Agenda item

The Leader introduced the report and confirmed that all Public Services in Wales are required to record and respond to feedback from residents in accordance with the guidance and legislation issued by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales (Ombudsman).

The report confirmed there are additional statutory requirements that must be met for complaints about Social Care.

Feedback, including compliments, comments and complaints are recorded in the My Newport platform.

The report summarised the complaints received in 2018/2019 and made recommendations for actions to improve the service provided by the Council.

The Leader introduced the Cabinet Member for Community and Resources to speak to the report and he confirmed that the Ombudsman requires public bodies to listen to feedback from the public and use that feedback to shape services and drive continuous improvement.  This includes having systems in place to record, analyse and report on the feedback received from residents.

The Ombudsman is currently consulting about increases to his investigatory powers under the Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2019, particularly in relation to accepting informal complaints and undertaking public interest investigations on his own initiative, without any complaint.  The Cabinet report noted that the Council may need to review its own internal procedures in due course in the light of these changes to the Ombudsman’s statutory powers.

In terms of compliments and comments, the Council receives many compliments from residents about the services provided and the number received this year was higher than in previous years. The majority of complaints received are for City Services, as the most visible service with the most interaction with residents.

Comments are a way of recording the feedback from customers who are unhappy with policies and decisions made by the Council. City Services received the most recorded comments about policies for the same reasons it receives the most complaints.

The number of complaints received by the Council account for 0.001% of the total customer contacts recorded by Customer Services last year.

There were fewer informal complaints recorded year on year, more of which resulted in a formal review or being referred to the Ombudsman.

City Services and Law and Regulation received the most complaints, reflecting the nature of their work and direct interface with residents.

The volume of complaints received for social care services is in line with the number received in the previous year.

A small number of complaints were considered independently at Stage 2 and referred to the Ombudsman.  One complaint was partially upheld at Stage 2 and resulted in a Public Interest Report.

The number of complaints referred to the Ombudsman’s office is below the national average for Local Authorities in Wales.

Ten of the complaints raised to the Ombudsman were about failing to respond or meet deadlines for responding to complaints. The Council has taken steps to provide adequate support to respond to complaints and in his annual letter the Ombudsman thanked the Council for taking a positive position in response to the feedback on these matters provided by his staff.

With regard to service development, the Council is committed to developing the service provided to meet the revised legislation and to meet the expectations of residents who wish to submit their feedback.

Significant progress was made in 2019 towards delivering this, including consultation with the public and with officers, and the implementation of a new system making it easier for customers to submit their feedback, such as My Newport and the information contained on the website.

The report recommends that further action is taken to improve the service provided to residents based on the feedback they have provided during consultation. The Council will also review the existing policies and procedures to reflect the new legislation and guidance issued by the Ombudsman.  This approach supports service improvement in the short and long term and the development of customer services across the Council.

The Leader moved the report for recommendation. 

Decision:

Cabinet agreed the report and endorsed its recommendations for improvement