Complaints
22.—(1) The registered person shall establish a procedure (“the complaints procedure”) for considering complaints made to the registered person by a service user or a service user’s representative.
(2) The complaints procedure shall be appropriate to the needs of service users.
(3) The registered person shall supply a written copy of the complaints procedure to every service user and, upon request, to the service user’s representative.
(4) Where a written copy of the complaints procedure is to be supplied in accordance with paragraph (3) to a person who is blind or whose vision is impaired, the registered person, shall so far as it is practicable to do so supply, in addition to the written copy, a copy of the complaints procedure in a form which is suitable for that person.
(5) The copy of the complaints procedure to be supplied in accordance with paragraph (3) shall include—
(a)the address and telephone number of the Regulation and Improvement Authority; and
(b)the procedure (if any) which has been notified by the Regulation and Improvement Authority to the registered person for making complaints to the Regulation and Improvement Authority relating to the agency.
(6) The registered person shall ensure that every complaint made under the complaints procedure is fully investigated.
(7) The registered person shall, within the period of 28 days beginning on and including the date on which the complaint is made, or such shorter period as may be reasonable in the circumstances, inform the person who made the complaint of the action (if any) that is to be taken in response.
(8) The registered person shall maintain a record of each complaint, including details of the investigations made, the outcome and any action taken in consequence and the requirements of regulation 21(1) shall apply to that record.
(9) The registered person shall supply to the Regulation and Improvement Authority at its request a statement containing a summary of the complaints made during the preceding twelve months ending on the date of the request and the action taken in response.