In our April update we flagged LeO’s call for input on its draft model complaints procedure. The final Model Complaints Resolution Procedure (MCRP) was launched on 29 July, and the SRA has signposted it as a best-practice resource.
It is an entirely voluntary complaints handling framework supported by practical guidance, toolkits and template letters, and sits alongside (rather than replacing) your SRA obligations in relation to complaints. It is built around two stages: Early Resolution and Full Investigation, and the pilot results are encouraging: across 631 complaints, 57% were resolved at the Early Resolution stage (in an average of 7 days), and only 19 were escalated to LeO.
To say you use the MCRP, your procedure must include five core features:
- A link to LeO’s resources (consumer resources can be found here).
- Receipt of all complaints must be acknowledged, with an explanation of the next steps.
- An Early Resolution stage (even if not used for every complaint).
- A Full Investigation stage (where the complaint cannot be resolved early).
- A written outcome (whether reached through early resolution or full investigation).
Beyond that, firms can adapt it to suit their size and type of work. Even if you don’t adopt it wholesale, it is worth comparing against your current procedure – particularly given that LeO consistently report that poor first-tier complaints handling comes up a lot in their investigations. Don’t let complaints escalate into complaints about complaints!
With the SRA’s latest consultation on first tier complaints and its proposed rule changes (see our blog here for more detail about the consultation), firms may be forgiven for feeling a bit at-sea about how to approach complaints-handling at the moment. Hopefully the position will be clearer once we hear further from the SRA following their consultation which closed on 1/9/26.