Well Life Feedback and Complaints Resolution Policy

Purpose & Scope

The purpose of this policy is to establish mechanisms for clients and family members/carers/advocates to provide feedback to Well Life Services, or to lodge a complaint or grievance.   

Complaints are also seen to have an important role in contributing to service improvement at Well Life Services. The policy has been framed around natural justice principles and individuals’ rights.

This policy also aligns with the requirements under the NDIS Practice Standards and National Disability Insurance Scheme (Complaints Management and Resolution) Rules 2018. 

This policy applies to all Well Life Services models of support and activities. 

Policy Statement

The following procedures are to be implemented to enable the organisation to meet its policy objective of ensuring that all clients are encouraged to give feedback about the service and are free to lodge and have resolved any disputes or grievances regarding Well Life Services, its staff or its services. Well Life Services will: 
 

1. Operate in ways where clients, family members/carers, and advocates feel that staff and volunteers are easily approachable and will listen to their feedback, suggestions for improvements, or any complaints; 
    

2. Regularly inform clients, families/carers that feedback about the service is welcomed and inform them of how they can provide feedback at any time;
    

3. Ensure that Well Life Services staff are trained in feedback and complaints processes;  
    

4. The operations manager and CEO will review complaints about Well Life Services, be responsible for the keeping a record of  complaints and correspondence in a confidential Compliments and Complaints Register, and provide a summary of the grievance and action taken to resolve the grievance at the staff meeting of Well Life Services; 
    

5. Ensure that all clients of Well Life Services clients and their family members/carers are made aware of their right to make a complaint and their options for how they can lodge a complaint, and ensure that clients, family members or advocates have been provided with a copy of this policy when requested.
    

6. Ensure that all clients of Well Life Services are informed that they have a right to have an independent advocate of their choice to support them when discussing service issues or making a complaint; 
    

7. Ensure that all complaints are dealt with in ways which respect the privacy of the complainant and ensure complaints records are kept confidential in accordance with Well Life Services policies on privacy and confidentiality; 
    

8. Deal with complaints in a timely and fair manner, responding within ten working days to a client or family/carer’s concern; 
    

9. If a person has a complaint or concern, in the first instance they should be encouraged to resolve the issue with the person concerned; that is, the staff member or volunteer with whom they have an issue to be resolved; 
    

10. If the matter is not resolved from this discussion, the aggrieved person should be directed to speak with the Operations Manager or CEO of Well Life Services; 
     

11. If the matter is still not resolved, the person should be offered a meeting with a member of the management along with their chosen advocate, if they so desire; 
     

12. If the matter reaches the level of the management, a record needs to be made and documented on Well Life Services Complaints Register regarding the nature of the complaint, the actions taken to resolve the issue, and the dates on which they occurred; 
     

13. Records of complaints need to include persons present at resolution meetings, including the advocate for the complainant if they require one; 
     

14. Complaints and Compliments registered with management should be responded to within ten days of the lodgement of the complaint. 
     

15. If the grievance is still not resolved, the complainant should be provided with information about other services to help them resolve their complaint, including the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. 

Performance Standards

The following performance standards need to be met to ensure that the procedures specified in the Register of Grievances are implemented effectively: 

1. Well Life Services has a culture of listening to the views and needs of its clients and their family/carers; and these clients feel that staff and volunteers are easily approachable to discuss any service issues; 
    

2. All Well Life Services employees are familiar with Well Life Services Feedback and Complaints Policy, and a staff copy of the policy is kept on Employment Hero 
    

3. Well Life Services’ clients and families have access to this policy and have been given a copy of the policy if requested as well as regularly reminded of: 
   a.      their rights to give feedback or make complaints. 
   b.     the process to provide feedback or make complaints to the service; 
    

4. The service has records of feedback and complaints made to the service, and has analysed and documented any trends for the purposes of implementing service improvements;
    

5. Service improvements made are relevant to documented feedback and complaints; 
    

6. If the client has elected to have the complaint dealt with internally, the Manager has met with the complainant within five working days of being advised that the client wishes to proceed with the complaint internally; 
    

7. The Manager has clarified and documented the natureof the complaint or concern and the resolution sought by the complainant; 
    

8. The Head of Operations (or delegated nominee)  has interviewed the involved parties and assembled a proposed course of remedial action within ten working days of meeting with the complainant; 
    

9. In the event of the proposed course of remedial action being unacceptable to the complainant, the Manager has advised the complainant of his or her rights and avenues to take the matter further; 
    

10. All complaints, resolved and unresolved, have been recorded in a Complaints and Compliments Register and a non-identifying summary of any complaints has been raised and minuted at the Executive Meeting to inform future service improvement efforts; and
     

11. No clients or their families/carers have suffered adverse consequences within the service as a result of raising concerns or complaints with the service. 

NDIS: Complaints Escalation and Dispute Resolution

1. If a complainant remains dissatisfied with the outcome of their complaint or grievance, they will be provided with the details of other agencies they can use to assist them to achieve a resolution. 
    

2. Escalated complaints will be tracked in the Complaints and Compliments Register in the same manner as other complaints and the same communication processes as outlined above will be applied.  
    

3. Where clients feel uncomfortable using Well Life Services’ internal complaints process or want to complain about the CEO or the service in general, they may lodge complaints directly with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. 
    

4. The NDIS Commission accepts complaints about: 
   services or supports that were not provided in a safe and respectful way, 
   services and supports that were not delivered to an appropriate standard.
    

5. Complaints to the NDIS Commission can be lodged via: 
   web: https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/  
   email: feedback@ndis.gov.au  
   phone: 1800 035 544 (free call from landlines) or TTY 133 677.  
   Interpreters can be arranged. 
    

6. NDIS participants purchasing products and services also have rights and protections under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), including provisions on client guarantees and unfair contract terms. Consumer Affairs Queensland provides information and advice and, in some cases, dispute resolution services for client disputes under the ACL. See https://www.qld.gov.au/law/your-rights/consumer-rights-complaints-and-scams 

Review of the Policy