Accessible Information Standard
The Accessible Information Standard (AIS) is a legal requirement in England—established by NHS England in 2016 (updated June 2025) mandating that all providers of NHS or publicly funded adult social care follow a consistent approach to ensure people with disabilities, impairments, or sensory loss can access, understand, and communicate about their health and care
This means information must be made available in versions such as large print, braille, easy read or via audio, and people have communication support where needed such as British Sign Language interpreters.
Anonymously
Purposely not providing a name, a telephone number or an email address so the complaint cannot be traced back to the person.
ASC Financial Panel
A group within adult social care that reviews financial assessment decisions to make sure they are fair, consistent, and follow the rules.
Best interest
When a person lacks capacity to make a decision, any action or decision taken on their behalf must be in their best interests. This means considering all relevant circumstances, involving the person as much as possible, taking account of their past and present wishes, beliefs and values, consulting others involved in their care, and choosing the least restrictive option that benefits the individual.
Care Act 2014
A law that sets out how adult social care should be provided in England. It focuses on promoting people’s wellbeing, giving them more control over their care, and making sure carers are supported too.
Carers
A carer provides support or looks after a family member, partner or friend who needs help because of frailty, physical or mental illness, addiction or disability.
This includes those who receive a Carer’s Allowance and/or care for someone who receives an Attendance Allowance. However, it does not include someone who is paid to provide care or who is a volunteer.
Care Quality Commission (CQC)
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
CQC is responsible for ensuring that health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate and high-quality care.
CQC inspects and monitors the care that regulated services provide. They use information about people’s experiences of health and social care services to help them do this. CQC cannot help with a complaint, but they are interested in people’s experience of care and of making a complaint.
CQC contact details:
- Website: www.cqc.org.uk (give feedback on care form)
- Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk
- Care Quality Commission, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4PA
- Phone: 03000 616161
Commissioned provider
A care company providing care to people who have entered an agreement with the council to do so, rather than the person arranging the care themselves.
Complaint
The Local Government Ombudsman defines complaints as:
“an expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about decisions, the standard of service, actions or lack of action by the organisation, its own staff, or those acting on its behalf, affecting an individual or group of individuals”
Compliments
Positive feedback or expressions of satisfaction about a service, care, or support received. Compliments highlight what has been done well and help recognise good practice.
Continuous Learning Environment
A continuous learning environment means that we use complaints as a valuable way to learn, improve, and prevent future issues.
"It’s a place where complaints aren’t just dealt with—they’re used to help everyone learn and do better next time."
What this looks like in practice:
- Staff are encouraged to reflect on complaints and what can be learned from them
- We track patterns in complaints to spot areas for improvement.
- Learning from complaints is shared across teams, not just kept with one person
- Training or policy changes might happen as a result of what’s been learned
- People feel safe to raise concerns, knowing they’ll be taken seriously and used to make things better.
Data Protection Act 2018
The UK law that works alongside GDPR. It sets out how organisations must handle personal data safely and legally.
Duty of Candour
The duty of candour in health and social care is a legal obligation that requires health and social care providers to be open and transparent with individuals receiving care or treatment. It applies to all health and social care providers regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Registered social care providers have a duty of candour to be open and honest when a notifiable incident occurs. This means:
- telling the person without delay and in person what has happened and providing support
- providing all the known facts and explaining what further enquiries are appropriate
- offering an apology
- following up by giving the same information in writing, and providing an update on the enquiries
- keeping a written record of all communication with the person
Equality Act 2010
A law that protects people from unfair treatment and discrimination. It makes sure everyone is treated fairly, and that people with protected characteristics (like age, disability, race, or gender) are not disadvantaged.
Financial Assessment
A check to see how much a person can afford to pay towards their care. It looks at income, savings, and property to work out if the council should help with costs.
Independent advocate
A person who helps someone understand their rights and speak up for themselves. They are not part of the council or care provider and are there to support the individual’s voice.
Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO)
If you have been through all stages of our complaints procedure and are still unhappy, you can ask the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to review your complaint.
The Ombudsman investigates complaints in a fair and independent way - it does not take sides. It is a free service.
The Ombudsman expects you to have given us chance to deal with your complaint before you contact them. If you have not heard from us within a reasonable time, it may decide to look into your complaint anyway. This is usually up to 12 weeks but can be longer for social care complaints that follow a statutory process.
About the Ombudsman
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman looks at individual complaints about councils and some other organisations providing local public services It also investigates complaints about all adult social care providers (including care homes and home care agencies) for people who self-fund their care.
Contact
Opening hours
Monday to Friday: 10am to 4pm (except public holidays)
Lack Mental Capacity
The ability to understand information, make decisions, and communicate choices. If someone lacks mental capacity, decisions must be made in their best interests.
Learning organisation culture
In the public sector, a learning organisation culture is characterized by a willingness to learn and improve. This culture is dynamic and influenced by various factors, including the feedback received from people accessing services.
Local Authority Social Services and NHS Complaints (England) regulation 2009
The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 establish a statutory process for handling complaints about adult social care and NHS services in England.
The regulations set out how complaints about adult social care and NHS services must be handled. They ensure that anyone can raise a concern that complaints are dealt with fairly and promptly, and that services learn from them. The process is flexible, encourages joint working between health and social care where needed, and focuses on resolving issues and improving care. Organisations must also monitor complaints, report on them annually, and use the findings to make positive changes.
Make the difference that matters
This is GCC’s adult social care vision: “We make a difference by enabling people to help themselves and each other - doing our best to help people build resilience, thrive, and live a good life”
Notifiable incidents Notifiable incidents in social care are serious and unintended or unexpected incidents that a health care professional believes have resulted in (or require treatment from a health care professional to prevent):
- death
- impairment of sensory, motor or intellectual functions that has lasted or is likely to last for a continuous period of at least 28 consecutive days
- changes to the structure of the body
- experiencing prolonged pain or psychological harm
- shortening life expectancy
People who draw on care and support
Anybody accessing adult social care or have an adult social care arranged service.
Private or independent care providers
Companies and organisations providing care that has been arranged by the person with care and support needs, without any involvement from the council.
Reasonable Adjustments
Changes that must be made to help disabled people access services fairly. This could include providing information in easy-read format or offering extra support during meetings.
Representatives
People, or organisations, that support a person who wants to complain and may act as the contact for the council. A person can request this themselves, or one may be appointed if a person is unable to bring the complaint themselves.
Self-funding
Someone who pays for all of their care and support package, usually as they have over £23,250 meaning they aren’t able to have financial support from the council.
Service Request
Sometimes, someone may request a service, or service improvement. This is when a request is made for a services or improve a service or fixes a problem. These are not usually treated as complaints, unless the person is unhappy with council’s attempt to resolve any matters raised
Triage
The process of quickly looking at a concern or request to decide what action should be taken next.
UK GDPR
A set of rules that protect people’s personal information. It gives individuals rights over how their data is collected, used, and shared.
