MyGlasgow News

Changes are on the way to the processes used by the University for handling complaints.   It follows a review by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) and legislation contained in the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010.

All Higher and Further Education organisations in Scotland have been told they must adopt a 'Model' complaints handling procedure.  The SPSO has said this must be implemented by the end of August at the latest. One key feature is the expectation that all staff must be familiar with the new procedure and be ready to promote what is being called 'frontline resolution' - trying to resolve complaints quickly and amicably.

Ruth Cole from the Senate Office said:  ‘Complaints about the University are currently dealt with under our own complaints procedure. Where the complaint is found to be justified we aim to put things right as quickly as possible; this forms an important part of the overall quality assurance mechanisms for the University.

 ‘The new process we are being asked to adopt, in common with other Scottish universities, has a number of significant differences from our current complaints procedure, including much more stringent requirements in terms of the recording and reporting of complaints.  From August this year the University will be required to keep detailed records of all the complaints it receives.

 ‘More complex complaints will be considered through a formal investigation. Again the new emphasis will be on swift resolution: the final outcome on the complaint – where possible – must be issued within 20 working days. This is an important issue for the University: being fully compliant with the new procedure will be one of the conditions of SFC funding.’

Professor John Briggs, Clerk of Senate and Vice-Principal said:  ‘We are committed to the introduction of the new procedure in line with the University’s values of integrity, credibility and openness.

‘Staff and students will be hearing more about this in the coming weeks, and while the new timescales for resolving complaints are challenging, it is clearly beneficial for all parties to a complaint that resolution is achieved quickly.’ 

The Senate Office will be disseminating more information in due course and will be posting bulletins on the Senate Office Complaints website. Campus eNews will carry updates as more information becomes available and the new procedures come into operation.

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First published: 15 March 2013