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Resources for care providers

Guidance reports - lessons from complaints

Caring about Complaints: lessons from our independent care provider investigations

Funded Nursing Care payments - guidance for care providers (PDF)

My Expectations for Raising Concerns and Complaints - research into patient and service user expectations of good complaint handling in health and social care (PDF)

See also: Adult social care annual complaint reviews - the state of adult social care complaints, including our statistics for care providers and councils

Template procedures and signposting guides

Template complaint procedure - a ready written document to adapt (PDF)

Template complaint procedure - Microsoft Word version (DOC)

Complaint management checklist - ensure your complaint procedure covers everything it should (PDF)

Signpost to the Ombudsman and CQC - how to tell people of their right to come to the Ombudsman or the regulator (PDF)

Signpost to the Ombudsman and CQC - Microsoft Word version (DOCX)

How to handle complaints - guidance and template letters

How to... guides

How to write a decision letter (PDF)

How to write an apology (PDF)

Template letters to adapt

Initial letter (PDF)

Initial letter - Microsoft Word version (DOCX)

Holding letter (PDF)

Holding letter - Microsoft Word version (DOCX)

Final decision letter (PDF)

Final decision letter - Microsoft Word version (DOCX)

Information sheets - FAQs for providers

Adult social care complaints (PDF)

Premature complaints (PDF)

Training for care providers

We offer two courses for social care providers, developed and delivered by our experienced complaint-handlers:

a one-day skills course in investigating adult social care complaints aimed at managers and other staff who investigate complaints
a half-day course for frontline care provider staff which looks at the initial stages of handling complaints.

Posters and other material

Care providers poster (PDF)

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