Complaints and Appeals

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

Definition of a complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not, about any aspect of End of Life Doula UK.

What constitutes a legitimate complaint?

We regard a legitimate complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction with any aspect of End of Life Doula UK which is under the control of the committee of the membership association.

Where complaints come from

Complaints may come from any individual or organisation who has a legitimate interest in End of Life Doula UK, including the public, if something is perceived to be improper. A complaint should be made in writing.

What to do if you have a complaint

We view legitimate complaints positively as they are one of the ways we have to make sure we keep improving our standards and the quality of everything that we do.  We take safeguarding extremely seriously. If you have any concerns about the behaviour of one of our members, it is vital that you tell us about it immediately so that appropriate action can be taken.

If there is anything to do with End of Life Doula UK about which you feel you need to complain, please tell us as soon as possible.

All formal complaints are directed to the Chair of End of Life Doula UK (operations@eol-doula.uk) to ensure they receive a high priority.  He or she will arrange for the complaint to be handled by a committee member of the End of Life Doula UK.

What we will do on receiving your complaint

  • We’ll listen, record your complaint and advise you how it will be handled.
  • We’ll investigate whenever necessary.
  • We’ll act to resolve the problem, tell you what that action is and inform you of the outcome of the investigation.
  • At all times we will treat you with understanding and respect. All we ask is that you do the same.
  • Confidential information in relation to your complaint will be handled sensitively.
  • We are not able to respond to anonymous complaints. We do not deal with matters for which End of life Doula UK is not directly responsible.

Complaint response times

  • We would appreciate your understanding that, with limited volunteer resources, we cannot always respond to your complaint immediately, although we will whenever we can.
  • You will receive an initial acknowledgement and/or response within ten working days of receipt of your complaint and we expect to resolve most problems in that time.
  • Where a more in-depth investigation is required we aim to provide a full response within 20 working days. If there are exceptional circumstances, where that is not possible, we will advise you.

What if our response does not satisfy you?

You should let us know in writing within 5 working days of receiving our response.  The Chair of End of Life Doula UK will appoint a suitable person, external to End of Life Doula UK, to hear why you are dissatisfied.  Their decision will be final.

We also have a vexatious complaints procedure in place, you can view of copy of this here