from complaints to improve services was emphasised. It was noted that the report included examples of actions taken in response to complaints, such as staff training and changes to processes, which demonstrated a commitment to continuous improvement.

·       It was asked what proportion of the complaints made by professionals was whistleblowing.

Action: Paul Coe to investigate what proportion of complaints were made through whistleblowing.