SPSO Complaints

Complaints

We are reporting our Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) complaints received for April to September 2023. 

What is a SPSO complaint?

Ferguslie Park Housing Associations definition of a complaint is: 'an expression of dissatisfaction by one or more members of the public about our action or lack of action, or about the standard of service provided by or on behalf of Ferguslie Park Housing Association.’

A complaint may relate to the following, but is not restricted to this list: 

•         failure or refusal to provide a service
•          inadequate quality or standard of service, or an unreasonable delay in providing a service
•          delays in responding to enquiries or requests
•          unfairness, bias or prejudice in service delivery
•          lack of provision, or the provision of misleading, unsuitable or incorrect advice or information
•          a repair that has not been carried out properly or in an agreed timeframe
•          dissatisfaction with one of our policies or its impact on the individual
•          failure to properly apply law, procedure or guidance when delivering services
•         failure to follow the appropriate   process treatment by or attitude of a member of staff or contractor (except where there are arrangements in place for the contractor to handle the complaint themselves) or
•          disagreement with a decision. 

A complaint is not:

•          a routine first-time request for a service
•          a request for compensation only
•          issues that are in court or have already been heard by a court or a tribunal
•          disagreement with a decision where there is a statutory procedure for challenging that decision (such as for freedom of information and subject access requests), or an established appeals process followed throughout the sector
•         a request for information under the Data Protection or Freedom of Information (Scotland) Acts
•          a grievance by a staff member or a grievance relating to employment or staff recruitment
•         a concern raised internally by a member of staff (which was not about a service they received, such as a whistleblowing concern)
•         a concern about a child or an adult’s safety
•         an attempt to reopen a previously concluded complaint or to have a complaint reconsidered where we have already given our final decision
•         abuse or unsubstantiated allegations about our organisation or staff where such actions would be covered by our Unacceptable Actions Policy (or equivalent); or

•         a concern about the actions or service of a different organisation, where we are not involved in the issue (except where the other organisation is delivering services on our behalf). 

Below is a table detailing the SPSO complaints we have received for each department, and if the complaint has been upheld, not upheld or resolved.

SPSO Complaints from 1 April 2023 to 30 September 2023

Department	Stage 1 complaints	Stage 2 Complaints	Upheld	Not Upheld	Resolved
Housing	4	0	0	4	0
Maintenance	13	3	8	6	2
Customer Services	0	0	0	0	0
Total	17	3	8	10	2

 

Any complaint that is upheld will be reviewed by the relevant department Manager and any improvement plans required will be implemented.