History of the Model Complaints Handling Procedures

Since 2012 the SPSO's Complaints Standards Unit has worked closely with a range of partners and stakeholders to develop and implement Model Complaints Handling Procedures (MCHPs) for each public service sector.

The Model Complaints Handling Procedures (MCHPs) were developed in line with the recommendations of the Crerar review and the Sinclair report (link is external), which advised that the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) simplify and improve complaints handling by developing complaints handling standards.  They were also developed within the framework of the SPSO Statement of Complaint Handling Principles, approved by the Scottish Parliament, and Guidance on a Model Complaints Handling Procedure. Copies of these archived document are available on request. Please email [email protected]

Sector MCHPs

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.

Revised MCHP 2021

In 2018-19, we conducted a review of the MCHPs to establish its effectiveness and usability.

Following our consultation across all sectors, the MCHPs were revised to:

  • standardise the core text across all of Scotland’s public services (to remove minor inconsistencies in how the MCHP operates within different sectors), while retaining individualised sector-specific content and examples in each version
  • update the MCHPs in line with:
    • feedback from organisations under jurisdiction (via a consultation survey and individual feedback from contacts with SPSO)
    • issues identified in casework
    • recent research and good practice in relation to using alternative resolution approaches, promoting positive complaint behaviours and improving access to complaints for vulnerable groups.

The updated MCHPs were published under section 16B(5) of the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Act 2002 on 31 January 2020 to give public sector organisations time to implement any changes by April 2021. 

Contact us

If you are contacting us on behalf of a public sector organisation and have any questions about complaints handling, or if you need support or guidance, please get in touch with us.

Phone:  0131 297 4863

Online: Contact form 

Updated: August 19, 2025