Together for Short Lives
Together for Short Lives
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Complaints policy and procedure

Together for Short Lives strives to be excellent in all that we do but we recognise that this cannot always be the case. When we make a mistake we want and need to be informed. We will use the information to endeavour to put things right and to help us to become more effective.

The following complaints policy and procedure sets out how we will approach any complaints made about us.

Complaints Policy

  1. A complaint can be made by any individual or organisation who wishes to report dissatisfaction about the standards of service, actions or lack of action by Together for Short Lives or its staff, volunteers or anybody directly involved in the delivery of our work.
  2. We aim to resolve complaints within 14 days. Where this is not possible the complainant will receive an update within 14 days on progress made to date and when they can expect to receive the outcome.
  3. Complainants who have launched a well-founded complaint and who are unsatisfied with Together for Short Lives’ response to that complaint have the right to appeal. The appeals process is described in the procedure below.
  4. Everyone who makes a complaint will be treated with courtesy and respect. In return, we expect people who make a complaint to communicate their concerns fairly and appropriately. Where complainants harass staff, behave abusively, or unreasonably pursue complaints, we reserve the right to withdraw or modify our complaints procedure.
  5. We will log and monitor all serious complaints and results of such complaints and this information will be brought, regularly, to the attention of appropriate senior managers in order that we learn from what we do and how we do it. This information will not necessarily be available to the public.

Procedure – How to make a complaint

You can make a complaint to Together for Short Lives in any of the following ways:

  1. In writing to: Complaints Officer, Together for Short Lives, Suite 1b, Whitefriars, Lewins Mead, Bristol, BS1 2NT
  2. By email to: complaints@togetherforshortlives.org.uk
  3. By phone: 0117 989 7820

Procedure – How we will respond

We will assess your complaint to determine the best way to deal with it and identify the issues to be investigated. An investigation will be undertaken by a director of the charity who is independent from the issues being raised. We may need to contact you during this time and your cooperation will be important in order to complete the investigation.

Within 14 working days of receiving a complaint we will send you either:

  1. A final response which adequately addresses the complaint; or
  2. A response which explains why we are still not in a position to make a final response, giving reasons for the further delay and indicating when we expect to be able to provide a final response

Once the investigation has been completed and the appropriate response and action agreed, we will respond to the complainant with the following information:

  1. A written response describing the details of the complaint
  2. Comments addressing each of the violations alleged in the complaint
  3. Explain the investigations undertaken to consider the complaint State the findings resulting from the investigation
  4. Explain any improvements made as a result of the complaint

Procedure – Appeal Process

If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of the decisions regarding your complaint, you can appeal the complaint decision.

If you wish to appeal the outcome of the decision you should do so in writing to the Chief Executive of Together for Short Lives, setting out briefly the nature of the complaint/appeal; the steps already taken; details of the response received; and a statement as to why you remain dissatisfied.

The Chief Executive will review all the information held relating to your complaint and will conduct further investigations if they consider that the initial investigation was insufficient.

Once the internal review is complete, you will be informed what the decision is and if you are still unsatisfied, what the external appeal options are.

External bodies that you may consider referring to include: