Complaints Procedure

Step One

If you have a complaint or concern about the level of care you have received from our practitioners, teachers or any member of staff, please let us know.

Please make your complaint to either of the Practice managers (Johanna Benseler or Jenny O’Connell) either in person, by phone or in an email (manager@thesunflowercentre.co.uk) or by letter. If you telephone us or speak to us in person, the complaint will be logged and whoever takes your call will attempt to resolve the issue for you. If you are not satisfied, we will tell you when it is likely that the practice manager will be free to ring you to discuss the matter or invite you to come to the practice to do so. We will investigate your complaint during the following few days and will aim to get back to you within seven working days.

The Sunflower centre’s promise to you is that we shall:

• Treat your complaint seriously
• Work to resolve your complaint promptly and in confidence
• Learn lessons and use them to review and where appropriate improve our service
• Find out what happened and what went wrong
• Make sure you receive an explanation and apology if this is appropriate
• Deal with your complaint and reach an amicable solution
• Identify what we can do as a practice to ensure that this problem does not arise again

Step Two

If you do not feel that your complaint has been resolved to your satisfaction you can talk to an independent source about it. For e.g.: Contact the insurer for the relevant practitioner/teacher.

 Step Three

If you are concerned about safety and you wish to instigate a formal complaint. Please contact the governing body (where there is one) for the practice involved. For e.g. Osteopathy (GOC) Acupuncture (BAC) Counselling (BACP

2. Data Protection Complaints (DUAA) – Effective 19 June 2026)

This procedure explains how individuals can raise concerns about how their personal information is collected, used, stored, or shared. It meets the requirements of the Data Use and Access Act 2025 (DUAA) and associated ICO guidance (February 2026).

a) How Individuals can make a complaint

Individuals may raise a data protection complaint in the following ways.

We will accept complaints made:

• Using a data protection complaint form
• By email
• By telephone
• In writing
• Through our website contact form
• Via social media
• In person via the Sunflower Reception

We will never refuse a complaint because it was not submitted through the “official” route.

b) Information we may need

To help us investigate, we may ask for:

• The nature of the concern
• Relevant dates, interactions, or evidence
• What outcome the individual is seeking
• Proof of identity (if needed to confirm who we are communicating with)
• A letter of authority or power of attorney if someone is acting on another person’s behalf

We will request this information as early as possible.

c) Acknowledging the complaint

We will:

• Acknowledge all data protection complaints within 30 days
• Confirm who is handling the complaint
• Explain the next steps and expected timescales

If the complaint is from a child or young person, we will assess their competence to exercise their rights and adapt our communication accordingly.

d) Investigating the complaint

We will:

• Review the issues raised and any relevant records
• Speak with staff involved (if applicable)
• Assess whether our data handling complied with DUAA and ICO guidance
• Identify any risks, errors, or areas for improvement
• Keep the individual updated if the investigation takes longer than expected

e) Responding to the complaint

We will provide a written response that includes:

• The outcome of our investigation
• Any actions we have taken or will take
• Any learning or improvements identified
• Information on the individual’s right to escalate the matter

f) If the individual is not satisfied

If the individual remains unhappy with our response, they may:

• Ask us to review the decision
• Raise their concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

We will provide the ICO’s contact details in our response.

g) Recording and learning

We will:

• Log all data protection complaints
• Record outcomes and actions taken
• Identify themes or recurring issues
• Use learning to improve our data protection practices, staff training, and member/patient communications

h) Staff responsibilities

All staff must:

• Know how to recognise a data protection complaint
• Forward complaints immediately to the Data Protection Lead
• Support investigations promptly and transparently
• Complete any required training on DUAA and complaint handling