Complaints procedure
How to raise issues if you have concerns about your interaction with the Certification Office.
Complaints procedure
Our approach
We take complaints seriously. We will listen, look at the facts, explain our findings and put matters right where we can. Making a complaint will not affect how we deal with any current or future case.
What you can complain about
You can complain if you are unhappy with the service you received from the Certification Office. This may include:
- delay or failure to keep you informed
- the way a member of staff communicated with or treated you
- the handling of your personal information
- accessibility or a reasonable adjustment
- another act or omission in the administration of our service
What this procedure does not cover
This procedure cannot change or review a formal decision made by the Certification Officer, a case management direction, or another decision made as part of the Certification Officer’s statutory functions. A formal decision will explain any right of appeal, including any right to appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal.
We may use another process where the issue falls under a separate legal route, such as a request for information or a concern about personal data. We will tell you if this applies.
How to complain
Please address your complaint to the Chief Executive and Assistant Certification Officer.
You can email your complaint to info@certoffice.org or write to:
Chief Executive and Assistant Certification Officer
Certification Office
11th Floor
14 Westfield Avenue
London E20 1HZ
If your complaint concerns the Chief Executive and Assistant Certification Officer, please mark it for the attention of the Certification Officer.
You can complain in the way that works best for you. If you cannot make the complaint in writing, contact us and we will help you record it. You may ask someone to complain for you. We may need your consent before we discuss personal information with them.
Please include, if you can:
- your name and contact details
- what happened, and when
- what you think went wrong
- what you would like us to do to put matters right
- any communication needs or reasonable adjustments.
When to complain
Please complain as soon as you can. You should normally complain within six months of the event, or within six months of becoming aware of it. We may accept a later complaint where there is a good reason and we can still investigate it fairly.
What happens next
- Acknowledge: We will confirm receipt, give you a contact name and tell you if we need more information. Normally within 3 working days.
- Consider and investigate if required: The Chief Executive and Assistant Certification Officer will normally consider your complaint. They may ask another suitable person to investigate it or provide information. If the complaint concerns the Chief Executive and Assistant Certification Officer, the Certification Officer will decide who should deal with it. We aim to give a full response within 10 working days.
- Keeping you informed: If we need longer, we will explain why and give you a new date.
- Respond: We will set out what we considered, our findings, the reasons, any remedy and any learning or action. In writing, unless another format has been agreed with you.
Possible outcomes
We may uphold your complaint in full, uphold it in part, or not uphold it. Where something went wrong, we will consider a fair and practical remedy. This may include:
- an apology and clear explanation
- correcting information or taking an action we missed
- reviewing a decision about service delivery, where we have power to do so
- changing guidance, training or working practice
- another proportionate step to address the effect of the error.
The Certification Officer has no power to award compensation and cannot provide a remedy that lies outside the Certification Officer’s powers.
If you remain dissatisfied
Our response is final and there is no internal review or appeal under this complaints procedure. If you remain dissatisfied, you may ask a Member of Parliament to refer your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is independent of the Certification Office.
More information is available at Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
Accessibility, respect and privacy
Tell us if you need information in another format, contact at set times, or another reasonable adjustment. We will consider what we can reasonably do and will record any agreed adjustment.
We will treat you with respect, and we ask you to treat our staff in the same way. We may set reasonable limits on contact that is abusive, threatening, or persistently repeats points we have already answered. We will explain any limits and keep them under review.
We will use personal information to consider and respond to the complaint, keep a record, and learn from complaints. We will share it only where needed and handle it under data protection law and our privacy notice.
Learning from complaints
We record complaints and their outcomes. We use this information to identify trends, check that actions have been completed and improve our service. We will not publish information that identifies a complainant.