Dealing With Complaints Effectively

How did we perform in 2007/08?

In 2007/08 we met out performance target of dealing with 90% of all complaints within 15 working days. We received 509 complaints - this compares with 580 received in the previous year and 554 in 2005/06.

Details of the numbers at each stage, together with response times, are set out in appendix 1.  It shows a decrease in the number of cases referred to the Chief Executive and also the Ombudsman compared with the same period last year.

One of the objectives of the Complaints Procedure is to act promptly to resolve the complaint to reduce the flow of complaints from one stage to the next.  This year there were 366 first stage complaints, and 121 of these progressed to second stage.

The Commissioner dealt with 69 new cases.  Not all of these cases required a letter of enquiry to us The Commissioner may decide to refer the case back to us if the complainant hasn’t used our complaints procedure. He may reject the complaint, or the complaint could be discontinued or settled prior to formal investigation. We received 22 letters of enquiry this year.

Context

A complaint is not looked upon as a “negative” to the Housing Executive and its staff, but as a valuable vehicle for ensuring the delivery of a high quality service to the customer.  We place importance on trying to resolve complaints at an early stage.  This is one of the reasons that home visits (when appropriate) play an important role at the 1st Stage of the Complaints Process.  Response times alongside the quality of response are closely monitored.  While it is important to meet the deadline, some cases, because of the complex nature of the complaint, take longer to resolve than others.  The principle that is adopted is that an early response should not be at the expense of a full and thorough investigation.

We carry out a significant number of transactions with customers throughout the year. For example, in a 12 month period our Housing and Regeneration Division dealt with

• 2.8 million telephone calls,
• 361.820 housing applications,
• 360,000 visits to counters,
• 395,287 repair requests and inspections.

Equally important to how we measure our performance is how the complainant assesses the handling of his/her complaint.  We welcome feedback on complaints as part of our drive to improve services.  We now issue a feedback form with each response and have found that this has been more productive than previous methods of research.

Our computerised complaints management system now holds details of some 11,500 cases and has proved to be a valuable asset in recording, monitoring and analysing complaints.

What did people complain about?

Complaints received continue to be mainly concerned with repairs/maintenance housing issues, improvement schemes, transfers, applications for housing, house sales, anti-social behaviour, and grants.

Issues identified during the investigation of complaints are highlighted and, where appropriate, changes are identified in relation to policy, procedures and/or services.  These changes are followed through, with the relevant Director and the Chief Executive’s Business Committee being kept advised of the outcome.

Our approach to handling complaints consistently seeks to reflect this.  Our Complaints Procedure has been widely commended, and we continue to look for ways to improve our procedures.

Improvements

Feedback from complaints made by our customers has led to improvements in a number of areas.  These include:

• ·The Information Department is currently carrying out a review of the Complaints Procedure.  The structure of the existing system will remain the same.  However, we intend to incorporate more stringent measures to ensure that if the complainant has a justified complaint it will be resolved as early as possible.Review of Complaints procedure for implementation 1 October 2008
• Consultation with Health Trusts with regard to putting procedures in place with regard to tenants who can no longer remain in their homes.
• Enhanced customer service training for all staff
• Highlighting the need for District Offices to maintain good communication channels with contractors in completing required work;
• all staff were reminded of the importance of keeping notes of conversations (telephone and otherwise) home visits and site meetings as a number of Commissioner cases have found against us, mainly because we had no proof, evidence or written record.

Table 1 - Complaints received in 2006/07

	Stage 1	Stage 2	Commissioner	Totals
Total Received	432	133	15	580
Ongoing - from prior period	23	4	1	28
Ongoing - carried forward to next period	31	2	3	36
Active Cases	424	135	13	572
Within 15 days	388 (92%)	118 (87%)	11 (85%)	517 (90%)
Within 16-20 days	17 (96%)	12 (96%)	0 (85%)	29 (95%)
Within 21-25 days	5 (97%)	3 (99%)	1 (92%)	9 (97%)
More than 25 days	14 (100%)	2 (100%)	1 (100%)	17 (100%)
Totals	424	135	13	572

Table 2 - Complaints received in 2007/08

	Stage 1	Stage 2	Commissioner	Totals
Total Received	366	121	22	509
Ongoing - from prior period	31	2	3	36
Ongoing - carried forward to next period	23	5	1	29
Active Cases	374	118	24	516
Within 15 days	350 (94%)	105 (89%)	15 (63%)	470 (91%)
Within 16-20 days	11 (97%)	8 (96%)	5 (83%)	24 (96%)
Within 21-25 days	8 (99%)	4 (99%)	3 (96%)	15 (99%)
More than 25 days	6 (100%)	1 (100%)	1 (100%)	8 (100%)
Totals	374	118	24	516

Table 3 - Types of Complaint

	2006/07		2007/08
Category	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 1	Stage 2
Adaptations	8	2	7	2
Change of Heating	5	-	3	-
Housing	134	31	112	41
Housing Benefit	10	6	7	5
Neighbour complaints	19	7	17	5
Payment to tenants	5	2	9	1
Planned Schemes	24	10	33	7
Rent Account	10	1	4	2
Repairs/maintenance	164	34	117	32
Staff Attitude	12	4	21	6
Grants	23	20	21	11
Land & Property	18	16	15	9
Total	432	133	366	121