Complaints, compliments and feedback

working towards The Gold Standards Framework. This can be used in various settings, for example hospitals, primary care and care homes, to improve the co-ordination and communication between different organisations involved in providing care for someone near the end of their life.

Planning for your funeral

While you are thinking about the future, you may want to consider writing down your wishes for your funeral. This can help to alleviate pressures on your family. Your family may appreciate knowing your wishes and that they can make sure they are considered at your funeral. By detailing your wishes, your family can be comforted by the fact that they don’t need to make all the decisions about what you would have liked or wonder whether they are making the right choices. Things to consider are included on the Hospice UK website. Visit www.hospiceuk.org (search ‘how to arrange a funeral’). You do not have to instruct a funeral director but, if you do, ensure that the director you choose is a member of either the National Association of Funeral Directors or the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors. These associations have strict guidelines that members must adhere to.

If you receive care at home or in a care home, you should feel able to complain about any aspect of your life there which affects your happiness or comfort. This might be anything from the way you are treated by staff to the quality of food served.

You should also feel free to make comments and suggestions about possible improvements to your surroundings and the services provided and compliment staff when things go well.

Making a complaint should not be made difficult for you and should not affect the standard of care that you receive. Care homes are required under government regulations to have a simple and easy-to-use complaints procedure.

If you are concerned about the care that you, a friend or a relative are receiving in a care home, it makes sense to speak to the manager about your concerns before you take any further action. The problem may be resolved quite easily once they are made aware of it. However, if you need to make a formal complaint, you should initially contact the registered owner of the home. They have a duty to respond to any complaints made. If your complaint is about a breach of regulations, contact the Care Quality Commission. Tel: 03000 616161 • Web: www.cqc.org.uk

If the council has arranged and funded a place for you in a care home, you can complain to your social worker, care manager or the Customer Complaints Team.

Post: Customer Complaints Team, Wiltshire Council, County Hall, Trowbridge BA14 8JN Tel: 01225 718400 Email: complaints@wiltshire.gov.uk Web: www.wiltshire.gov.uk/complaints-

making-a-complaint

Complaints about care that you pay for yourself

You can ask the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to take up your case if you are not happy about how a care home or service dealt with your complaint about care that you pay for yourself.

Tel: 0300 061 0614 Web: www.lgo.org.uk