Agenda item

This report provides an overview of customer feedback received during 2021/22.

Louise Church introduced this item, which reported back on the customer feedback received during 2021/22.

Adult Social Care services received four types of feedback, comprising comments, compliments, complaints and questions. There were 640 cases created during 2021/22 which was an increase of nearly 14% on the previous year. The report set out the different channels which customers could use to provide feedback and the increasing use of digital services through creating a ‘self-account’. During this period, the volume of cases processed and closed (191) had increased by almost 14% on the previous financial year.

The report referenced the service level targets for timeliness of response. It then provided a summary of complaint causes, complaints made to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) and learning from feedback. The report provided notable highlights, including a new system and procedures to support better compliance with complaint responses and learning from customer feedback. An appendix to the report provided detailed information on the customer feedback received during this period, including graphs and tables to highlight the key data.

Members reviewed the report and appendix, raising the following points:

• Reference to a table in the appendix, giving complaint case data and specifically that relating to Adult Strategic Commissioning. It was questioned if this was linked to care packages. Similarly, more information was sought on the data for adult older people in Stratford and increased cases linked to adult mental health. 
• Louise Church noted that there was an increase in complaint cases around care homes and domiciliary care services. Reviews took place with care providers to look at such cases, take learning from them and especially around quality assurance aspects. Becky Hale provided background on how such complaints were routed previously, the changes implemented and how they were now handled in conjunction with relevant teams within the County Council. Largely it involved liaison with service providers to undertake internal investigations. There had been an increase in the number of complaints, but also the data was due to the way in which complaints were now managed. She then touched on the quality assurance and contract management aspects in assessing risks and determining required assurance activity, customer and provider visits.
• More information was sought on the increased complaint cases linked to mental health. It was confirmed this concerned adult social care operational teams linked to mental health. There had been a small increase in complaint cases in this area. Context was provided that the data reported showed which section was leading on the complaint and there could be overlaps in some cases between commissioning and frontline services. An example was given to demonstrate this.
• There had been an increase in complaints around finances, where people were not happy with their financial assessment and the increase in contributions required. This was likely to increase further as part of the adult social care reforms.
• An outline was given on learning from complaints and the use of briefing notes for teams to improve practice. A recent example was improving communications with the people being supported.
• A discussion took place about how complaints from older people in the north of the county were recorded. This data report was grouped by the social care team responsible. There were three teams, and the north-east team covered the areas including Atherstone, Nuneaton and Rugby. This grouping of areas was challenged by a member who felt the geography was too large. Data on both compliments and complaints for the rural north area should be separated. Louise Church offered to provide a complaints report based on postcodes or the area of Warwickshire in which people lived, to give more accurate data. The Chair asked for the updated report to be circulated to the committee.
• A member acknowledged the number of compliments received, which was 50% more than complaint numbers and this was encouraging. Officers replied that compliments were always welcomed.
• An area of concern was the number of complaints made to the LGSCO and the proportion of complaints being upheld. Such complaints should be addressed internally without the need for escalation. Officers explained that the public had the right to refer their complaint to the Ombudsman. An outline was given of the staff training, including training from the LGSCO and the customer service support provided both to staff and the public.
• Pete Sidgwick provided context that a complaint could be accepted by the Council and an apology be made, but the complainant could still refer it to the LGSCO, where it could be upheld again. Additionally, he explained that adult social care was only given one attempt to resolve complaints, whereas other services had multiple levels. He explained the challenges this caused and how complaint cases were assigned for sign-off of the response. For complaints linked to financial aspects, these required interpretation of complex rules and financial guidance. On occasions the LGSCO may uphold a complaint, having reached a different conclusion to the council. Where complaints were upheld by the LGSCO, they were used to provide learning. The member responded that if people were satisfied with the council’s response they would not complain to the Ombudsman. If doing so they still felt aggrieved. He was aware of a particular issue and would discuss this with the Assistant Director outside the meeting.
• A member referred to the earlier debate about organisations prioritising digital access to services. She commented that the County Council was also guilty of this as the main means of engaging on complaints.

Resolved

That the Committee comments on the report, as set out above.