Complaints

Raising a complaint

AHDS has a two stage complaints process.

Stage 1

Most issues can be resolved informally (Stage 1).  If you are unhappy with the service provided by AHDS, you should normally raise this with the individual you have been engaging with in the first instance.  You can do this in writing, by e-mail, by phone or in person. 

They will listen and seek clarity about the outcome you are looking for.  They will respond within five working days.

If contacting the person you are already engaging with feels inappropriate, you should contact a senior member of our team as per the table below:

My complaint relates to:                               Raise it with:

Member of National Executive or Council      Deputy General Secretary

Admin support team at AHDS HQ                   Deputy General Secretary

Area Officer                                                          Professional Advice Officer

Professional Advice Officer                               Deputy General Secretary

Deputy General Secretary                                 General Secretary

General Secretary                                               Vice-President

Stage 2

If you remain dissatisfied, you can submit a formal complaint (Stage 2).  This must be in writing and should be sent to the General Secretary (or to the President if the complaint is about the General Secretary).  It must set out what happened, highlighting key dates and people involved.  It should make clear what you are dissatisfied about and the outcome or remedy you are looking for.

Your complaint will be acknowledged, normally within 5 working days, and we will explain the next steps and an indicative timeframe for our response.  We will provide our response to your complaint in writing.

Review

Members will have scope to seek a review of the outcome if they remain dissatisfied.  Such a review would be undertaken by a panel drawn from the National Executive committee and would be restricted to consideration of whether the complaint process was followed fairly and whether the decision was reasonable in light of the information available. 

A review will not re‑hear the case from scratch or introduce new information.