Passed by the NKF 12th November 2011

Our aim:

The National Kidney Federation (NKF) is committed to providing a quality service for its members and working in an open and accountable way that builds the trust and respect of all our stakeholders. One of the ways in which we can continue to improve our service is by listening and responding to the views of our members, customers and stakeholders, and in particular by responding positively to complaints, and by putting mistakes right.

Therefore we aim to ensure that:

• making a complaint is as easy as possible;
• we treat a complaint as a clear expression of dissatisfaction with our service which calls for an immediate response;
• we deal with it promptly, politely and, when appropriate, confidentially;
• we respond in the right way - for example, with an explanation, or an apology where we have got things wrong, or information on any action taken etc;
• we learn from complaints, use them to improve our service, and review annually our complaints policy and procedures.

We recognise that many concerns will be raised informally, and dealt with quickly. Our aims are to:

• resolve informal concerns quickly;
• keep matters low-key;
• enable mediation between the complainant and the individual to whom the complaint has been referred.

An informal approach is appropriate when it can be achieved. But if concerns cannot be satisfactorily resolved informally, then the formal complaints procedure should be followed.

Preamble

Definition: NKF defines a complaint as ‘any expression of dissatisfaction (with NKF, with a member of staff, or with an NKF Trustee) that relates to NKF and that requires a formal response’.

Purpose: The formal complaints procedure is intended to ensure that all complaints are handled fairly, consistently and wherever possible resolved to the complainant's satisfaction.

NKF’s responsibility will be to:

• acknowledge the formal complaint in writing;
• respond within a stated period of time;
• deal reasonably and sensitively with the complaint;
• take action where appropriate.

A complainant’s responsibility is to:

• bring their complaint, in writing, to NKF’s attention normally within 8 weeks of the issue arising;
• raise concerns promptly and directly with a member of staff or Trustee in NKF;
• explain the problem as clearly and as fully as possible, including any action taken to date;
• allow NKF a reasonable time to deal with the matter;
• recognise that some circumstances may be beyond NKF’s control.

Responsibility for Action: All Staff, and Trustees of NKF.

Confidentiality: Except in exceptional circumstances, every attempt will be made to ensure that both the complainant and NKF maintain confidentiality. However the circumstances giving rise to the complaint may be such that it may not be possible to maintain confidentiality (with each complaint judged on its own merit). Should this be the case, the situation will be explained to the complainant.

Monitoring and Reporting: Trustees of NKF will receive annually an anonimized report of complaints made and their resolution.

Formal Complaints Procedure

Stage 1

In the first instance, if you are unable to resolve the issue informally, you should write to the member of staff who dealt with you, or their manager, so that he or she has a chance to put things right. If your complaint concerns a Trustee of NKF, rather than a member of NKF’s staff, you should write formally to the individual concerned. In your letter you should set out the details of your complaint, the consequences for you as a result, and the remedy you are seeking.

You can expect your complaint to be acknowledged within 4 working days of receipt. You should get a response and an explanation within 15 working days. If you are unsure which member of NKF staff to write to, your complaint should be sent to NKF’s Chief Executive Officer..

Our contact details are:- Registered Office:- National Kidney Federation, The Point, Coach Road, Shireoaks, Worksop, Notts S81 8BW, Tel: (01909) 544999, Fax: (01909) 481723, E-mail: .

Stage 2

If you are not satisfied with the initial response to the complaint then you can write to NKF’s Chief Executive Officer (or Chairman of the Executive Committee in the case of a complaint against a Trustee) and ask for your complaint and the response to be reviewed. You can expect the Chief Executive (or Chairman) to acknowledge your request within 4 working days of receipt and a response within 15 workings days. If the original complaint was against the Chief Executive Officer then you should write to the Chairman of the Executive Committee who will respond as above.

NKF’s aim is to resolve all matters as quickly as possible. However, inevitably some issues will be more complex and therefore may require longer to be fully investigated. Consequently timescales given for handling and responding to complaints are indicative. If a matter requires more detailed investigation, you will receive an interim response describing what is being done to deal with the matter, and when a full reply can be expected and from whom.

Final Stage

If you are not satisfied with the subsequent reply from NKF’s Chief Executive, or Chairman of the Executive Committee, then you have the option of writing to the President of the NKF.

The Point, Coach Road, Shireoaks, Worksop, Notts S81 8BW, stating the reason why you are dissatisfied with the outcome. You must do this within 10 days of receiving the written response from NKF’s Chief Executive or Chairman of the Executive Committee.

The President will respond normally within 10 working days to inform you of the action which will be taken to investigate your complaint, and when you can expect to hear the outcome of the investigation.

Note. If your original complaint was against the Chair of the Executive Committee, then the final stage will be handled by the President of NKF, or by the most senior available officer of NKF