Complaints Procedure

Introduction

We aim to maintain high standards in all that we do but recognise that we can sometimes get things wrong, despite our best intentions.

Leukaemia & Myeloma Research UK (LMRUK) values your feedback and appreciates that a complaint is not just an opportunity to put things right that may have gone wrong but also to improve the service we offer. When something goes wrong we need you to tell us about it. This will help us improve our standards.
A complaint in this Procedure means any expression of dissatisfaction in relation to LMRUK that requires a response from LMRUK.

Complaints which will be dealt with under this Procedure

This Procedure is applicable to complaints from users of LMRUK’s services, those involved in LMRUK’s activities, clients, customers, beneficiaries, members, donors, fundraisers, supporters, members of the local community or any other person or organisation who has a legitimate interest in LMRUK. It is not applicable to complaints or grievances from staff or volunteers or trustees.

How to make a complaint

First stage

If you have a complaint you can contact us in person or by phone, email, or letter as set out below.

To help us investigate and address all complaints, we ask you to provide us with as much information as possible. This should cover:

• The reason for your complaint
• Where and when what you are complaining about happened
• The name(s) of anyone involved (if known)
• What outcome you are hoping for (but we are not obliged to resolve the complaint in that way)
• Your contact details (name, address, daytime telephone number and/or email address)

Who you should contact within LMRUK will depend on how you to decide to make contact, and on who you wish to make a complaint about. We have indicated below who you can contact.

We expect any complainant to be polite and courteous and will not tolerate aggressive, abusive or unreasonable behaviour or demands. Whilst complainants are generally entitled to receive responses to a complaint and to challenge any responses received from LMRUK, we will not deal with complaints or challenges where in the reasonable opinion of the Complaints Officer they amount to persistent, habitual or vexatious complaints or challenges.

We will ensure that all information received and produced in connection with a complaint is treated as confidential and handled sensitively, that only those who need to know have access to that information, and that relevant data protection requirements are all met.

Verbal complaints

You can make a complaint by telephone or by speaking to us in person in any of the following ways, during office hours.

If your complaint is about any member of staff, volunteer or trustee, you can phone us on 08003687309 and ask to speak to our Complaints Officer. They will either speak to you about the complaint or, if they are not the appropriate person to do so, they will arrange for the appropriate person to speak to you on the phone. Alternatively, you can speak (or arrange to speak) in person to the appropriate person about your complaint.

If you do not feel that you can approach the above verbally for any reason, you can instead write to us as follows:

Complaints in writing

If you would prefer to write to us, please send your complaint to us as follows:
Either by letter addressed as follows:
Complaints Officer
LMRUK
Unit 127
North Mersey Business Centre
Woodward Road
Knowsley Industrial Park
Liverpool
L337UY

or by email to the Complaints Officer at cs@leukaemiamyelomaresearchuk.org

Once that person has initially received your complaint, we will normally deal with it as follows:

Timescales for all First Stage complaints

We will try to resolve the problem as quickly as possible but if we cannot do this (for example, if we need to investigate further), we will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within the following timescale:

• By phone or in person, within 28 days
• By email, within 28 days
• By letter, within 28 days

Our acknowledgement will inform you of when we will next contact you either with a proposed resolution or update. It will also inform you of the name of the person dealing with your complaint. That person will then investigate and deal with it and then respond to you with their definitive reply within four weeks of the acknowledgement. If this is not possible because, for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report will be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given.

Second stage

If, for any reason, you are not happy with the resolution of your complaint under the First Stage procedure outlined above, you can bring this to our attention as follows.

Please address a letter to:
Complaints Officer
LMRUK
Unit 127
North Mersey Business Centre
Woodward Road
Knowsley Industrial Park
Liverpool
L337UY

Alternatively, please email to the Complaints Officer at cs@leukaemiamyelomaresearchuk.org

Please set out clearly the details of the complaint, explaining why you were not satisfied with our response under the First Stage and what you would like us to do to put things right.

The Complaints Officer will send an acknowledgment within 5 working days and arrange for the Chair or Vice Chair of Trustees to investigate your complaint and respond with a definitive reply within a further 28 days.

Follow up

In order for us to make improvements to Leukaemia & Myeloma Research UK and its services, we may wish to contact you within a month of your complaint being dealt with in order to check that you were satisfied with our resolution. Any information you give will only be used to make improvements to Leukaemia & Myeloma Research UK and its services.

Taking your complaint outside Leukaemia & Myeloma Research UK

The Fundraising Regulator

If your complaint is about our fundraising work or activities and you are not satisfied with our response, you are entitled to take it to the Fundraising Regulator. This is the self-regulatory scheme that works to ensure that organisations raising money from the public do so honestly and properly.

Charity Commission

If your complaint is about any other aspect of our charitable work other than our fundraising work or activities, you may wish to contact the Charity Commission. However, we suggest that, before you do so, you consider whether it is appropriate to contact the Commission in the first instance rather than ourselves. The Commission has guidance on its website as to when to direct complaints to a charity and not to the Commission.

Their contact details are: