Benefits of Membership
- ISCAS provides a complaints management framework for the independent healthcare sector incorporated in its Code of Practice.
- Compliance with the Code maximises healthcare providers’ ownership of complaints using local resolution procedures.
- The ISCAS Complaints Code’s Stage 3 adjudication affords dissatisfied complainants an independent review process with independent adjudication procedures.
- ISCAS gives providers closure of the complaints process, and a learning opportunity, at low cost.
- An Information Sharing Agreement is in place between ISCAS and separately, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW). The Public Services Ombudsman, CQC, Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and HIW afford ways to signpost the public to ISCAS, which is valued for the resolution of complaints in the independent healthcare sector. It is hoped an operating statement with HIS and Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) will shortly be in place.
The ISCAS Complaints Code’s Stage 3 adjudication affords dissatisfied complainants an independent review process with independent adjudication procedures. ISCAS has the discretion to award a goodwill payment up to the limit of £5,000, in accordance with the ISCAS Goodwill Payments Guide. However, as per the recent Annual Report for 2023- 2024, the average payment is £815. The Independent Adjudicators do not award compensation.