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Compliments & Complaints Policy

Purple is committed to providing the highest standard of service to our customers, commissioners and wider stakeholders. We encourage and welcome all views, comments, compliments and complaints to inform and continually improve our services.

The purpose of this policy is to explain how to give a compliment, pass on a comment, raise a concern or make a complaint. The policy also sets out how we handle, investigate, respond to and resolve issues.

Purple appreciates when an individual tells us that we do things well.

  • All compliments will normally be acknowledged within 24 hours and recorded on our Compliments Register.

  • All feedback is shared with the individual and/or service areas highlighted.

  • Compliments are also used to support the continued development of our services as examples of good practice.

Suggestions about any aspect of Purple’s services can be made by using the contact details listed in Appendix 1.

  • All comments and suggestions will normally be acknowledged within 24 hours and recorded on our Suggestions Register.

  • Where the suggestion requires follow up action, it will be forwarded to the relevant manager responsible for taking the necessary action.

  • The manager will normally respond within 24 hours to confirm what action has or will be taken.

Concerns can be raised by using the contact details listed in Appendix 1.

  • All concerns will be passed on by the member of staff contacted to the relevant manager for the service area, or line manager if the concern involves a named individual.

  • All concerns will normally be acknowledged within 24 hours.

  • Where the concern requires follow up action or feedback, the manager of the service area to which it relates, or the line manager of the individual, will be responsible for taking the appropriate action.

Purple encourages all individuals who have a complaint to first contact a member of staff in the relevant service area to try and resolve the issue informally.

However, if the issue cannot be resolved informally to mutual satisfaction, Purple will treat this as a formal complaint and will investigate accordingly.

Formal complaints can also be made directly by using the contact details listed in Appendix 1. All formal complaints should be made in writing or recorded via other means if this is not possible.

Once a formal complaint is received, Purple is committed to:

  1. Acknowledging the complaint within 24 hours

  2. Treating all individuals fairly and equally

  3. Respecting privacy, maintaining confidentiality and acting in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018 (the UK’s implementation of GDPR)

  4. Logging the complaint on the Complaints Register

  5. Assigning a manager to investigate and respond to the complainant within our target of 5 working days

  6. Investigating the complaint

  7. Taking appropriate action to resolve the complaint

  8. Reviewing and updating processes to improve our services, where this is required

  9. Using complaints as part of ongoing staff training and development to improve service delivery

Any complaint arising from an act or omission that causes harm to an individual, has financial or potential legal consequences, or could damage Purple’s reputation, will be reported to the Board.

If an anonymous complaint is received, whilst this cannot be acknowledged, we will investigate and implement any relevant service improvement in line with this policy.

  • If the complaint is about the provision of a particular service, it will be investigated by the manager of that service area.

  • If the complaint concerns a staff member, the investigation will be conducted by the manager of that individual, where possible.

  • Where a complaint is made against a member of staff, they will be given the opportunity to comment.

The aim of the investigation will be to resolve the situation as soon as possible. Our target for this is within 5 working days.

If the matter requires more detailed investigation, the complainant will be provided with an interim response and an indication of when a full response will be provided.

Any recommendations and remedial actions resulting from the investigation that will prevent future repetition of the issue, or improve services, will be implemented.

If the initial response to the complaint is considered unsatisfactory, the complainant can escalate the complaint by writing to the Operations Director.

Where a complaint involves the Operations Director, the complainant should escalate the complaint by writing to the Chief Executive Officer. Contact details are listed in Appendix 1.

  • The escalation will normally be acknowledged within 24 hours.

  • The Operations Director will aim to provide a written response within 10 working days.

  • If the response from the Operations Director is considered unsatisfactory, the complainant will have the option of writing to the Chief Executive Officer. The letter should be received within 7 days of Purple’s written response being sent to the complainant and must state in detail the reason why there is dissatisfaction with the outcome.

Compliments, comments, suggestions, concerns and complaints should be sent to one of the following:

FAO Customer Services
Purple
BIC109, Arise Innovation Hub
Alan Cherry Drive
Chelmsford, Essex
CM1 1QT

📧 Email: info@purple-dpss.co.uk
📞 Telephone: 01245 392300

Information can also be submitted through the Contact Us form on the Purple website.

Communications for the Operations Director or Chief Executive Officer should be clearly addressed for their attention.

Date Agreed: October 2024

Review Due: October 2025

Click here to download a copy of our Complaints and Compliments Policy