Facebook pixel

Complaints Policy

1. Introduction

We aim to maintain high standards in all that we do but recognise that we can sometimes get things wrong, despite our best intentions.

We seek to ensure that:

  • complaints are dealt with fairly and impartially
  • complaints are listened to and investigated thoroughly
  • complaints are acknowledged speedily and recorded
  • complaints are dealt with in an appropriate, fair and timely manner
  • we learn from the complaint

Pseudomyxoma Survivor views a complaint as an opportunity to put things right for the person making the complaint, and to improve the service, activities, and benefits that Pseudomyxoma Survivor offers. Therefore we value and take seriously any feedback we receive.

Generally, the purpose of this Complaints Procedure is to resolve disputes informally without resorting to formal investigation or legal proceedings.  We will try to explore every reasonable option to resolve complaints by working with the person making the complaint to agree an outcome which is satisfactory to them and Pseudomyxoma Survivor.

Whether your complaint is justified or not, our reply to you will describe the action we have taken to investigate the complaint, conclusions we have reached as a result of the investigation, and any action we have taken or are taking as a result of your complaint.

We will ensure that all information received and produced in connection with a complaint is treated as confidential and handled sensitively, that only those who need to know have access to that information, and that relevant data protection requirements are all met.

All complaint information is passed promptly to our Chair of Trustees who will report on them to our Board of Trustees within 28 days.

The information below sets out our Complaints Procedure.

2. Complaint

A ‘complaint’ in this Procedure means any expression of dissatisfaction in relation to Pseudomyxoma Survivor that requires a response from Pseudomyxoma Survivor.

3. Where complaints may come from

Complaints may come from Service Users of Pseudomyxoma Survivor’s services, those involved in Pseudomyxoma Survivor’s activities, donors, fundraisers, supporters, or any other person or organisation who has a legitimate interest in Pseudomyxoma Survivor.

4. Complaints which cannot be dealt with under this Procedure

This Procedure is only for the above type of external complaint, not for complaints or grievances from volunteers or trustees.

Whilst complainants are generally entitled to receive responses to a complaint and to challenge any responses received from Pseudomyxoma Survivor, it will not deal with complaints or challenges where in the reasonable opinion of  the Chair of Trustees they amount to persistent, habitual or vexatious complaints or challenges.

Pseudomyxoma Survivor expects any complainant to be polite and courteous. It will not tolerate aggressive, abusive or unreasonable behaviour or demands.

5. How to make a complaint

First Stage

If you have a complaint you can contact us by phone, email, or letter.

To help us investigate and address all complaints, we ask you to provide us with as much information as possible. This should cover:

  • The nature of your complaint
  • Where and when what you are complaining about happened
  • The name(s) of anyone involved (if known)
  • What outcome you are hoping for (but we are not obliged to resolve the complaint in that way)
  • Your contact details (name, address, daytime telephone number and/or email address)

Who you should contact within Pseudomyxoma Survivor will depend on how you to decide to make contact, and on who you wish to make a complaint about. We have indicated below who you can contact.

Verbal complaints

You can make a complaint by telephone or by speaking to us in person or leaving a voice message in any of the following ways. We are all volunteers so please be patient if you are asked to leave a voicemail. The messages are collected daily.

If your complaint is about any member of staff, volunteer or trustee, you can phone us on 0300 3020780 and ask to speak to our Complaints Officer or their appointed deputy. They will either speak to you about the complaint or, if they are not the appropriate person to do so, they will arrange for the appropriate person to speak to you on the phone. Alternatively, you can speak (or arrange to speak) in person to the appropriate person about your complaint.

If you do not feel that you can approach any of the above verbally for any reason, you can instead write to us as follows.

Complaints in writing

If you would prefer to send your complaint via our website, please go to our Feedback and Complaints page.

If you would prefer to write to us, please send your complaint to us as follows:

Either by letter addressed as follows:

The Complaints Officer
Pseudomyxoma Survivor
9 Ilmington Close
Hatton Park
Warwick
CV35 7TL

or by email to [email protected].

Timescales for all First Stage complaints made by phone, in person or in writing

We will try to resolve the problem as quickly as possible but if we cannot do this (for example, if we need to investigate further), we will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within the following timescale:

  • By phone, within 48 hours if you phone us or contact us in person
  • By email, within 48 hours if you contact us by email
  • By letter, within five working days if you contact us by letter
  • By the method you choose, in the relevant time scale if you contact us via the web form.

Our acknowledgement will inform you of when we will next contact you either with a proposed resolution or update. It will also inform you of the name of the person dealing with your complaint.  That person will then investigate and deal with it and then respond to you with their definitive reply.

You should receive that definitive reply within four weeks. If this is not possible because, for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report will be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given.

Please note that we are all volunteers and predominantly patients and caregivers so timescales are subject to availability.

Once that person has initially received your complaint, we will normally deal with it as follows:

Who the complaint is about Who will investigate, deal with, and respond to you about it
Any volunteer,
apart from the Chair and Secretary
Any Trustee excluding the Chair and Secretary
Secretary to the Trustees Board of Trustees, excluding the Secretary
Chair of the Trustees Vice Chair of Trustees

Second stage

If, for any reason, you are not happy with the resolution of your complaint under the First Stage procedure outlined above, you can bring this to our attention as follows.

Please address a letter to:

Chair of Trustees
Pseudomyxoma Survivor
9 Ilmington Close
Hatton Park
Warwick
CV35 7TL

Alternatively, please email [email protected].

Please set out clearly the details of the complaint, explaining why you were not satisfied with our response under the First Stage and what you would like us to do to put things right.

The Chair of Trustees will send an acknowledgment within five working days the Chair or Vice Chair of Trustees will investigate your complaint and respond with a definitive reply within a further ten working days.

Third stage

If you are still not satisfied with our response and wish to take your complaint further, please inform the Chair of Trustees within 28 days of receiving the definitive reply we sent to you under the Second Stage. Please contact him/her by letter or email as required for the Second Stage (as above).

Your case will then be passed to a panel of at least two trustees (not including any trustee about whom the complaint was made or the trustee who investigated and responded to you under the Second Stage). The panel will further investigate your complaint and will contact you with their conclusions and any actions to be taken.

You can expect this to take a further twenty-eight working days from the date on which we receive your letter or email request to implement the Third Stage.

Follow up

In order for us to make improvements to Pseudomyxoma Survivor, and its services and activities, we may wish to contact you within a month of your complaint being dealt with in order to check that you were satisfied with our resolution. Any information you give will only be used to make improvements to Pseudomyxoma Survivor, and its services and activities.

6. Taking your complaint outside Pseudomyxoma Survivor

The Fundraising Standards Board

If your complaint is about our fundraising work or activities and you are not satisfied with our response, you are entitled to take it to the Fundraising Standards Board. This is the self-regulatory scheme that works to ensure that organisations raising money from the public do so honestly and properly. As a member of the Fundraising Standards Board, we are committed to abiding by any decision they reach on complaints that are escalated to them. Their contact details are:

Fundraising Standards Board
65 Brushfield Street
London
E1 6AA

Tel: 0333 321 8803

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.frsb.org.uk/complaints/make-a-complaint

Charity Commission

If your complaint is about any other aspect of our charitable work other than our fundraising work or activities, you may wish to contact the Charity Commission. However, we suggest that, before you do so, you consider whether it is appropriate to contact the Commission in the first instance rather than ourselves. The Commission has guidance on its website as to when to direct complaints to a charity and not to the Commission. Their contact details are:

Charity Commission Direct
PO Box 1227
Liverpool
L69 3UG

Tel: 0845 300 0218
Website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-charitieswww.charitycommission.gov.uk/publications/cc47.aspx

Other Authorities

The Charity Commission guidance to the public states that:

  • if you believe there is criminal activity within a charity, you should inform the police
  • if you suspect fraud connected to a charity, you should report it using the Action Fraud Online Reporting Service at http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud or call 0300 123 2040
  • if you have information about possible terrorist activity connected to a charity, you should report it to the Anti-terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.

If a complaint relates to your personal data, it may be appropriate to contact the Office of the Information Commissioner.

A complaint could be directed to another regulator where it properly falls under its jurisdiction or remit. For example, a complaint could be made to the Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) where appropriate.

Written by: A Brook
Approved by: S Oliver
Jan 23rd 2023

Review by 31 January 2024

Pseudomyxoma Survivor
t: 0300 3020780
This is the feedback hotline. Please leave a message, we are all volunteers and will repsond when available. If you are calling from the US or Ireland, please see our contact page for the relevant numbers.
e: [email protected]
w: https://www.pseudomyxomasurvivor.org

Home > Our Policies > Complaints Policy