We want to hear from you
If something has gone wrong, please tell us. We would rather know. A complaint is not a nuisance to us. It is information we need in order to put something right and to stop it happening to somebody else.
You will never be treated differently, and the care we provide will never be affected, because you have made a complaint.
This procedure meets our duty under Regulation 16 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
Who can complain
- the person receiving care
- a relative, friend, or advocate acting on their behalf and with their agreement
- anyone acting under a lasting power of attorney or a court appointment
- a member of staff, a professional, or a member of the public
If you would find it difficult to complain on your own, you may ask an advocate to help you. We will support you to find one.
How to complain
You can complain in whichever way is easiest for you.
By telephone: 0115 871 1900
By email: office@cedarscareltd.co.uk
In writing: Cedars Care Ltd, 64 Carlton Hill, Carlton, Nottingham NG4 1ED
In person: speak to your carer, or ask for the Manager
If you are complaining on someone else’s behalf, we will normally need their consent before we can share information about their care with you.
What happens next
Stage 1: informal resolution
Many concerns can be sorted out quickly. If you raise something with a member of staff or with the office, we will try to resolve it there and then, or within five working days.
If that resolves it, we will record what happened and what we did. If it does not, or if you would prefer to go straight to a formal complaint, we move to Stage 2.
Stage 2: formal investigation
| Step | What we do | When |
| 1 | We acknowledge your complaint in writing and tell you who is investigating it | Within 3 working days |
| 2 | We investigate. We may ask to meet you, and we will look at care records, speak to staff, and gather the facts | |
| 3 | We write to you with the outcome. We will tell you what we found, whether we uphold your complaint in whole or in part, what we are going to do about it, and how to take it further if you are not satisfied | Within 28 calendar days |
If an investigation is complex and we cannot meet the 28 day deadline, we will write to you before it expires, explain why, and give you a new date.
Stage 3: review
If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you may write to the Directors of Cedars Care Ltd within 28 days of our response and ask for the decision to be reviewed. We will respond within a further 28 days.
If you are still not satisfied
If your care is arranged or funded by a local authority or the NHS
You may take your complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. The Ombudsman looks at complaints about adult social care. The service is free and independent.
Telephone: 0300 061 0614
Website: lgo.org.uk
If you fund your own care
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman can also consider complaints about care that you pay for yourself.
Telephone: 0300 061 0614
Website: lgo.org.uk
The Care Quality Commission
The Care Quality Commission is our regulator. It cannot investigate individual complaints or get an outcome for you, but it does want to hear about your experience, and it uses what it is told to decide when and where to inspect.
Telephone: 03000 616161
Website: cqc.org.uk
If your complaint is about the way we have used your personal information
Please see our Privacy Notice. You may complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office on 0303 123 1113.
If you are worried that someone is at risk of harm
Please do not wait. If someone is in immediate danger, call the police on 999.
Otherwise, contact the adult safeguarding team for the area the person lives in.
| Who to call | Number | When |
| Nottinghamshire County Council, adult social care. This covers Carlton, Gedling, Burton Joyce and the rest of the county | 0300 500 8080 | Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm |
| Nottinghamshire Emergency Duty Team | 0300 456 4546 | Evenings, weekends and bank holidays |
| Nottingham City Council, adult social care. This covers Nottingham City only | 0115 876 3330 | Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm |
| Nottingham City Emergency Duty Team | 0115 876 1000 | Outside those hours |
| Police, if a crime has been committed but nobody is in immediate danger | 101 | Any time |
| Police, if anyone is in immediate danger | 999 | Any time |
What we do with complaints
We record every complaint, whether informal or formal, in a central log. The Manager reviews the log and the Directors review it regularly. Where a complaint shows that something in the way we work needs to change, we change it, and we tell you what we have changed.
We share anonymised information about complaints with the Care Quality Commission when they ask for it.