Complaint Handling Reports

Stage 1 (Frontline Resolution) is used in the majority of cases, with likely outcomes being an on-the-spot apology, an explanation or other action to resolve the complaint very quickly (usually within five working days). 

Stage 2 (Complaint Investigation) is appropriate where attempts at Frontline Resolution have failed, or where the issue is sufficiently complex, serious or high risk from the outset that Frontline Resolution would not be appropriate.

The University is committed to reporting regularly on:

• performance statistics detailing complaint volumes, types and key performance information, for example on time taken and stage at which complaints were resolved and
• the trends and outcomes of complaints and the actions taken in response including examples to demonstrate how complaints have helped improve services

Complaints information are reported quarterly to the University Executive and annually to the Senate Quality Assurance Committee and as per the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman ( SPSO) requirement, complaints performance reports are published on our website. 

In the significant majority of complaint cases, most areas are able to resolve matters without the need for a Stage 2 investigation, and we are proud of our ability across the University to respond to most complaints at the ‘frontline’ level. Continuous learning and development of our processes is a key element so we seek to identify learning points or recommendations for improvement when reviewing complaint submissions. Due to the small number of cases which result in a Stage 2 investigation, giving details of such learning points could allow an individual case to be identified. Therefore, we have provided a summary of some learning points from Stage 1 and 2 in a generalised format to prevent identification.

As a result of complaint submissions, this has led to:

• expansion of the induction programme for tutors in one School;
• increased the provision of briefing sessions on the Complaint Handling Procedure (CHP) for staff across the University;
• made amendments to the complaint form to be completed by complainants and contributed to the consideration of a student conduct report form;
• contributed to the review of processes in one area of student support;
• reviewed postgraduate application handling procedures in a large graduate school;
• introduced a Support for Study policy, designed to provide an alternative to the Code of Student Conduct in cases where a student’s behaviour is thought to be related to health concerns;
• contributed to the development of the Student Complaints Relating to Staff Conduct Procedure to improve handling of cases which involve other procedures, such as human resources;
• provided guidance to Schools and local contacts on good practice in relation to SPSO's guidance in considering redress or issuing apologies;
• advising local contacts on the shared responsibilities for handling complaints and ensuring escalation routes are known and highlighted;
• UG Curriculum reviews set up in one School to address the volume and spread of assessments in exam periods;
• Setting expectations of  meetings with students, advising to provide minutes or summaries when needed.