History of the Model Complaints Handling Procedures

The Further Education MCHP was developed in consultation with key stakeholders, including Scotland’s Colleges and sector-specific complaints experts. It was published on 19 December 2012, with full implementation required by 30 August 2013.

In addition to the requirement to adopt the MCHP under the SPSO Act 2002 (as amended), its adoption was also a condition of the Scottish Funding Council’s (SFC) Financial Memorandum.

The current version of the Further Education MCHP was published in January 2020 and can be downloaded from The Model Complaints Handling Procedures section of the SPSO website.

Copies of the original MCHP are available on request. Please email [email protected]. 

The Higher Education Model Complaints Handling Procedure (MCHP) was developed in consultation with key stakeholders, including Universities Scotland and and sector-specific complaints experts. It was published on 19 December 2012, with full implementation required by 30 August 2013.

In addition to the requirement to adopt the MCHP under the SPSO Act 2002 (as amended), its adoption was also a condition of the Scottish Funding Council’s (SFC) Financial Memorandum.

The current version of the Higher Education MCHP was published in January 2020 and can be downloaded from The Model Complaints Handling Procedures section of the SPSO website.

Copies of the original MCHP are available on request. Please email [email protected]. 

The Local Authority MCHP was developed by a working group of local authority complaints experts, in consultation with key partners such as the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE), the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), the Improvement Service and Audit Scotland.

The original Local Authority MCHP was published on 28 March 2012. The SPSO assessed each local authority’s compliance with the MCHP in September 2012. Authorities found to be non-compliant were required to demonstrate a clear and realistic plan for implementation by 31 March 2013 at the latest.

Compliance with the original MCHP was monitored by Audit Scotland, in partnership with the SPSO, using a risk-based and proportionate approach aligned with the principles of the Shared Risk Assessment (SRA) arrangements.

The current version of the Local Authority MCHP was published in January 2020 and can be downloaded from The Model Complaints Handling Procedures section of the SPSO website.

Copies of the original MCHP are available on request. Please email [email protected].

Changes to the handling of social work complaints were introduced through the Public Services Reform (Social Work Complaints Procedure) (Scotland) Order 2016. These changes included giving the SPSO the authority to consider the merits of social work decisions as part of its independent complaint investigations.

The Social Work MCHP was published by the SPSO on 15 December 2016, with a requirement for all organisations under the SPSO’s jurisdiction that deliver social work services to adopt it by 1 April 2017.

This MCHP was developed in collaboration with representatives from social work, health and social care, the Scottish Government, third sector organisations, and other key public sector partners.

Organisations were required to continue handling any social work complaints received before 1 April 2017 under the previous complaints procedure. As a result, Complaints Review Committee hearings continued to be necessary for some time after the new procedure came into effect. The SPSO’s extended role in reviewing professional judgement applies only to complaints originally made to local authorities on or after 1 April 2017.

In January 2020, the SPSO revised most sector-specific MCHPs and incorporated the Social Work MCHP into the Local Authority MCHP. The current version of the Local Authority MCHP is available for download from The Model Complaints Handling Procedures section of the SPSO website.

Copies of the original Social Work MCHP are available on request. Please email [email protected].

The Registered Social Landlord (RSL) MCHP was developed through surveys, focus groups, and meetings of an advisory panel of housing associations and a high-level group of key stakeholders. It was created in consultation with key partners, including the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR), the Chartered Institute of Housing, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, and tenant groups.

The original RSL MCHP was published on 18 April 2012, and the SPSO assessed compliance of each RSL in October 2012. RSLs that were not compliant were required to demonstrate a clear and realistic plan for implementation by 31 March 2013 at the latest.

Compliance with the MCHP was monitored by the Scottish Housing Regulator, in conjunction with the SPSO, through the Scottish Social Housing Charter and the Annual Return on the Charter. This monitoring fed into the SHR’s risk-based approach to regulation.

The current version of the RSL MCHP was published in January 2020 and can be downloaded from The Model Complaints Handling Procedures section of the SPSO website.

Copies of the original MCHP are available on request. Please email [email protected].

The MCHP for the Scottish Government, Scottish Parliament and Associated Public Authorities under the SPSO’s jurisdiction was published on 28 March 2013. These organisations were expected to adopt the procedure and advise the SPSO of its implementation by September 2013, or to confirm a commitment to implement it by 31 March 2014 at the latest.

The current version of the MCHP for Scottish Government, Scottish Parliament and Associated Public Authorities was published in January 2020 and can be downloaded from The Model Complaints Handling Procedures section of the SPSO website.

Copies of the original MCHP are available on request. Please email [email protected].

The NHS MCHP was developed through a partnership approach, led by a steering group involving the SPSO and representatives from across NHS Scotland. This included territorial boards, the Scottish Health Council, NHS Education for Scotland, NHS National Services Scotland, the National Prisoner Healthcare Network, primary care, and the NHS Complaints Personnel Association Scotland. The independent Patient Advice and Support Service and Healthcare Improvement Scotland public partners also played an active role.

Chief Executives were responsible for ensuring that their organisations and primary care service providers were prepared to implement the revised procedure from 1 April 2017. Specifically, they were asked to ensure that:

• NHS Boards submitted their organisation’s complaints handling procedure to the Scottish Government by 7 April 2017
• NHS Boards assured themselves that primary care service providers were ready to implement the procedure by April 2017
• staff were aware of the revised procedure, particularly its stronger focus on early resolution, and were empowered to implement itappropriate reporting and monitoring mechanisms were in place.

The NHS MCHP has not been revised since its launch in 2017. All current NHS MCHP documentation can be downloaded from The Model Complaints Handling Procedures section of the SPSO website.