The MND Association is committed to delivering high standards of service, both to the people we support and to those who support us. 

The purpose of this policy is to outline how we will respond to feedback and complaints. This policy sets the standards we will uphold for all complaints. We will use information from feedback and complaints we receive to constructively reflect, learn, monitor and improve our performance.

This policy applies to individuals (members of the general public), volunteers and organisations wishing to give us feedback or complain about the performance of our services, fundraising activities, the suitability of campaigns, the conduct of our employees or volunteers, and third parties working with us or representing the MND Association.

This policy does not apply to internal complaints concerning MND Association employees, including agency workers, interns, secondees, contractors or consultants. In the event that a complaint needs to be made to any of these categories, the internal Grievance Policy and Disciplinary Process will be followed.

If you would like to feedback, raise a complaint or submit a general enquiry about our services or the work we do, you can complete our short feedback form.

You can also give us feedback or make a complaint in the following ways:

Our principles in dealing with feedback and complaints

Supporters of the MND Association are at the heart of everything we do, and we believe that supporting us should be a positive and rewarding experience.

Our vision is a world free from MND and we work to achieve this aim through building open and transparent relationships. Without our supporters we simply wouldn't be able to continue the fight against MND. That's why the trust of supporters, is vital to us and why we're committed to being fully accountable. 

We seek to ensure that feedback and complaints are:

  • Dealt with by a named point of contact (feedback/complaint handler)
  • Listened to and investigated thoroughly 
  • Acknowledged swiftly and logged
  • Investigated and dealt with in an appropriate, fair and timely manner
  • Learned from – we use the outcome of complaints and remedial action as a positive way of monitoring and improving our performance and services
  • Logged and reported to the CEO and our board of trustees through our established governance structures, which forms an important part of our charity governance
  • Respected, and kept confidential as far as possible. Any information about the complaint or feedback will usually only be shared with those who need to know in order to resolve it, learn from it, or for reporting purposes. There may, however, be occasions when we cannot provide absolute confidentiality. This may for example arise in circumstances where a child or vulnerable adult may be at risk of harm. In these circumstances our safeguarding policy will take precedence over this policy and any relevant information may be shared with others concerned in the safety and welfare of people affected by MND.

If you make a complaint this will not affect your support from us in any way. Any information you give will be treated with sensitivity. Information about your complaint will be kept separate from any care records we hold.

If you use our feedback and complaints policy you are agreeing that we can use any personal information you send us for purposes connected with your complaint or feedback. We will only give your personal information to other people and organisations if you have given us permission to do so.

Take a look at our Supporter Promise. 

How we handle your feedback or complaint

Some issues can be resolved straight away. If the problem is fairly minor, as a first step we suggest that you raise the issue informally with the team or person concerned. We will do everything we can to put things right.

It is best to tell us as soon as possible and within 12 months of the event happening or within 12 months of discovering you have a cause to complain. Complaints received outside of these timescales may still be investigated if there is a reason the complaint could not be made earlier and if it is still possible to investigate what happened.

How to feedback or make a complaint 

If you would like to feedback, pay us a compliment, raise a complaint, or submit a general enquiry about our services, our activities, or the work we do, you can do so by completing our short online feedback form.

You can also give us feedback or make a complaint in the following ways:


Complaint management 

Stage 1: We will acknowledge a complaint within 5 working days of receiving it.

Stage 2: Your complaint will be passed on to the relevant person to investigate. The complaint handlers name will be disclosed to you.

Where possible, we will discuss your concern with you to understand what has happened. We will also talk about:

  • How long it may take us to investigate your concerns
  • What you would like to see happen as a result of your complaint
  • The way in which we will investigate your complaint
  • How you would like to receive your response – for example, by telephone, email or letter.

Stage 3: We will send a formal response within 15 working days. If, due to the complexity of the complaint, this is not possible, the complaint handler will keep you updated on our progress.

Stage 4: If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint please let us know within 10 working days stating the basis for your appeal. Your complaint will be referred to a senior member of staff or trustee, who will carry out a review and let you know the outcome. We aim to complete the review as quickly as possible.

Definitions

Feedback
Feedback can be positive and negative. It may highlight areas of improvement, but it is not an expression of dissatisfaction. Feedback should be acknowledged and considered and does not need to be logged as a complaint.

Complaint 
A complaint is defined as an expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not, regarding the standard of service, actions, or inaction, policy or position of the MND Association.

Complaint handler
The person that has been assigned to investigate your complaint, provide progress updates, and log your complaint.

Who do I contact if I am not happy with your decision

You have the right to contact these organisations if you’re unhappy with how we have dealt with your complaint and appeal. Usually, these organisations will take up a case after giving us the opportunity to reply or provide more information.

General complaints
Charity Commission for England and Wales
102 Petty France
London 
SW1H 9AJ

Tel: 0300 066 9197
Website: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-charity 


Fundraising complaints
If your complaint relates to fundraising, the Fundraising Regulator can investigate.

Fundraising Regulator
Eagle House
167 City Road
London
EC1V 1AW

Tel: 0300 999 3407
Website: https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/complaints 


Personal data complaints
If your complaint relates to the use of your personal data you can contact the Information
Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Information Commissioners Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Tel: 0303 123 1113
Website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/ 
 

What constitutes as a serious complaint

The Charity Commission for England and Wales defines a ‘serious’ complaint as one concerning
an action that could cause ‘serious risk or harm to the charity or the people it was set up to help.’

They provide the following list of such actions –

•    A charity not following the law, with damaging consequences to its reputation and public trust in charities generally

•    Serious harm to the people the charity helps or other people who come into contact with the charity through its work

•    A person or organisation unlawfully receiving significant financial benefit from a charity

•    Criminal, illegal or terrorist activity

•    A charity set up for illegal or improper purposes

•    A charity losing significant amounts of money

•    A charity losing significant assets, for example land or buildings

For more information, please visit the Charity Commissions website. https://forms.charitycommission.gov.uk/raising-concerns/ 
 

The Fundraising Regulator

We are a member of the Fundraising Regulator (FR). The FR is the body for self-regulation of fundraising in the UK. The FR scheme is open to all fundraising organisations. As a member of the FR, the MND Association agrees to adhere to the highest standards of good practice with our fundraising and a Fundraising Promise.