Complaints Policy
We welcome feedback and take every complaint seriously. This policy sets out how to raise a concern or complaint and the steps we take to resolve it promptly and fairly. It meets our duty under CQC Regulation 16.
Last reviewed: September 2026
How to complain
You can complain by phone, email, letter or in person. Please contact us using the details below. If you prefer, a family member or advocate can complain on your behalf. You will never be treated differently or have your care affected because you complained.
What happens next
We aim to resolve complaints as quickly as possible. Here is what you can expect:
- We acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days.
- We investigate your complaint and aim to complete the investigation within 14 days.
- We give you a full written response within 28 days of receiving your complaint.
- If we need longer for any reason, we will tell you why and give you a new timescale.
If you are not satisfied
If you are not happy with our response, you can ask for a review by a senior manager. If you remain dissatisfied, you can take your complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman at lgo.org.uk. They look at complaints about adult social care. If your care is funded by the NHS, you can also contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman at ombudsman.org.uk.
Time limits
You can complain to the ombudsman at any time, but we ask that you give us the chance to sort things out first. The ombudsman will usually expect you to have tried to resolve the complaint with us before they look at it. You have up to 12 months from the event you are complaining about to ask the ombudsman to consider your case, or within 12 months of when you became aware of the problem.
Learning from complaints
We use every complaint to learn and improve. We record what went wrong and what we did about it, and we share the lessons with our team so the same thing does not happen again.
Our full policy is available on request. Call 0118 391 3542 or email care@apexcaring.co.uk.
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