Complaints Handling Principles
In January 2011 the SPSO Statement of Complaints Handling Principles were approved by the Scottish Parliament and published by the SPSO. They can be accessed here. This followed a period of consultation during the autumn of 2010.
The aim of the statement of principles is to guide public service providers towards a cohesive view of complaints procedures, which put the service user at the heart of the process, and which value complaints as tools for feedback, learning and improvement.
The revised principles state that an effective complaint handling process should be:
- User focused
- Accessible
- Simple and timely
- Thorough, proportionate and consistent
- Objective, impartial and fair
…and should
- Seek early resolution
- Deliver improvement
Model Complaints Handling Procedures
The Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 also provides the Ombudsman with the power to publish model complaints handling procedures (model CHPs) in line with the statement of principles.
The SPSO’s guidance on a model CHP was consulted on along with the Principles. The purpose of the guidance is to provide direction to service providers on what should be included in an effective complaints handling procedure.
Together with the principles, this guidance will provide a framework for the Complaints Standards Authority to work with key partners to develop a model complaints handling procedure for each sector of public service.
Consultation
We consulted on both the principles and guidance together for three months in the summer of 2010.
The Consultation received a total of 92 responses from a wide range of public service providers across all sectors as well as from the general public and from complainants.
Our analysis of the consultation responses is available here. This was published at the end of February 2011, when we also published revised guidance.
All responses to the consultation have also been published in full (where we received the relevant permission) and are available here.
We would like to thank all those who contributed to this important development in improving complaints handling in Scotland.
Updated 29 September 2011.