OBJECTIVE OF THIS POLICY
Building Blocks Therapy seeks to maintain and enhance our reputation of providing you with high quality products and services. We value feedback and complaints and are committed to ensuring that all clients have knowledge of and access to our complaints management and resolution system.
Feedback and Complaints made by all parties are welcomed, acknowledged, respected and well-managed. Building Blocks Therapy is committed to being responsive to the needs and concerns of our clients or potential clients and to resolving your complaint as quickly as possible.
This policy has been designed to provide guidance to both our clients and staff on the manner in which Building Blocks Therapy receives and manages your feedback and complaints.
We are committed to being consistent, fair and impartial when handling your complaint. We also excitingly consider all your feedback to ensure our service is always improving to meet the needs of our community.
The objective of this policy is to ensure:
- You are aware of our feedback and complaint lodgement and handling processes,
- Both client’s and staff understand our feedback complaints handling process,
- Your feedback and/or complaint is investigated impartially with a balanced view of all information or evidence,
- We take reasonable steps to actively protect your personal information,
- Your feedback and complaint is considered on its merits taking into account individual circumstances and needs.
DEFINITION
Complaint
A complaint can be ‘an expression of dissatisfaction with a service provided’ or ‘a concern that provides feedback regarding any aspect of service by Building Blocks Therapy that identifies issues requiring a response’.
Feedback
Feedback is information provided about clients experience at Building Blocks Therapy. This information is crucial to gather as it helps identify the level of client satisfactions and areas that could be further improved that enables Building Blocks Therapy to meet the needs of this community.
HOW A COMPLAINT CAN BE MADE OR FEEDBACK CAN BE PROVIDED
If you are dissatisfied with a service provided by us, you should in the first instance consider speaking directly with the staff member/s you have been dealing with. If you are uncomfortable with this or consider the relevant staff member is unable to address your concerns you can lodge a complaint with us in writing by completing the ‘Feedback and Complaints Management Form’.
If you would like to provide some feedback either about how we have done something well or how we can further improve our services, you can talk to your therapist or our friendly staff directly. You can also complete the “Feedback and Complaints Management Form”. We provided additional opportunities for feedback about our clinic twice a year through a survey that is emailed out to clients, shared in our newsletter and posted on our social media profiles.
THE INFORMATION YOU WILL NEED TO TELL US
When we are investigating your complaint/feedback, we will be relying on information provided by you and information we may already be holding. We may need to contact you to clarify details or request additional information where necessary. To help us investigate your complaint/feedback quickly and efficiently we will ask you for the following information:
• Your name and contact details,
• The name of the person you have been dealing with about your service,
• The nature of the complaint/feedback,
• Details of any steps taken in response to this feedback/complaint already.
• Details of conversations you may have had with us that may be relevant to your complaint/feedback,
• Copies of any documentation which supports your complaint/feedback (if required)
HELP WHEN MAKING A COMPLAINT OR GIVING FEEDBACK
The person receiving or managing your feedback/complaint should provide you with any assistance you may need to make your complaint or give your feedback.
However, if you consider you need further assistance please contact:
Lize Roos (Director) on 0400514424 or
RECORDING FEEDBACK/COMPLAINT
When taking a complaint or giving us feedback, we will record your name and contact details.
We will also record all details of your feedback/complaint including the facts and the cause/s of your complaint/feedback, the outcome and any actions taken following the investigation of your complaint/feedback.
We will also record all dates and times relating to actions taken.
As part of our on-going improvement plan, feedback/complaints will be monitored for any identifying trends by management and rectification/remedial action taken to mitigate any identified issues or to improve the services we provide to our community.
If you lodge a complaint or provide feedback we will record your personal information solely for the purposes of addressing your complaint or considering your feedback. Your personal details will actively be protected from disclosure, unless you expressly consent to its disclosure.
FEEDBACK TO CUSTOMERS IN RELATION TO COMPLAINTS
Building Blocks Therapy is committed to resolving your issues at the first point of contact, however, this will not be possible in all circumstances, in which case a more formal complaints process will be followed.
We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within three (3) business days. Once your complaint has been received, we will undertake an initial review of your complaint.
There may be circumstances during the initial review or investigation of your complaint where we may need to clarify certain aspects of your complaint or request additional documentation from you. In such circumstances we will explain the purpose of seeking clarification or additional documentation and provide you with feedback on the status of your complaint at that time.
We are committed to resolving your complaint within 10 business days of you lodging your complaint, however, this may not always be possible on every occasion. Where we have been unable to resolve your complaint within 10 business days, we will inform you of the reason for the delay and specify a date when we will be in a position to finalise your complaint.
Once we have finalised your complaint, we will advise you of our findings and any action we have taken. We will do this in writing, unless it has been mutually agreed that we can provide it to you verbally.
You have the right to make enquiries about the current status of your complaint at any time by contacting us.
OUR 6 STEP COMPLAINT PROCESS
We acknowledge:
Within three business days of receiving your complaint we will acknowledge receipt of your complaint.
We review:
We undertake an initial review of your complaint and determine what if any additional information or documentation may be required to complete an investigation. We may need to contact you to clarify details or request additional information where necessary.
We investigate:
Within 10 business days of receiving your compliant we will investigate your complaint objectively and impartially, by considering the information you have provided us, our actions in relation to your dealings with us and any other information which may be available, that could assist us in investigating your complaint.
We respond:
Following our investigation, we will notify you of our findings and any actions we may have taken in regard to your complaint.
We take action:
Where appropriate we amend our business practices or policies.
We record:
We will record your complaint for continuous improvement process and monitoring
through regular review, your personal information will be recorded in
accordance with relevant privacy legislation.
MAKING A COMPLAINT ABOUT ONE OF OUR EMPLOYEES
If you complain about a member of our staff, we will treat your complaint confidentially, impartially and equally (giving equal treatment to all people). We will investigate your complaint thoroughly by finding out the relevant facts, speaking with the relevant people and verifying explanations where possible.
We will also treat our staff member objectively by:
- Informing them of any complaint about their performance,
- Providing them with an opportunity to explain the circumstances,
- Providing them with appropriate support,
- Updating them on the complaint investigation and the result.
OUR COMPLAINT ESCALATION PROCESS
Where possible, we will attempt to resolve your complaint at the first point of contact. If we are unable to resolve your complaint at the first point of contact, we will undertake an investigation of your complaint and provide you with our findings.
If you are not satisfied with how your complaint has been handled, or the resolution provided by us, you can contact the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), Occupational Therapy Australia or the NDIS Commission for NDIS related complaints.
Your provider’s (therapist) work is governed by the codes of conduct of
the professional association to which they belong
• Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
• Occupational Therapy Australia
THIRD PARTY COMPLAINTS
In line with our ethical responsibilities to ensure client confidentiality, we cannot accept complaints from someone other than the clients who is receiving the therapy. Please assist the client to make a complaint directly according to the above procedures.