Customer Service Policy
Mission
The NES Knowledge Services Group provides access to knowledge and promotes competence in its use to help to improve Scotland’s health and healthcare.
Our values
Everything we do and plan is based on the following seven principles:
- Embedding knowledge in the skills, practice and culture of health and healthcare
- Empowering individuals and communities in maximising health and wellbeing
- Equity of access and support, and proactively addressing inequalities
- Working in partnership
- Quality assurance of all resources and services
- Applying and promoting standards for sharing of knowledge
- Continuously improving and reviewing our services
We strive to provide courtesy, respect, timeliness, consistency and fitness for purpose in all our services. We regard all those involved in health and social care, both as service users and as service providers, as our customers.
Our commitment to you
We endeavour to:
- Make our online knowledge services available 24x7x365, with downtime of no more than 1%.
- Ensure that maintenance and development work which might affect service performance is not carried out at defined “at risk” periods, during evenings and weekends.
- As far as possible, give advance notification of such maintenance and development work, while recognising that occasional emergencies may require instant attention
Communication
NES Knowledge Services can be reached by post, phone, fax and e-mail. We will publicise our contact details and keep these up to date.
We aim to respond to all correspondence in a clear, concise and timely manner. We endeavour to ensure that all correspondence, including password requests, receives a response within 5 business days from receipt. More complicated issues will receive an acknowledgement within this response time, and continuous updates on progress until resolved. We are normally available 9.00-5.00 pm on business days to respond to phone calls. A voicemail system takes messages when we are not available.
We keep customers updated on our strategies and service development plans, using all appropriate communication channels. This includes email lists, online announcements on our websites and partner websites, promotional events and training opportunities.
Courtesy and respect
NES Knowledge Services staff will be educated in our service standards and will exhibit customer friendly service skills. Our staff will be knowledgeable, professional and courteous in meeting the needs of our customers and will treat all customers with respect.
Help and support
We make training and support materials available for our services, and publicise our training courses. We work in partnership with libraries, training departments and other functions in healthcare organisations to disseminate training and support as widely as possible.
Confidentiality
All information gathered or held regarding our customers will be held in strict compliance with the Data Protection Act. No information will be released to any third party in a format that will allow identification except with the express consent of the provider or as may be required by law.
Consultation, feedback and suggestions
Consultation, feedback and suggestions are integral to meeting our objectives. We conduct regular surveys of the needs and perceptions of our customers, using the feedback to enhance our services. Provision for giving feedback and making suggestions is also included in our online services and as part of our training and marketing opportunities.
Complaints
We seek fair, just and prompt solutions when possible to any complaints. All such issues should be raised using the standard Knowledge Services communication channels (e.g. phone, email, letter, fax) in the first instance, where they will be acknowledged and directed to the attention of the appropriate person. When necessary, the standard NES procedure for escalation of complaints will apply.
Monitoring
We will:
- Make it easy for you to make a complaint, comment or suggestion
- Monitor complaints to ensure we learn from our mistakes
- Publicise our customer service policy
- Monitor our performance against this policy
- Develop and support our staff so that they can provide a quality service
- Use regular customer surveys to gather feedback
How you can help us
We recognise that quality services can only be achieved in partnership with you, our customers. You can help us accomplish this by:
- Giving us the information we need to help you.
- Treating all our staff appropriately and with respect
- Helping us to improve by giving us your views and suggestions
- Adhering to our guidelines and relevant legislation (e.g. Copyright, Caldicott) on appropriate use of our services.
To find out more
If you would like to make a comment, compliment or complaint about our services, contact us at:
Knowledge Services Group
NHS Education for Scotland
First Floor, Clifton House
Clifton Place
Glasgow
G3 7LN
Telephone 0141 352 2894
Fax 0141 352 2801
Email elibrary@nes.scot.nhs.uk