Oxford Health Charity Complaints Procedure 

At Oxford Health Charity, we are committed to working openly and to being accountable for our actions, ensuring we build the trust of all our stakeholders. As such, we endeavour to provide the highest levels of service through our fundraising and charitable activities and to always meet our supporters’ expectations. 

However, if a situation occurs where we fail to meet these expectations, or our own high standards, then we welcome direct feedback so that we can investigate and resolve the instance as quickly as possible. All complaints are taken seriously and viewed as opportunities from which we can learn and then improve our services, so we are grateful to hear from those who can help us make improvements where necessary. 

How Do We Define a Complaint?

We define a complaint as being any situation or instance where an individual, group or organisation believes Oxford Health Charity has fallen short of their reasonable expectations and wishes to formally express their dissatisfaction.

To register a complaint, please contact us, either by:

Post:

Oxford Health Charity
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
Warneford Hospital
Warneford Lane
Oxford
OX3 7JX

or Email: [email protected]

Our Complaints Procedure 

When stating their complaint, a complainant should, wherever possible, include: 

·         their contact details: name, address, telephone number, email address.

·         their relationship with the charity: e.g. donor, volunteer, event participant.

·         a detailed outline of the problem: what/when/where/why and how did the instance occur and any consequences as a result.

·         a potential resolution.

In order to fully investigate a complaint, there may be instances where we need to obtain more information from the complainant and, if this is the case, their kind and rapid response will enable us to resolve their complaint as promptly as possible.

On rare occasions, Oxford Heath Charity may decide not to respond to, or continue correspondence with, a complainant. This may occur, for instance, when we believe:

·         a complaint has no direct connection to the Charity.

·         a complaint to which the Charity has already responded is being pursued unreasonably.

·         a complainant is being abusive, prejudiced, or offensive in their approach.

·         a complainant is harassing a Charity staff member.

In all other cases, we aim to respond to all complaints and concerns with sensitivity and to resolve them quickly, fairly and effectively, following the process outlined below. 

Stage 1

1.    On receiving a complaint, the Charity will register it on the Charity’s complaints log and the Head of Charity will be informed. Details captured will include the complainant’s name, contact details, their relationship with the Charity, details of the nature of their complaint and the date it was received.

2.    We will acknowledge the complaint no later than five working days after receipt and, wherever possible, we will provide a full resolution of the complaint at this time.

3.    Where a concern requires the Charity to undertake further investigations, and we are unable to provide a full resolution as part of our initial response, we will provide an expected timescale for our response and keep the individual informed at regular intervals. Where this is the case, we will also provide the complainant with the contact details of the individual who is managing their complaint.

4.    If a resolution could not be provided within our initial response, a full response will be sent no later than 20 working days/one calendar month from the date when the complaint was received. 

5.    The complaint will be investigated by an appropriate Charity staff member and the Head of Charity will approve the recommended outcome from the investigation. If the Head of Charity is the investigator, the Director of Corporate Affairs will approve the Charity response.

If, at the end of Stage 1, the complainant is not satisfied with the Charity response then the case will be escalated to Stage 2 of the complaints process.

Stage 2

1.    The Director of Corporate Affairs and/or the Chief Nurse will be informed and will be provided with copies of all correspondence. The Director of Corporate Affairs and/or the Chief Nurse will review the complaint with the Head of Charity and decide whether the Charity’s response should be upheld.

2.    Within 30 days, the Director of Corporate Affairs and/or the Chief Nurse will write to the complainant with this final decision, outlining also what action will be taken as a result of the complaint. This decision is to be considered final, unless the Director of Corporate Affairs and/or the Chief Nurse decide(s) to seek external assistance.

Who Else Can Help?

We will always endeavour to resolve a complaint in a satisfactory way. However, if you are still not happy on receiving our final response, you can contact one of the following external regulators noted below:

·         For complaints about our fundraising activities:

Fundraising Regulator
2nd Floor
CAN Mezzanine Building
49-51 East Road
London
N1 6AH

Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0300 999 3407
www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk 

·        For complaints relating to how the Charity processes personal data:

The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Tel: 0303 123 1113
www.ico.org.uk

·         For all other complaints relating to our work:

The Charity Commission
P O Box 1227
Liverpool
L69 3UG

Tel: 0845 3000 218
www.charity-commission.gov.uk

Your Information

In order to manage our complaints process effectively, as noted above, we maintain a log of all complaints raised and this includes information about you as the complainant. If you would like further information, or have any concerns, about the data we may hold about you, please refer to our Privacy Policy.