Complaints

How to Complain

Complaints should be brought to the attention of staff directly involved, or their manager, to be dealt with as they arise.  These complaints are stage 1 of the complaints process and are called frontline/early resolution and must be completed within five working days unless there are exceptional circumstances.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of this resolution, or if you do not wish to pursue this option, we will investigate your complaint at stage 2 of the process.

Please contact us to submit a complaint at:

West Dunbartonshire Health & Social Care Partnership
Information Team, 16 Church Street, Dumbarton, G82 1QL

Telephone: 01389 738273

E-Mail: wdhscp@west-dunbarton.gov.uk

Our How To Make a Complaint guide provides our service users with details of how to make a complaint and our complaints procedures.

Stage 2 complaints

If you have received a response to a Stage 2 complaint and you remain dissatisfied with this response, you have the right to ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) to look at your complaint. The SPSO is the final stage for complaints about public services in Scotland.  The SPSO cannot normally look at complaints:

• where you have not gone all the way through the complaints handling procedure
• more than 12 months after you became aware of the matter you want to complain about, or
• that have been or are being considered in court.

The SPSO’s contact details are:

Bridgeside House
99 McDonald Road
Edinburgh
EH7 4NS

Freepost SPSO (you don’t need to use a stamp)

Freephone: 0800 377 7330

www.spso.org.uk/contact-us

Website: www.spso.org.uk

If your complaint relates to a care service we provide, you can choose whether to complain to us or the Care Inspectorate. You can find out more about their complaints procedure, or make a complaint, by contacting them.

The Care Inspectorate has several offices around Scotland. Please refer to their website.

West Dunbartonshire Council services
Information on making a complaint about services delivered by West Dunbartonshire Council or its employees can be found on their website.

Child Friendly Complaints

When a child under the age of 18 makes a complaint, or an adult does so on their behalf, we are developing processes to handle complaints in a manner that respects and promotes children’s rights, in support of the Scottish Public Service Ombudsman’s Child Friendly Principles and Child Friendly Procedure Guidance.

Child Friendly Complaints are in accordance with the United Nation Convention on the Rights of Children (UNCRC) (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024.This is to allow children the chance to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters that affect them via the complaint process.