Policy for complaints about the Care Inspectorate

Our policy, procedure and guidance documents for complaints about the Care Inspectorate reflect the Care Inspectorate’s commitment to valuing complaints. They support our aim to resolve dissatisfaction at the earliest opportunity by conducting thorough, impartial and fair examinations of complaints so that, where appropriate, we can make evidence-based decisions on the facts of the case.

We have based our policy, procedure and guidance documents on the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman’s (SPSO) Model Complaints Handling Procedure (MCHP).

We will ensure all staff across the Care Inspectorate are aware of the policy, procedure and guidance. All staff receive training at induction and further, refresher training is available too, so staff are confident in identifying complaints, empowered to resolve simple complaints on the spot, and familiar with how to apply the procedure. Complaints give us valuable information we can use to improve how we work. By following our policy, procedure and guidance, we can address a complainant’s dissatisfaction and help prevent the same problems from recurring.

Complaints give us first-hand accounts of people’s views and experiences of us. This can highlight problems we might otherwise miss. Handled well, complaints can give complainants a form of redress when things go wrong and help us improve how we work.

Our policy, procedure and guidance for complaints about the Care Inspectorate will help us build positive relationships with our stakeholders and assure the public. They will help us serve people better, by keeping them at the heart of what we do and learning from complaints.