Level 4 Policies – Cosmetic Courses

Complaints Policy:

Policy Number: 003

Version: 1.01

Name of policy: Complaints Policy

Date: 10.05.2019

Approved by:

Replaces: N/A

Due for review: 10.05.22

 

This Policy  is effective from : 10.06.19

Page 1 of 8

Policy Statement

Everyone has the right to expect a positive experience and a good treatment outcome. In the event of concern or complaint, consumers have a right to be listened to and to be treated with respect. Service providers should manage complaints properly so customers’ concerns are dealt with appropriately. Good complaint handling matters because it is an important way of ensuring customers receive the service they are entitled to expect. Complaints are a valuable source of feedback; they provide an audit trail and can be an early warning of failures in service delivery. When handled well, complaints provide an opportunity to improve service and reputation.

Aims & Objectives

  • We aim to provide a service that meets the needs of our consumers and we strive for a high standard of care;
  • We welcome suggestions from consumers and from our clinicians and staff about the safety and quality of service, treatment and care we provide;
  • We are committed to an effective and fair complaints system; and
  • We support a culture of openness and willingness to learn from incidents, including complaints.

Complaints Policy

  • Consumers are encouraged to provide suggestions, compliments, concerns and complaints and we offer a range of ways to do it.
  • Consumers are encouraged to discuss any concerns about treatment and service with their treating clinician [or alternate], or they can complete our customer feedback form or write to us at [email protected]
  • Clinicians and staff can also use the feedback form to record any concerns and complaints about the quality of service or care to customers.

Policy Number: 003

Version: 1.01

Name of policy: Complaints Policy

Date: 10.05.2019

Approved by:

Replaces: N/A

Due for review: 10.05.22

 

This Policy  is effective from : 10.06.19

Page 2 of 8

 

  • All complainants are treated with respect, sensitivity and confidentiality.
  • All complaints are handled without prejudice or assumptions about how minor or serious they are. The emphasis is on resolving the problem.
  • Consumers and staff can make complaints on a confidential basis or anonymously if they wish, and be assured that their identity will be protected.
  • Consumers, clinicians and staff will not to be discriminated against or suffer any unjust adverse consequences as a result of making a complaint about standards of care and service.

Managing Complaints

  • All clinicians and staff are expected to encourage consumers to provide feedback about the service, including complaints, concerns, suggestions and compliments.
  • Clinicians and staff are expected to attempt resolution of complaints and concerns at the point of service, wherever possible and within the scope of their role and responsibility.

Resolution

The process of resolving the problem will include:

  • an expression of regret to the consumer for any harm or distress suffered;
  • an explanation or information about what is known, without speculating or blaming others;
  • considering the problem and the outcome the consumer is seeking and proposing a solution; and confirming that the consumer is satisfied with the proposed solution.

If the problem is resolved, clinicians and staff are expected to complete the Suggestion for improvement column on the complaints spreadsheet to record feedback from consumers.

Our clinicians and staff will consult with their manager if addressing the problem is beyond their responsibilities.

Policy Number: 003

Version: 1.01

Name of policy: Complaints Policy

Date: 10.05.2019

Approved by:

Replaces: N/A

Due for review: 10.05.22

 

This Policy  is effective from : 10.06.19

Page 3 of 8

 

If the complaint is not resolved

Complaints that are not resolved at the point of service, or that are received in writing and require follow up, are regarded as formal complaints.

Our clinicians and staff refer complaints to [complaints manager/clinical director] if:

  • After attempting to resolve the complaint, they do not feel confident in dealing with the complainant; or
  • The outcome the complainant is seeking is beyond the scope of their responsibilities

Or;

  • They or the complainant believe the matter should be brought to the attention of someone with more authority.

If the complaint is not resolved at the point of service, clinicians and staff are expected to provide the complainant with the formal complaints policy.

Clinicians and staff then collect the relevant information regarding the complaint, enter a summary onto the complaints spreadsheet and forward all details onto a Cosmetic Courses supervisor or manager.

The designated manager coordinates resolution of formal complaints in close liaison with the treating clinician and other staff who are directly involved.

Responsibilities

  • Cosmetic Courses is responsible for coordinating investigation and resolution of formal complaints, conducting risk assessments (in consultation with clinicians) if required, liaising with complainants, maintaining a register of complaints and other feedback, providing regular reports on informal and formal complaints, and monitoring the performance of the complaints policy and procedure.
  • Cosmetic Courses is responsible for a proactive approach to receiving feedback from consumers and staff.

Policy Number: 003

Version: 1.01

Name of policy: Complaints Policy

Date: 10.05.2019

Approved by:

Replaces: N/A

Due for review: 10.05.22

 

This Policy  is effective from : 10.06.19

Page 4 of 8

 

  • Investigation and review of complaints and follow up action for serious complaints, or where complaints result in recommendations for change in policy of procedures.

Cosmetic Courses is responsible for;

  • Ensuring appropriate action is taken to resolve individual complaints;
  • Acting on recommendations for improvement arising from complaints;
  • Ensuring there is meaningful reporting on trends in complaints;
  • Ensuring compliance and review of the complaints management policy;
  • Notifications to insurers; and
  • Consultation with professional registration boards, and others where necessary.

Clinician and staff training

All clinicians and staff need to have been appropriately trained to manage complaints competently.

The service provides training in dispute management, customer service and our complaints management procedures as part of induction and through regular updates.

Regular reviews are conducted by the Cosmetic Courses to check understanding of the complaints process among clinicians and staff.

Promoting feedback

Information is provided about the complaints policy in a variety of ways, including;

  • On our website;
  • Feedback forms
  • Via our ask email address
  • Publicity about the service;
  • Discretely located suggestion boxes; and by clinicians and staff inviting feedback and comments.

Policy Number: 003

Version: 1.01

Name of policy: Complaints Policy

Date: 10.05.2019

Approved by:

Replaces: N/A

Due for review: 10.05.22

 

This Policy  is effective from : 10.06.19

Page 5 of 8

Risk assessment

After receiving a formal complaint, Cosmetic Courses  reviews the issues in consultation with relevant clinicians to decide what action should be taken, consistent with the company protocols.

Assessing resolution options

Formal complaints are normally resolved by direct negotiation with the complainant, but some complaints are better resolved with the assistance of an independent mediator or insurer.

Cosmetic Courses will consider appointing an external organisation

  • There is a serious question about the adequacy and safety of a health practitioner;
  • The complaint is against a senior clinician or manager who will be responsible for investigating the complaint, resulting in a perception that there is a lack of independence; and
  • The complaint raises complex issues that require external expertise.

Timeframes

  • Formal complaints are acknowledged in writing or in person within 24 working hours.
  • The acknowledgment provides contact details for the person who is handling the complaint, how the complaint will be dealt with and how long it is expected to take.
  • If a complaint raises issues that require notification or consultation with an external body, the notification or consultation will occur within three days of those issues being identified.
  • Formal complaints are investigated and resolved within [5-28 days].
  • If the complaint is not resolved within 20 days, the complainant, clinicians and staff who are directly involved in the complaint will be provided with an update.

Policy Number: 003

Version: 1.01

Name of policy: Complaints Policy

Date: 10.05.2019

Approved by:

Replaces: N/A

Due for review: 10.05.22

 

This Policy  is effective from : 10.06.19

Page 6 of 8

 Records and privacy

  • The Cosmetic Courses managers maintain a complaints and consumer feedback register, with records of informal feedback (Suggestions for improvement and Consumer feedback forms) and formal complaints.
  • Personal information in individual complaints is kept confidential and is only made available to those who need it to deal with the complaint.
  • Complainants are given notice about how their personal information is likely to be used

during the investigation of a complaint.

  • Individual complaints files are kept in a secure filing cabinet in the [complaints manager]’s office and in a restricted access section of the computer system’s file server.
  • Consumers are provided with access to their medical records [in accordance with the confidentiality policy]. Others requesting access to a consumer’s medical records as part of resolving a complaint are provided with access only if the consumer has provided authorisation [in accordance with the confidentiality policy].

Open disclosure and fairness

  • Complainants are initially provided with an explanation of what happened, based on the known facts.
  • At the conclusion of an inquiry or investigation, the complainant and relevant clinicians and staff are provided with all established facts, the causal factors contributing to the incident and any recommendations to improve the service, and the reasons for these decisions.

Investigation and resolution

Cosmetic Courses carries out investigations of complaints to identify what happened, the underlying causes of the complaint and preventative strategies.

Information is gathered from:

Policy Number: 003

Version: 1.01

Name of policy: Complaints Policy

Date: 10.05.2019

Approved by:

Replaces: N/A

Due for review: 10.05.22

 

This Policy  is effective from : 10.06.19

Page 7 of 8

 

  • Talking to clinicians and staff directly involved;
  • Listening to the complainant’s views;
  • Reviewing medical records and other records; and
  • Reviewing relevant policies, standards or Guidelines.

Complaints about individuals

Where an individual clinician or staff member has been nominated by a complainant, the matter will be investigated by the relevant manager or supervisor, who will:

  • Inform the clinician or staff member of the complaint made against them;
  • Ensure no judgement is made against a clinician or staff member while an investigation is being carried out;
  • Ensure fairness and confidentiality is maintained during the investigation; and
  • Encourage the clinician or staff member to seek advice from their professional association, if desired.

The clinicians and staff members will be asked to provide a factual report of the incident, identify systems issues that may have contributed to the incident and suggest possible preventive measures.

Where the investigation of a complaint results in findings and recommendations about individual clinicians and staff members; the issues are addressed through the service’s staff performance and review process.

Reporting & Recording complaints

Cosmetic Courses discuss reports on the number and type of complaints on a monthly basis during each management meeting with department managers and directors, the outcomes of complaints, recommendations for change and any subsequent action that has been taken. Every six months reports are provided to staff, clinicians, senior management and, if appropriate, uploaded into personal portfolio for audit and appraisal.

Policy Number: 003

Version: 1.01

Name of policy: Complaints Policy

Date: 10.05.2019

Approved by:

Replaces: N/A

Due for review: 10.05.22

 

This Policy  is effective from : 10.06.19

Page 1 of 8

 

Information about trends in complaints and how individual complaints are resolved is routinely discussed at staff meetings and clinical review meetings as part of reflecting on the performance of the service and opportunities for improvement.

An annual quality improvement report is published that includes information on:

  • The number and main types of complaints received, common outcomes and how complaints have resulted in changes;
  • How complaints were managed—how the complaints system was promoted, how long it took to resolve complaints (and whether this is consistent with the policy) and whether complainants and staff were satisfied with the process and outcomes; and
  • The results of the annual consumer satisfaction survey.
  • The service promotes changes it has made as a result of consumer complaints and suggestions in its general publicity.

Monitoring and evaluation

Cosmetic Courses continuously monitors the amount of time taken to resolve complaints, whether recommended changes have been acted on and whether satisfactory outcomes have been achieved.

Cosmetic Courses annually reviews the complaints management system to evaluate if the complaints policy is being complied with and how it measures up against best practice guidelines.  As part of the evaluation, consumers, clinicians and staff are asked to comment on their awareness of the policy and how well it works in practice.

Equality and Diversity Policy

  • Cosmetic Courses Ltd is committed to delivering services where human rights, diversity and equality are understood and respected.
  • Aim:
    • To ensure that no job applicant, employee or service user receives less favourable treatment on grounds of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age or marital status.
    • Create a working environment and culture which recognises and values difference;
    • Promote an inclusive, human-rights based approach to the delivery of health care services;
    • Pro-actively tackle discrimination and ensure that no individual or group is discriminated against, or excluded, for any reason, either in employment or service provision;
    • Ensure that all staff understands what their individual roles and responsibilities are in promoting equality and human rights, valuing diversity and tackling discrimination.
  • Scope

This policy applies to all aspects of employment and service provision.

  • Policy Statement

4.1 Cosmetic Courses Ltd is committed to:

  • Recognising that people from different backgrounds and cultures with different skills and experiences, can present and contribute diverse ideas that will help increase organisational efficiency and improve services;
  • Recruiting, retaining and developing a workforce whose diversity reflects the communities it serves, enabling it to deliver the best service possible;
  • Enabling staff to achieve their full potential in an environment free from harassment and characterised by dignity and mutual respect;
  • Ensuring equal access to services for all communities and groups within the population;
  • Engaging with people from diverse communities, listening to their needs and taking these into account in the way it plans and delivers services;

Equality and diversity Policy cont’d…

  • Tackling discrimination through ongoing education and raising awareness, with its staff and the public, to increase understanding and create better relationships between people from different backgrounds and promote the benefits of a society that is truly inclusive;
  • Ensuring that no employee, job-applicant, patient or service user is treated less favourably because of race, nationality or ethnic origin, colour, disability, gender, gender reassignment, marital status, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, age, trade union membership, social background, economic circumstance, or geographic location.

5.0 Employment

5.1 Cosmetic Courses Ltd will ensure;

  • All staff are fully familiar about their responsibilities and obligations under this policy;
  • All staff have appropriate training and education to ensure they understand the benefits of equality and diversity, can recognise discrimination and have the capacity to challenge it when they encounter it at work;
  • All forms of discrimination are dealt with appropriately and ensure that staff who suffer, challenge or report discrimination are provided with appropriate support;
  • Ensuring that all job criteria and conditions of service are objectively justified and no job applicant, or employee, is unfairly disadvantaged by criteria and conditions that are not a genuine requirement for the job;
  • Recruitment and selection activities to ensure that they understand the requirements of legislation and best practise in this area and the need to be fully inclusive;
  • Making reasonable adjustments to support the employment and development of disabled people;
  • Adapting work practises where practicable in order to accommodate particular cultural or religious needs;
  • Assessing, monitoring and reviewing our employment policies and procedures to identify and eliminate practices.

6.0 Service Provision

6.1 Cosmetic Courses Ltd is committed to a policy of equality and diversity in all aspects of service provision. It will ensure that:

  • All service functions, policies and procedures are assessed, monitored and reviewed in order to identify and eliminate practices that may present barriers to access for particular groups of people.

Equality and diversity Policy cont’d…

  • Information will be gathered and reviewed for each patient to ensure that we are aware of any potential problems and are able to incorporate appropriate measures where possible.

The information collected will be regularly reviewed on an individual patient basis to ensure that appropriate measures, where possible, are incorporated into the individual care/treatment plans where this may affect the delivery of care in any way. The information will also be reviewed on a regular basis as part of our clinical governance meetings to ensure that we take into account the largest variety of inclusion criteria into the provision of the services we provide.

  • Any issues reviewed which indicate that further training of staff is required in order to ensure that staff are comfortable with recognising the difference and know how to respond appropriately to the different needs of service users.
  • Patient Satisfaction Surveys incorporate equalities monitoring in order to determine the levels of confidence of patients and service users that they will be treated with dignity and respect, their rights and wishes respected and their specific needs met.
  • Service outcomes are equitable, health inequalities are minimised, and no service user is treated less favourably because of their race, nationality or ethnic origin, disability, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, social background, economic circumstances or geographical location.

7.0 Responsibilities

7.1 At Cosmetic Courses Ltd all staff must be aware of this policy and their individual responsibility for equality and diversity.

7.2 Identify their own learning and development needs on equality and diversity issues continuously and undertake relevant training to maintain and improve their knowledge and apply it in their work;

7.3 Not discriminate against any other employee or service user, or incite to attempt to incite others to do so.

7.4 Not victimise, harass, bully or intimidate (or attempt to victimise, harass, bully or intimidate) any other employee or service user.

7.5 Challenge what they consider to be unacceptable behaviour, be pro-active with regard to diversity and take personal responsibility to promote good practice and create change.

7.6 Always consider the needs and rights of individual service users.

Related Policies:

Policy for Disciplinary Action

Policy for Grievance Procedure

Policy for Public Interest Disclosure – “Whistle-blowing”

Policy for Appeals

Cosmetic Courses is dedicated to ensuring that marking is carried out fairly and consistently and in accordance with the VTCT recommendations. Should any learner feel this has not been achieved, they may process an appeal. Appeals will allow candidates to disagree and dispute the conclusion of the authority at the centre. This document outlines the way in which appeals may be obtained by a learner where it is appropriate.

Reasons for an Appeal:

  • Actions taken against the learner that may be considered as discrimination or other forms of malpractice or maladministration
  • Assessment results appear to be incorrectly marked or unfair
  • Applications for special consideration

Process of Appeals

Cosmetic Courses is obligated to advise you through the process of appeals and the appropriate cases and grounds on which appeals can be made. If a delegate is not happy with any segment of their training, they should firstly talk to their assessor before filling in an appeal form.

Cosmetic Courses aims to review/rectify any appeals at the informal stage after the initial indication of a wish for an appeal from the learner. If this is not achieved, an appeal should be submitted; this will then be reviewed by an objective member of staff who was not involved in the original decision.

The Appeal will need to be made no more than 6 weeks after the exam or initial informal complaint. Cosmetic Courses will recognise this Appeal within two weeks.

The learner will need to be clear on the issue within the appeal and, where necessary, provide relevant evidence.

The appeal will then be inspected by internal/external verifier, who will contact you with the results of your appeal in writing. You will be notified of the results within one month of submitting your Appeal. If you are satisfied with the results of the appeal, it will be taken no further.

If the delegate is unsatisfied with the results of the appeal, the appeal may be reviewed further and you will be notified of the results within the following month; reviewing the appeal may incur costs however if the appeal is successful these costs will be refunded.

Outcomes of Appeals

Successful Appeal:

In the case of a successful Appeal, the learner will receive a written apology from Cosmetic Courses. The learner will also be given the opportunity to take the assessments again if necessary, or their record will be amended. Conditions for resits are discussed in our policy for resits.

If it was a case on discrimination, the learner will receive a written apology for any unfair treatment they have received   and Cosmetic Courses will do everything in their power to rectify the situation, including providing the affected learner with access to any opportunity they were previously unfairly denied.

Unsuccessful Appeal:

The learner will receive written information of their appeal being unsuccessful, including the reasons that led to the conclusion. The appeal itself will be recorded for future reference. If the learner would like to re-sit, they will need to pay for this. If you are not satisfied with the results of your appeal may be reviewed further and you will be notified of the results within the following month; reviewing the appeal may incur costs however if the appeal is successful these costs will be refunded.

Following Appeals:

  • Records of all appeals will be stored with Cosmetic Courses.
  • Where necessary, verifiers and assessors will be informed and briefed on the issue at hand to prevent re-occurrence of issues
  • As a vital part of self-evaluation, these appeals will be reviewed and monitored continually to assure improvements are being made and to measure the satisfaction of our learners.
  • Cosmetic Courses will review any reoccurring issues measure and control the problems recognised by learners.