2.1 Councils must follow the Local Authority Social Services and NHS Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 and The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Adult Social Care Complaints Reviews and Appeals – A Good Practice Guide for Local Authorities when dealing with complaints about adult social care or health services they provide or arrange.
2.2 These rules do not apply to private or independent care providers if the person arranged and paid for the care themselves, without council involvement. In those cases, the care provider should have their own complaints procedure.
2.3 This policy is underpinned by the Equality Act 2010, the Care Act 2014, and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We are committed to ensuring that our complaints process is fair, accessible, and compliant with legal duties. We will make reasonable adjustments to support individuals with protected characteristics, ensure complaints are handled in a person-centred and proportionate way, and protect the privacy and rights of individuals whose data is involved in complaints.
See also:
- Adult Social Care Accessible Information policy
- Independent Advocacy in Adult Social Care policy
2.4 The councils complaints handling reflects the NHS (National Health Service) Complaints standard to support joint working when responding to complaints, and follows the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) best practice: https://www.lgo.org.uk/information-centre/information-for-organisations-we-investigate/councils/guidance-notes/adult-social-care-complaints-reviews-and-appeals-a-good-practice-guide-for-local-authorities
2.5 Please see appendix 2 for further legal context.
