Complaints Policy

Muslim Weight Management is committed to providing high‑quality, evidence‑based educational services and CME/CPD activities that are independent of commercial influence. We welcome feedback and complaints as a valuable way to improve what we do. Our complaints handling is informed by applicable UK law (including the Equality Act 2010, UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018), relevant CPD accreditation standards, and Islamic ethical principles of fairness, justice, and avoidance of harm.

a) Purpose and scope

This policy explains how you can raise a complaint about our CME/CPD and related educational services, how we will handle it, and the timescales you can expect.

It applies to all participants, speakers, partners, and other stakeholders engaging with our educational services. It does not govern complaints about clinical care provided by third parties, for which we do not accept responsibility.

Our activities are educational and are not a substitute for clinical judgment, local guidelines, or individual patient assessment. Participants remain responsible for decisions about their own clinical practice and must follow their professional and regulatory obligations.

Where participants are based outside the UK, we will seek to handle complaints fairly and transparently; however, unless mandatory local law requires otherwise, this policy and any dispute arising out of or in connection with it are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales will have non‑exclusive jurisdiction.

Complaints will be handled in a manner consistent with applicable UK equality, data protection, and consumer protection law and, where an activity is accredited, with the complaints standards of the relevant CPD/CME accrediting body.

b) What can you complain about?

You may raise a complaint about (including but not limited to):

The quality, accuracy, or balance of information provided in our programmes or CME/CPD activities.
The behaviour or conduct of our staff, speakers, or representatives.
Administrative issues, such as registration, access, certificates, or communications.
Any other aspect of our services that you believe does not meet expected standards or relevant professional/CPD requirements.
Any concern about discrimination, harassment, or victimisation in relation to a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 (for example disability, sex, race, religion or belief, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity).
Any safeguarding concern relating to the safety or wellbeing of participants, or to the use of case material in our activities.

Complaints about equal treatment, accessibility or disability‑related adjustments may also be addressed under our Equal Treatment Policy and Disability Discrimination Policy, as appropriate.

c) How to make a complaint

Complaints can be submitted via our website contact form at:
https://muslimweightmanagement.com/contact

Please provide:

Your name and contact details.
The service or CME/CPD activity title and date.
A clear description of your concern.
The outcome you are seeking, where possible.

We encourage you to raise complaints within 6 months of the relevant event or of becoming aware of it. We may still consider older complaints where there is good reason for the delay, but our ability to investigate may be limited.

If your complaint relates specifically to data protection or privacy, you may also indicate this so that it can be referred to our data protection lead in line with our Data Protection Policy and UK GDPR requirements.

d) Timescales and process

Acknowledgement

We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 2 working days.

Initial review and triage

Your complaint will be reviewed to determine whether it relates to:

i.General service delivery or customer experience, or
ii. CME/CPD activity content, faculty, or accreditation requirements, or
iii. Data protection/privacy issues, or
iv. Equality, discrimination, or safeguarding issues.

This helps us involve the most appropriate person or team.

Investigation

Your complaint will be investigated by the CME Lead or an appropriate senior manager who is not directly involved in the matter, and who can act impartially.
Where relevant, investigators will be independent of any external sponsors or commercial partners involved in the activity, and will not have a direct financial interest in the subject of the complaint.
Where necessary, we may request further information from you and/or from relevant staff, speakers, or partners.
Where the complaint concerns data protection, our data protection lead may review relevant records and policies as part of the investigation, in line with UK GDPR guidance on complaints handling.

Response

We aim to provide a written response within 21 working days of acknowledgement, setting out:
Our understanding of your complaint.
ii. The steps taken to investigate it.
iii. Our findings and any proposed actions or remedies.
If the matter is complex and we cannot respond within 21 working days, we will let you know, explain why more time is needed, and provide an updated timescale. We will seek to conclude the investigation and respond in writing as soon as reasonably practicable and normally within 30 working days.
Our response will be as clear and specific as possible so that you can understand how we reached our conclusions and what, if any, actions we will take.

Review / appeal

If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome, you may request a review by a senior director who was not involved in the original decision.
A final written outcome will normally be provided within 14 working days of your request for review.
The reviewer may uphold the original decision, uphold your complaint in whole or in part, or propose alternative actions or remedies.

e) Escalation to CPD accreditation bodies and professional regulators

Where an activity is formally accredited by a CPD/CME body (for example, a UK Medical Royal College or other recognised accrediting organisation), participants will be informed that they may escalate concerns directly to that body once our internal process has been completed, in line with its published complaints procedures and time limits.

Details of the appropriate accrediting organisation and its complaints route (including website links or contact details) will be provided in the programme information and/or in our written response, where applicable.

We will cooperate reasonably with any investigation or review undertaken by an accrediting body in relation to our CME/CPD activities.

Where a complaint suggests serious concerns about a health professional’s conduct or fitness to practise, we may need to inform relevant organisations such as their employer or professional regulator, in line with our legal, ethical, and data‑protection duties.

f) Confidentiality, fairness, and data protection

Complaints will be handled sensitively, with information shared only with those who need it to investigate and respond.

We will treat all parties fairly and will consider all complaints without discrimination, in line with the Equality Act 2010 and our Equal Treatment Policy.

In line with Islamic principles of justice and accountability, complainants and anyone supporting a complaint will not suffer detrimental treatment or victimisation for raising a concern in good faith or for helping someone else to do so, consistent with protections under equality law.

All personal data related to a complaint will be processed and stored in line with our Data Protection Policy, the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and any other mandatory local data protection laws that apply. Complaint records will be retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for these purposes and in accordance with our data retention rules.

g) Learning and improvement

We review complaints periodically to identify themes, trends, or recurring issues.

Where appropriate, we will use learning from complaints to improve our services, CME/CPD activities, policies, training, and communication.

We are committed, in line with both professional and Islamic ethical principles, to using feedback and complaints to enhance the quality, safety, and inclusivity of our educational provision and to minimise the risk of recurrence of similar issues.