Leave feedback for JRHT

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust are committed to providing the best service possible. We welcome compliments, comments and complaints about our services so that we can continually improve what we do and how we do it.

Why should I get in touch?

  • Compliments: You may want to compliment someone who has helped you or let us know if we have done something particularly well so that we can keep doing it.
  • Comments: You may want to comment and make suggestions about the quality of our existing services or recommend additional services.
  • Complaints: You may want to make an expression of dissatisfaction, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by the organisation, its own staff, or those acting on its behalf, affecting an individual resident or group of residents.

How should I get in touch?

Comments and compliments

It is important for us to gather as much feedback as possible about our services. Comments and compliments can be as helpful as complaints to show us where services are working well and where we need to make changes to further improve our service offering. We regularly monitor and publish data about compliments and complaints as part of our monthly performance information.

How does JRF/JRHT learn from the feedback received?

When we receive feedback, whether it's a compliment, comment or complaint, we will always try to use the feedback to improve how we do things in the future. Our lessons learned process helps us to do this. Our lessons learned process identifies key learning actions from every compliment, comment or complaint we receive.

All our operational sites then refer to the lessons learned to inform service improvement across our organisation.

Complaints

Who can make a complaint?

  • The person who receives the service (the service user).
  • Someone acting on behalf of the service user with their consent.
  • If a service user does not have the capacity to make their own decisions, a friend or relative may make a complaint on their behalf.

What can I complain about?

A complaint is an "expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by the organisation, its own staff, or those acting on its behalf, affecting an individual resident or group of residents" (Housing Ombudsman, 2020). This means the sorts of things that you may want to complain about might be:

  • If you receive a poor-quality service – including services we have arranged but are delivered by an independent provider.
  • The attitude or behaviour of a member of staff.
  • If we have failed to follow our policies or procedures.
  • If we have failed to follow Care Quality Commission regulations or other legal obligations.
  • Your experience of our care delivery.
  • If you have not been kept informed about the progress of a repair to your home.

Can I get help to make a complaint?

You can ask a friend or relative, a local Councillor or an MP to speak to us on your behalf. If you prefer, we can also put you in contact with an independent organisation or a voluntary agency. If you want to complain in person but have a disability that prevents you from doing so, we can arrange a visit to gather the details of your complaint, or can telephone you to talk about the best way we can help you make your complaint.

What can I expect when I make a complaint?

Where possible, we will do our best to resolve the issue as soon as possible. But if this is not possible, we will:

  • Discuss with you exactly what it is you are unhappy about and what you would like to see happen because of your complaint.
  • Explain how we will investigate your complaint, how long it will take to complete and any actions that we will be taking as a result of your complaint.

How can I get independent support to make a complaint?

Our Feedback Officer can help you make a complaint, but if you'd like more independent support you can contact Citizens Advice.

Our complaints process

When you make a complaint, we will make every effort to resolve the matter straight away. But if this is not possible, we will proceed with our formal complaints process. We have a two-stage complaints process.

Stage one

  • We will handle your complaint fairly, impartially, professionally and objectively.
  • We will investigate the issue thoroughly.
  • We will keep you informed of the progress using your preferred method of communication.
  • We will investigate and respond to your complaint within 10 working days or within 28 days for a complaint relating to care services.
  • If the complaint is more complicated, we may need more time to respond but we will keep you updated on how things are progressing and will respond within a reasonable timescale.

Stage two

If you are not happy with the outcome of your complaint you may want to appeal. You can appeal within 10 working days of receiving your first response. In this instance, we will:

  • ​Ask you to clarify what remains unsolved.
  • Ask you for additional information.
  • Ask you what action you think we should take.
  • Make sure a senior member of staff reviews and investigates the complaint.
  • Provide a full explanation within 15 working days for non-care complaints or 28 days for a complaint relating to care services.

This is the final stage of our complaints process but if you are still not satisfied with the response to your complaint, you can contact an external organisation, such as the Housing Ombudsman, Care Quality Commission or Charity Commission, to conduct further investigations.

Where can I find more information if I would like to take my complaint further?

Housing service complaints

If you don't feel we've resolved your complaint effectively, you can contact the Housing Ombudsman Service for further support. The ombudsman is a free, impartial service which aims to resolve disputes between residents and housing associations.

Care service complaints

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is an independent service with works to resolve individual complaints about adult social care providers.

Rent levels, service charge or leasehold valuations complaints

The First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) handles disputes over property and land, including things like rent increases.

  • Phone: 0161 237 9491
  • Email: rpnorthern@justice.gov.uk
  • Post: 1st Floor, Piccadilly Exchange, Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester, M1 4AH

Care Quality Commission

Our service is registered with and regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The CQC cannot get involved in individual complaints about providers, but can receive information about our care services.

Charity Commission

The Charity Commission is the charity regulator in England and Wales.

  • Phone: 0300 066 9197
  • Post: Charity Commission, PO Box 211, Bootle, L20 7YX

Our contact information

Alternatively, please contact us directly for further information. Our contact details for all feedback including compliments, comments and complaints is: