Complaints Procedure
St. Joseph’s Nursing Home is committed to dealing effectively with any complaints you may have about our service.
If we got something wrong, we will apologise and where possible we will try to put things right. We also aim to learn from our mistakes and use the information we gain to improve our services.
When to use this Procedure
When you complain to us, we will usually respond in the way we explain below. Sometimes, you might be concerned about matters that are not decided by us for example Fair Deal Applications/ Medical Card Applications and we will then advise you about how to make your concerns known.
Informal resolution
If possible, we believe it is best to deal with things as soon as possible and in the easiest and most direct way. If you have a complaint, raise it with the person you are dealing with. He or she will try to resolve it for you there and then. However, they may need time to look into it and you will receive a response from us within 5 working days.
If there are any lessons to learn from addressing your complaint, the member of staff will draw them to our attention. If the member of staff can’t help, they will explain why and you can then ask for your complaint to be formally investigated.
The Person in Charge will contact you to confirm that you are satisfied with the outcome and how your concern was dealt with (within 5 days)
How to complain formally
You can make a complaint in any of the ways below:
You can ask for a copy of our complaint form from the person with whom you are already in contact. Tell them that you want us to investigate your complaint. Or you may take a form from the Main Reception.
You can get in touch with our Person in Charge on Tel: 064 6641100 if you want to make your complaint over the phone.
You can write a letter to us at the following address:
The Person in Charge, St. Joseph’s Nursing Home, Killowen, Kenmare, Co. Kerry
You can email us at info@kenmarestjosephs.com
Copies of complaints policy can be made available in Large Print, Braille, and Audio-Format if required.
What should you include in your complaint?
Remember to state your name, address and telephone number (email if applicable) and whether you are acting on behalf of someone else
Briefly describe what your complaint is about stating relevant dates and times, if applicable
List your specific concerns starting with the most important concern
Be clear about what you are hoping to achieve (for example an apology, explanation, etc.)
State your preferred method of communication
It will assist the Person in Charge if extra information and/or copies of relevant documents are attached to your complaint.
Dealing with your complaint
We will formally acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and let you know how we intend to deal with it.
We will ask you to tell us how you would like us to communicate with you and establish whether you have any particular requirements for example, if you have a disability.
We will deal with your complaint in an open and honest way.
We will make sure that your dealings with us in the future do not suffer just because you have made a complaint.
If you are making a complaint on behalf of somebody else, we will need their agreement to you acting on their behalf.
Investigation
We will tell you who we have asked to investigate your complaint. If your complaint is straightforward, we will usually ask somebody from the service to look into it and get back to you. If it is more serious, we may ask someone from outside the nursing home to investigate.
We will set out to you our understanding of your complaint and ask you to confirm that we have got it right. We will also ask you to tell us what outcome you are hoping for.
The person looking at your complaint will usually need to see the files we hold relevant to your complaint. If you don’t want this to happen, it is important that you tell us.
If there is a simple solution to your problem, we may ask you if you are happy to accept this.
We will aim to resolve concerns as quickly as possible and expect to deal with the vast majority within 30 working days.
If your complaint is more complex we will:
let you know within this time why we think it may take longer to investigate,
tell you how long we expect it to take,
give you regular updates every 20 working days on any progress made.
The person who is investigating your concerns will aim first to establish the facts. The extent of this investigation will depend on how complex and how serious the issues you have raised are. In complex cases, we will draw up an investigation plan.
In some instances, we may ask to meet you to discuss your complaint. Occasionally, we might suggest mediation or another method to try to resolve disputes.
When investigating your complaint, we will look at relevant evidence. This could include files, notes of conversations, letters, emails or whatever may be relevant to your complaint. If necessary, we will talk to the staff or others involved and look at our policies and any guidance.
Outcome
If we formally investigate your complaint, we will let you know what we have found in keeping with your preferred form of communication. This could be by letter or email, for example. If necessary, we will produce a longer report. We will explain how and why we came to our conclusions.
If we find that we got it wrong, we will tell you what and why it happened. If we find there is a fault in our systems or the way we do things, we will tell you what it is and how we plan to change things to stop it happening again.
If we got it wrong, we will always apologise.
Putting Things Right
If we didn’t do something well, we will aim to put it right. If you have lost out as a result of a mistake on our part (for example a mobile phone may have been accidently laundered).
If we do not succeed in resolving your complaint, there is also an independent complaints officer who will ensure complaints are dealt with efficiently and involve all parties, to make sure they are happy with the outcome.
Complaints officer – Ms.Elaine Houlihan ehoulihan@lawlibrary.ie
Patient Advocacy Service
If we do not succeed in resolving your complaint, you can contact Patient Advocacy Service.
Patient Advocacy Service provides a free, independent and confidential service to help users of public acute hospitals and public and private nursing homes making or intending to make a formal complaint through the relevant complaints process in relation to the care they have received.
Contact details:
By post:
Patient Advocacy Service,
Level 3 Rear Unit, Marshalsea Court
Merchants Quay,
Dublin 8
D08AEY8
Email: info@patientadvocacyservice.ie
Ombudsman
If we do not succeed in resolving your complaint, you may complain to the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is independent and can look into your complaint if you believe that you personally, or the person on whose behalf you are complaining:
have been treated unfairly or received a bad service through some failure on our part
have been disadvantaged personally by a service failure.
The Ombudsman expects you to bring your complaint to our attention first and to give us a chance to put things right. You can contact the Ombudsman by:
telephone: 01 639 5600 / Lo-Call: 1890223030
email: ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.ie
the website: www.ombudsman.gov.ie
writing to: The Office of the Ombudsman
18 Lower Leeson Street
Dublin 2
Learning lessons
We take your complaints seriously and try to learn from any mistakes we have made. Our senior management team considers a summary of all complaints quarterly as well as details of any serious complaints.
Where there is a need for change, we will develop an action plan setting out what we will do, who will do it and when we plan to do it by. We will let you know when changes we have promised have been made.
What if you need help
Our staff will aim to help you make your complaint known to us. If you need extra assistance, we will try to put you in touch with someone who can help. You may wish to contact SAGE (Support and Advocacy Service for Older People). Contact Sage Head Office 01 536 7330, 24-26 Upper Ormond Quay, Dublin 7 Email: info@sage.thirdageireland.ie
What we expect from you
In times of trouble or distress, some people may act out of character. There may have been upsetting or distressing circumstances leading up to a complaint. We do not view behaviour as unacceptable just because someone is forceful or determined.
We believe that all complainants have the right to be heard, understood and respected. However, we also consider that our staff have the same rights. We, therefore, expect you to be polite and courteous in your dealings with us. We will not tolerate aggressive or abusive behaviour, unreasonable demands or unreasonable persistence.