Complaints about adult social care

You can contact us in the following ways:

• call 023 9284 1172 (you can also phone to request a postage-paid complaints form)
• visit in person by making an appointment
• write to: The Complaints Manager for Social Care, Portsmouth City Council, 5th Floor, Civic Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, PO1 2EP
• email asccomplaints@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

We take complaints very seriously. While we always try to provide a good service, we know that sometimes things go wrong. We have developed a complaints procedure in response to this. We aim to sort out complaints quickly and fairly and we will try to sort out any mistake or misunderstanding straight away. Sometimes it may take longer but we will let you know how long it will take.

It is always helpful from the outset to know what you want us to do to put things right.

Making a complaint will not affect your right to receive our services.

• a person who receives the services or has received the service, the service user
• someone acting on behalf of the service user with their consent
• a person who is affected or likely to be affected by the actions or decisions made by adult social care

You can complain about:

• if you receive a poor quality service, including services we have arranged but are delivered by an independent care provider
• our staff’s attitude or behaviour
• your assessment, care plan or review of your services
• the charge you pay for your service and how we have assessed it
• any service adult social care provides

We will try to resolve the issue quickly. If we need more information from you:

• we will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days
• we may ask for more details about your complaint and what you hope to achieve
• we may call you to discuss your concerns

We will let you know:

• if it would help to have a meeting to discuss your concerns
• how long it will take us to investigate
• who will respond to you

Under national complaints guidance, we are usually unable to accept complaints about events that happened over a year ago.

If you’re not happy with the manager’s response to your complaint, please contact the manager or the complaints manager right away. We can discuss why you are unhappy and what we can do to put things right.

We will look for other ways to resolve the issue. This could include:

• asking for a further response
• suggesting a meeting with a senior manager (a local resolution meeting)
• suggesting mediation

If you’re still dissatisfied, you can contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman at any time. However, they usually expect you to complete our complaints process first.

Contact details:

• call 0300 061 0614
• write to them at PO Box 4771, Coventry, CV4 0EH

Fin out more about how to contact them on their website.

Comment, compliment or complaint leaflet for adults supported by social care