Agenda item

     I.        To adopt a new complaints procedure for the Council in accordance with Appendix 1.

    II.        To designate the Head of Corporate Support as the Responsible Officer.

  III.        To accept the annual reports and the Ombudsman's Annual Letter.

The report was submitted by Cllr Dafydd Meurig 

DECISION

        I.To adopt a new complaints procedure for the Council in accordance with Appendix 1.

     II.To designate the Head of Corporate Support as the Responsible Officer.

  III.To accept the annual reports and the Ombudsman's Annual Letter.

DISCUSSION

The report was submitted noting that there were many elements to the report. The complaints element of the Adults Department was highlighted, noting that it was standard to submit an annual complaints report. It was expressed that there were two steps for complaints, namely a local resolution and then a full investigation. It was emphasised that the department was learning lessons following each complaint and using them to improve the service. It was added that although the report focused on complaints, it also acknowledged the good work being done within the department with a specific section in the report highlighting the good comments that had been received.

The Monitoring Officer noted that the first recommendation in the report asked the Cabinet to adopt a new complaints procedure, emphasising that this procedure was specific for corporate complaints. It was expressed that the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales Act 2019 introduced a statutory basis for the complaints arrangements of public service providers in Wales.  It was added that the model reflected the procedure that had been adopted by the Council in 2014, and so only minor changes would need to be done. It was also reiterated that the Monitoring Officer would step back and that the Head of Corporate Support Department would be designated as the Responsible Officer.

Observations arising from the discussion

¾ The need for an implementation timetable was noted.

¾    It was expressed that the Children and Supporting Families Department had prioritised complaints. It was added that they had placed emphasis on providing information about how to complain to residents and offering a hand-holding service for residents who complained in order to give individuals full support. It was highlighted that the number of complaints in step 1 had arisen as a result of the department recording each enquiry it received. It was elaborated that the department received a quarterly comprehensive report and analysed the complaints in order to improve the service.

¾    The Head of Corporate Support Department noted that a reduction had been seen in complaints, but now, there was a measure in place to measure how many days it took to deal with a complaint. Furthermore, it was explained that it took approximately 7 days to deal with a complaint.

¾    In terms of the comment on clause 7.3 of the report on complaints in the Adults field, it was asked why action on the Ombudsman's recommendations had been delayed when the main recommendations falling on the Council were to apologise and remind staff of the importance of assessments.  The officer noted that she did not have the answer and that she would investigate and inform the Chief Executive of the reasons.

¾    It was emphasised that the nature of some services meant that they received more complaints but that lessons were being learnt from each complaint.

¾    It was expressed that the positive statistics and comments were encouraging and staff were thanked for their work.