Complaints and Compliments - Veterans Community Network

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The Veterans Community Network (VCN) aims to provide its members and service users with the best possible service. We are committed to continually improving our services through your feedback process, whether this is a compliment or a complaint. Compliments let us know we are doing things right; complaints mean we may need to learn from them and change our current practice. We recognize that, from time to time, users of our services may feel that the quality or level of service provided falls short of what they could reasonably expect.

We greatly value your continued goodwill, and we would expect to resolve any day-to-day difficulties or complaints informally and as quickly as possible. In the first instance, we encourage you to raise any feedback you may have about the service you have received directly with the member of staff concerned or with the Service Director. Many issues can be addressed and resolved at this more informal stage.

If you do not feel the matter has been resolved at this informal stage, you may follow our complaints policy and make a formal complaint. The more formal procedure outlined below is intended for use by members and other users of our services, where informal communication has not resolved the problem.

Complaints should be made within 12 months of the date of the event that you’re complaining about or as soon as the matter first came to your attention.

To address any issues, please submit your complaint in person, by telephone, letter, or email to the Service Director, who will acknowledge receipt in writing within five working days. If the complaint falls under our complaints policy and pertains to the Service Director, it will be forwarded to one of the Trustees who is independent of the Service Director. As part of our feedback process, please provide as much detail as you can about what has happened, when it occurred, who was involved, and what resolution you are seeking as an outcome to your complaint regarding the Veterans Community Network.

The Service Director will investigate the circumstances leading to the complaint as part of our complaints policy and will communicate the results of the investigation to the complainant within a reasonable time – typically within 20 working days of receiving the complaint. If the complaint is found to be justified, the Service Director will agree on any necessary further action with the complainant. 

If you would like to provide feedback or make a formal complaint, please contact: 

Dr Gillian Le Page  

Service Director  

Veterans Community Network  

Email: gill@vcn.org.uk  

Should the complainant be dissatisfied with the results of the enquiry, they have the right to submit their case in writing to an appeal panel composed of two Trustee Board members who have not been involved in the investigation and are not connected to the Service Director. 

If the appeal is found to be justified, the appeal panel will agree on any necessary further action with the complainant. 

The Service Director will keep the Trustee Board informed about the number and nature of complaints as well as their outcomes. They will report on the complaints policy at each Trustee meeting. 

All service users and beneficiaries will be made aware of the Veterans Community Network’s Compliments & Complaints Policy through our website and our Consent Form.