Complaints

Our policy, guiding principles and procedures apply to complaints received by South East HealthAbility Society about all aspects of our operations, including activities, service, staff and volunteers.  It also applies to complaints received by South East HealthAbility Society about the activities, service, staff and volunteers of our member Food Banks throughout the province.  While South East HealthAbility Society is not a regulatory or supervisory body, it is an expectation of South East HealthAbility Society that the staff and volunteers of both South East HealthAbility Society and Member Food Banks abide by the Food Banks of Canada Code of Conduct and Commitment to Ethics and will apply those standards in the resolution of complaints. 

• All complaints will be dealt with promptly and resolved as quickly as possible. 
• Review of complaints will be fair, impartial and respectful of all parties involved.  
• Complaints will be directed to the person or service provider most able to directly and expeditiously address the concern. 
• Complainants will be provided the basis for decisions and outcomes relating to their complaint. 
• Complaints will be used to assist in improving service, policies and procedures

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction or concern about the service, action or lack of action by South East HealthAbility Society or a Member Food Bank.  Examples may include (but are not limited to); 

• Perceived failure to deliver agreed-upon services, 
• Failure to uphold policies and procedures, 
• Error made by staff member or volunteer, 
• Unfair or discourteous conduct by a staff member or volunteer. 

Complaints will be received from those individuals who are personally and directly affected by the action and complainants will be expected to identify themselves when bringing forward their complaint. South East HealthAbility Society will not retaliate against individuals who make complaints.

 Once you have registered a complaint, the South East HealthAbility Society is committed to handling the complaint promptly, consistently, and fairly. You will be treated with respect and kept informed of the status of the complaint. The South East HealthAbility Society will respond to your complaint within 2 business days of receiving the complaint to confirm the complaint has been received and indicate expectations for how long the investigation will take if it can be reasonably assessed at that point.

The South East HealthAbility aims to resolve all complaints within 20 business days of receiving them. If this timeline cannot be met, you will be informed of the reasons and given a revised timeframe. Upon completion of the investigation, you will be provided with clear reasons for the decisions relating to the complaint.

 Once you have registered a complaint, the South East HealthAbility Society is committed to handling the complaint promptly, consistently, and fairly. You will be treated with respect and kept informed of the status of the complaint. The South East HealthAbility Society will respond to your complaint within 2 business days of receiving the complaint to confirm the complaint has been received and indicate expectations for how long the investigation will take if it can be reasonably assessed at that point.

The South East HealthAbility aims to resolve all complaints within 20 business days of receiving them. If this timeline cannot be met, you will be informed of the reasons and given a revised timeframe. Upon completion of the investigation, you will be provided with clear reasons for the decisions relating to the complaint.

Formal complaints and resolutions will be recorded and reviewed by the Administrator. Information recorded includes a description of the complaint, who handled it, timeframe, and a description of the resolution. A summary of formal complaints received including number and type will be reported to the Board of Directors monthly.