Complaints Procedure
Last updated: February 2026
"At Cecilia Comfort Care, we are committed to providing the highest standard of care. We welcome all feedback — including complaints — because it helps us improve. If something isn't right, we want to know about it and put it right."
— Ego Cecilia Olori, Clinical Managing Director
1. Our Commitment
Cecilia Comfort Care Ltd is registered with the Care Inspectorate (Registration No: CS2025000501) and operates in accordance with the Health and Social Care Standards: My Support, My Life (2017). We take all complaints seriously and are committed to:
- Treating every complaint with respect, fairness, and confidentiality
- Resolving complaints as quickly and effectively as possible
- Learning from complaints to improve our services
- Ensuring no one is treated unfairly or disadvantaged as a result of making a complaint
Your right to complain: Under the Health and Social Care Standards, you have the right to be confident that your complaints and concerns will be taken seriously and dealt with appropriately (Standard 4.21). Making a complaint will never affect the care you or your family member receives.
2. Who Can Make a Complaint?
A complaint can be made by:
- A person who uses or has used our services
- A family member, carer, or friend acting on behalf of a service user (with their consent, or where they lack capacity)
- A welfare guardian or person with power of attorney under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000
- A professional involved in a service user's care
- Any person affected by our services
3. What You Can Complain About
You can raise a complaint about any aspect of our service, including but not limited to:
- The quality of care provided
- The behaviour or conduct of a staff member
- Missed or late visits
- Communication issues
- How your personal information has been handled
- How a previous complaint was dealt with
- Any aspect of our service that has not met your expectations
4. How to Make a Complaint
You can contact us in whichever way is most comfortable for you:
By phone: +44 7741 030129
By email: info@ceciliacomfortcare.co.uk
In writing: Cecilia Comfort Care Ltd, Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland
In person: Speak to any member of our team, who will ensure your complaint reaches the appropriate person
If you need support to make a complaint, we can help. We can also accept complaints made on your behalf by an advocate, family member, or other representative.
5. Our Complaints Process
Acknowledgement
Within 3 working days of receiving your complaint, we will acknowledge it in writing (by email or letter, as you prefer). We will confirm what we understand the complaint to be about and who will be investigating it.
Investigation
We will investigate your complaint thoroughly, which may include reviewing care records, speaking with staff involved, and contacting you for further information. Complaints will be investigated by a senior member of staff who was not directly involved in the matter.
Response
Within 20 working days of receiving your complaint, we will provide a full written response setting out our findings, what action (if any) we have taken, and any changes we plan to make. If we need more time to investigate, we will let you know and explain the reason for the delay.
Resolution
Where our investigation identifies that something went wrong, we will explain what happened, apologise where appropriate, and tell you what we are doing to prevent it from happening again. We may also offer a meeting to discuss the outcome with you.
6. If You're Not Satisfied With Our Response
If you are not happy with how we have handled your complaint, you have the right to escalate it to the following external bodies:
Care Inspectorate
As our regulatory body, the Care Inspectorate can investigate complaints about registered care services in Scotland.
Care Inspectorate
Compass House, 11 Riverside Drive, Dundee DD1 4NY
Telephone: 0345 600 9527
Website: www.careinspectorate.com
Online complaints: careinspectorate.com/complaints
Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO)
If you have exhausted our complaints process and are still dissatisfied, you can refer your complaint to the SPSO, which is the final stage for complaints about public services in Scotland, including social care.
Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
Bridgeside House, 99 McDonald Road, Edinburgh EH7 4NS
Freephone: 0800 377 7330
Website: www.spso.org.uk
Other Relevant Bodies
- Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) — for concerns about the conduct or fitness to practise of registered social service workers: www.sssc.uk.com
- Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) — for complaints about how your personal data has been handled: ico.org.uk | 0303 123 1113
7. Safeguarding Concerns
Important: If your concern involves the immediate safety or protection of a vulnerable adult, this is a safeguarding matter, not solely a complaint. In such cases, we have a legal duty under the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 to take immediate action. Please contact us straight away on +44 7741 030129, or contact your local authority social work department or Police Scotland (101, or 999 in an emergency).
8. Confidentiality
All complaints are treated in confidence. Information about your complaint will only be shared with those who need to know in order to investigate and respond. Complaint records are stored securely in accordance with our Privacy Policy and retained for a minimum of 3 years.
9. Learning from Complaints
We use complaints as an opportunity to improve. All complaints are reviewed to identify themes and areas for improvement. Where complaints lead to changes in our practice or policies, we will inform you of those changes where appropriate. A summary of complaint themes (anonymised) is included in our quality assurance reporting to the Care Inspectorate.
10. Accessibility
This complaints procedure is available in the following ways:
- On our website at ceciliacomfortcare.co.uk/complaints
- In print on request — contact us and we will post a copy to you
- In large print or alternative formats on request
- Verbally — we are happy to explain the process over the phone or in person
If you need help understanding this procedure or making a complaint, we can help you access independent advocacy services in West Lothian.