Severn Hospice Complaints Policy - Lottery and Raffles

Please note, if your complaint relates to patient care a separate policy and process applies and this can be obtained from our Clinical Secretarial Team Leader on 01743 261515.

Severn Hospice is committed to being open and honest in all our dealings with our donors and supporters. We would hope your complaint could be dealt with directly with the team within a timely fashion. However, if you are not satisfied with this outcome, you can then escalate the problem using the following policy.

We know that there may be times when we do not meet our own high standards. When this does happen we want to hear about it, deal with the situation as quickly as possible and put measures in place to stop it happening again.

We would expect most concerns to be dealt with courteously by the appropriate member of staff, if however, you do not know who to approach or feel your concern has not been dealt with properly please do contact us as soon as practically possible after the incident, this makes looking into the key facts more reliable as everyone’s recollections are fresher.

We take complaints very seriously and we treat them as an opportunity to develop. This is why we are always very grateful to hear from people who are willing to take the time to help us improve. We always thank people who contact us about their problems, concerns or worries.

How to get in touch to give feedback, raise concerns or make a complaint:

We hope you will feel comfortable in getting in touch with us by;

email at complaints@severnhospice.org.uk

Or you can write to us, please address your envelope to:
Head of Fundraising - Lottery, Severn Hospice, Apley Castle, Telford, TF1 6RH

Please include your name, address, reference number given on any correspondence if possible and a contact telephone number in your email or letter so that we can get back in touch with you easily.

Or you can call us on 01743 354450 please ask to speak to our Head of Fundraising - Lottery, our phone lines are open Monday to Thursday from 8.45am to 5pm, Friday 9.00am-4.00pm Outside of these hours you can leave a message and contact number and someone will return your call on the next working day.

How long will it take?

We endeavor to respond fully and conclusively to all complaints within ten working days. However, you will receive an acknowledgement of your complaint within the first five working days of receipt. Wherever possible we will deal with it more quickly, if we think it will take longer we will let you know.

From experience we have found that if the following details can be provided we can respond to you more easily; a description of what your concern or complaint relates to and the aspect which concerns you most, date and time if appropriate and the name of any hospice staff involved in this or with whom you have had conversations, we may call you to clarify facts or ask for more details. This way we can make sure that we fully understand the issue and can gather all of the information that we need to resolve the problem in a fast and effective way.

In more complex situations where an immediate response is not possible, we will investigate the matter and get back to you as quickly as we can. We will record your complaint and between us we can agree on the best way and time to get back in contact with you.

What we will do

A senior member of staff will be allocated to you and will ensure we fully understand your concerns before investigating this within the hospice, they will then prepare a written summary which they will share with you to ensure their account of your complaint/concern is accurate. Please feel free when contacting us about a complaint, to let us know how you think it could be resolved. We want to reach the best possible outcome for both you and the hospice.

Following this the Head of Fundraising - Lottery will let you know the outcome and any steps we might take in future. A summary of all complaints is shared with the Severn Promotions Co Board and Fundraising Committee who meet quarterly and report to the Board of Trustees of Severn Hospice.

We will always treat you with courtesy and respect, listen to what you say, keep you informed about our progress, provide you will a prompt response and tell you who to go to if you want to escalate your complaint further.

As a charity with limited resources we must use these in the best way possible. This can mean not engaging in lengthy debates on issues that are unrelated to Severn Hospice’s work.

There may be rare occasions when we terminate the process and will not respond further to a complaint, these include:

• When a complainant is being abusive, prejudiced or offensive in their manner.
• When a complainant is harassing a staff member.
• When a complaint is incoherent or illegible.
• When a complaint is made anonymously or by a third party.

However, we may investigate the complaint and use the information to improve in any way that we can.

Who else can help?

Following a full investigation and suggested resolution by Severn Hospice any complaints which cannot be settled after going through the above process can be escalated to The Independent Betting Adjudication Service – IBAS who offer an alternative dispute resolution (ADR).

The Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS) acts as an impartial adjudicator on disputes that arise between gambling operators and their customers after they have been through the operator's own internal dispute procedures and if a deadlock exists.

The IBAS panel of experts apply their specialist knowledge to the facts and adjudicate by reference to the operator's own terms and conditions but do not rule on complex legal issues. As well as offering effective dispute resolution procedures, IBAS also check that operators have complied with the standards set by the Gambling Commission and with the IBAS terms and conditions of registration.

IBAS rulings are binding on all parties, without prejudice to any legal proceedings that may be commenced subsequently.

Through the Hospice Lotteries Association we are registered with IBAS and you are welcome to raise your complaint with them. You can only do this after the above process with Severn Hospice has been completed. IBAS will refer you back to Severn Hospice if this is not the case. For more details of the service operated by IBAS visit their website at www.ibas-uk.com or telephone 020 7347 5883. You can also write to IBAS at: PO Box 62639 London EC3P 3AS.