Complaints made about care providers in England have risen by nearly 6 % in the last two years. According to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in 2019, there were 11,593 complaints, while last year, with the country in the grip of a Coronavirus pandemic, the CQC received 12,263 complaints.
Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014: Regulation 16, Receiving and acting on complaints makes it very clear what providers must do. To meet this regulation, the provider must have an effective and accessible system for identifying, receiving, handling and responding to complaints from people using the service, people acting on their behalf or other stakeholders. An effective complaint process is particularly difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic when quality assurance monitoring is challenging due to other pressures.
QCS have created this complaints audit to help registered managers and quality assurance managers to conduct a thorough examination into complaints and auditing service complaints from a user-led perspective. To support the audit processes, we have provided sources of evidence to look for and to support any action planning that may be required.
Regulation 18: Staffing – Regulation 19: Fit and proper persons employed