Pathways to Better Living Pty Ltd – Complaint Management Policy
Introduction
This is about complaints made to a provider, not complaints about the NDIS.
All complaints are taken seriously, all people treated fairly, and all corrective actions completed in a timely manner
- Applies when participants want to submit feedback or make a complaint
- Applies to all feedback and complaints received regardless of the source
- Applies to all representatives including key management personnel, directors, full time workers, part time workers, casual workers, contractors and volunteers
Definitions
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction with the provision of a service, including how a previous complaint was handled, for which a response or resolution is expected.
Our commitment
We are committed to complaint handling. We will:
- Implement and maintain a complaint management system
- Make sure people can easily make a complaint
- Deal with all complaints fairly and quickly
- Have information available on how to:
- Submit a complaint
- Submit a complaint to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commisioner
- Keep records on all complaints received
Who can make a complaint?
Anyone can make a complaint including:
- A participant
- A participant’s family or guardian
- A participant’s financial manager
- An advocate
- An employee
- A community visitor
- A professional
- A member of the public
Complaints can be made:
- In person
- By email
- In writing
- By phone
- On the web
Complaints help us:
- Identify problems
- Improve services
- Provide better outcomes to participants
Complaints can be made about any of the quality or delivery of our services such as if there is dissatisfaction:
- With the way services are provided
- With decisions we have made
- About the conduct of our employees
- About personal information not kept private
Complaints can be made anonymously. Complaints can be made to us or directly to the Commissioner.
How to complain to the Commission about a provider
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission has a page called How to make a complaint about a provider with information on how to submit a complaint to the Commission.
Ways to make a complaint to the Commission about a provider include:
- by phone: 1800 035 544 (interpreters available) or TTY 133 677
- via the National Relay Service—ask for 1800 035 544
- or by completing the online Complaint Contact Form.
The Commission has fact sheet with information on how complaints are handled.
Complaint monitoring
- All complaints should be monitored using a complaint register
- The complaint register should include up-to-date progress of each complaint and whether it is currently open or closed (resolved)
- If there is any doubt about the end resolution of a complaint, seek feedback from the person who made the complaint
- Regular reports from the complaint register should be provided to key management personnel for review
Complaint records and review
Accurate information of complaints received including decisions made, actions taken and eventual outcomes must be recorded and kept for 7 years from the date of the complaint which allows us to:
- Enable reviews of any complaints received
- Assist in identifying any system issues raised
- Allow a response to the Commissioner, if required
- Be stored securely and accessible only by the people handling complaints
Complaint referrals
Complaints to the Commissioner may be referred to other agencies or bodies if needed including:
- Non-compliance with the NDIS code of conduct
- Inappropriate or unauthorised use of restrictive practice
- Employee screening issues e.g. if an employee of the provider was found to have a criminal history (for more information, refer to the worker screening policy)
- Incidents relevant to other bodies (police, consumer affairs agencies or other regulatory bodies)
Our complaints system
Our complaints system is documented and information on how to make a complaint is available to participants, their families, guardians or advocates in a way that is culturally appropriate.
We work to ensure participants:
- Are aware of their right to make a complaint
- Feel empowered to make a complaint
- Are supported to make a complaint
- Are involved in the resolution process after making a complaint
- Know they won’t be adversely affected as a result of making a complaint
