Complaints Handling Annual Report 2024/25

1.1 The purpose of this Report is to provide Members with details of the Council’s complaints handling performance for 2024/2025.

It is recommended that the Council:

• Considers the contents of the Annual Complaints Report 2024/25
• Notes that updates will be made during 2025/26 to complaints handling policies and procedures to reflect new duties and considerations and these will be submitted to a future meeting of Council for approval.

ANGELA FEGAN
EXECUTIVE OFFICER - CUSTOMER SERVICES & ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

3.1 This Report outlines the Council’s performance from 1 April 2024 until 31 March 2025 against the complaints indicators set by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO). .

3.2 The Council is committed to providing quality services that reflect the needs of its customers.  We value complaints and use information from them to help us improve our services.  The Council publishes its complaints handling performance to provide assurance in relation to our performance, and to inform delivery of continuous improvement.

3.3 Under our Complaints Handling Procedure (CHP) any expression of dissatisfaction about our action or lack of action, or about the standard of the service provided by or on behalf of the Council is classed as a complaint.  However, the CHP also outlines what does not constitute a complaint.  Among other points, it advises that a complaint is not a routine first time request for a service or a first-time report of a fault.

3.4 2024/25 saw the introduction of a new CRM system which went live during Quarter 3, in November 2024.  The implementation of the system, while successful, put additional demands on the complaints team in informing the development of the new system and in transitioning between the systems.  As such, 2024/25 has been a transitional period for the recording and reporting of complaints.  The new system allows for improved recording down to a team level and includes recording of common complaint types across each service area to allow more insight and analysis than the previous system.

3.5 Similarly, due to the new system not going live until towards the end of the reporting period, the legacy CRM was still in use for the majority of the year resulting in complaints still being recorded under previous strategic portfolios.  This was due to limited capability in updating these on the legacy platform.  For consistency of approach, complaints are being reported until year end in this manner.  Going forward, however, complaints are being recorded and reported in line with current Executive Officer strategic portfolio areas.

3.6 For 2025/26, the additional data and reporting capabilities of the new CRM will see the introduction for revised complaints handling reports for managers on a quarterly basis, allowing for more opportunities for managers to understand and learn from complaints and use this to inform service improvements, which will be included in future complaints handling reports to Council.

3.7 There have been a significantly higher number of complaints in 2024/25 from the previous reporting period with a 51% increase in the number of recorded complaints.  In addition to the number of complaints increasing, overall traffic dealt with by the complaints team in regards to first time requests for services has also increased significantly with the number of overall cases not classified as complaints being processed through the CRM increasing from 929 in 2023/24 to 1558 in 2024/25.

3.8 Despite the significantly higher volume of complaints and other cases, the number of complaints answered within our designated timescales statistics have remained consistent with the prior year.  However, average number of days taken to respond to complaints has dropped slightly reflecting the increased number of complaints received.

3.9 During 2024/25, the Council received 749 complaints (compared to 497 in the previous year), all of which are recorded on the CRM system.  This is a significant increase from the previous reporting period and the complaints can be classed under the relevant strategic areas as follows:

3.10 The SPSO requires organisations to report on six complaint handling indicators.  The following tables detail the Council’s performance under each indicator, showing comparison with the previous year. 

3.11 The number of complaints per thousand population allows benchmarking across all authorities.  The number of complaints received in 2024/25 has increased significantly compared to the previous year, with complaints per 1,000 population increasing from 4.6 to 7.1.

3.12 The total number of complaints closed in the reporting year was 774 compared to 501 in the previous year.

3.13 The number of complaints closed (774) compared to complaints received (749) in the current year, is due to a number of complaints being finalised within the reporting year that were received in the previous reporting year.

3.14 The total number of complaints closed in 2024/25 is higher than 2023/24, reflecting the higher number of complaints received.  Compared to the previous year, during 2024/25 a higher percentage of complaints were handled at Stage 1 with a slightly lower percentage handled at Stage 2 and escalation.  

2023/24

• Total complaints closed - 501
• Total complaints closed at stage 1 - 291 (58.3%)
• Total complaints closed at stage 2 - 157 (31.3%)
• Number of complaints closed at stage 2 after escalation - 52 (10.4%).

2024/25

• Total complaints closed - 774
• Total complaints closed at stage 1 - 497 (64.2%)
• Total complaints closed at stage 2 - 210 (27.1%)
• Number of complaints closed at stage 2 after escalation - 67 (8.7%)

3.15 This indicator shows a breakdown of how complaints were closed for each of the stages.  

3.16 Stage 1 complaints – the percentage of Stage 1 complaints upheld has slightly decreased from the previous reporting period leading to an increase in the number of complaints not upheld or only partially upheld.

3.17 Stage 2 complaints – the number of complaints upheld at stage 2 remains consistent with the previous reporting period, however the number of complaints partially upheld has decreased and the number not upheld has increased.

3.18 Escalated complaints (a complaint previously handled at Stage 1 then escalated to Stage 2) – this year shows a reduction in the percentage of escalated complaints upheld.  Although there has been an overall increase in the percentage of complaints partially upheld, it should be borne in mind that a partially upheld outcome does mean that some elements of the complaint have not been upheld.  Escalated complaints not upheld have increased this year.

3.19 This indicator shows our average time for responding to complaints. There has been a slight increase in the average number of days taken to respond to both stage 1 and stage 2 complaints this year. The average number of days for escalated complaints has decreased, however this represents a relatively small proportion of overall complaints.

3.21 This indicator measures extensions requested before the deadline has been reached. The figures for 2024/25 show that in line with the increased demand on the service there is an overall increase in the number of extensions being requested.

3.22 The SPSO requires councils to have processes in place to help them learn from complaints and review and change service delivery if required. We consider complaints as important feedback and an opportunity to improve our services, and we will continue to monitor recommendations and outcomes/responses for learning opportunities in partnership with other Council services.

3.23 If dissatisfied with our response, some customers will choose to take their complaint to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman whose office will review both our service delivery and our handling of the customer’s complaint. If the Ombudsman upholds or partially upholds a complaint, they will make recommendations to the Council. These recommendations are discussed with the service teams and any required changes are implemented with evidence provided to the Ombudsman. Specific improvement actions will vary depending on the nature of each case. The below tables detail the complaints considered by the SPSO in 2024/25 compared to the previous reporting period.

3.24 In line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024, all public services in Scotland must give children and young people under the age of 18 the chance to have a say about anything that affects them. This includes complaints.

3.25 The SPSO introduced guidance in 2024/25 around Child Friendly Complaints. This is intended to ensure that all complaints are handled in a manner that respects and promotes children’s rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (the UNCRC). The process requires to be used when:

• A child raises a complaint
• An adult raises a complaint at the request of a child
• An adult raises a complaint about matters affecting a child.

3.26 The complaints team are currently working with relevant internal stakeholders with the view to updating complaints handling procedures and policy over 2025/26 to ensure compliance with these SPSO guidelines.

The implications for the Council are as undernoted.

4.1 Frontline Service to Customers – Improved service delivery through continuous improvement and management of performance.

4.2 Workforce (including any significant resource implications) – None.

4.3 Legal Implications – None.

4.4 Financial Implications – None.

4.5 Procurement – None.

4.6 ICT – None.

4.7 Corporate Assets – None.

4.8 Equalities Implications – None.

4.9 Sustainability – None.

4.10 Corporate Parenting -  None.

4.11 Other – None.

The risks and control measures relating to this Report are as follows:

5.1 Ensuring effective scrutiny of service performance and driving improvement in service delivery.

6.1 ECONOMIC GROWTH & RECOVERY – None.

6.2 EMPLOYMENT & SKILLS – None.

6.3 CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE – None.

6.4 SAFER & STRONGER COMMUNITIES – None.

6.5 ADULT HEALTH & WELLBEING – None.

6.6 OLDER ADULTS, VULNERABLE PEOPLE & CARERS – None.

6.7 CLIMATE CHANGE – None.

6.8 STATUTORY DUTY - This report forms part of our statutory duty of performance reporting.

7.1 This Report has been assessed against the Policy Development Checklist and has been classified as being an operational report and not a new policy or change to an existing policy document.

8.1 None.