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The BBC has mentioned it apologised to the family at the centre of the Huw Edwards scandal after a assessment into their complaints course of was revealed.
A assessment into how non-editorial complaints are dealt with at the BBC was commissioned in the wake of the scandal in July over allegations that Mr Edwards obtained inappropriate messages from a young person and gave them cash.
The alleged sufferer’s mother and father declare they lodged a grievance to the BBC in May final 12 months however turned to The Sun newspaper after their concern was not handled accordingly.
Published on Tuesday, the assessment has discovered a necessity for “greater consistency” in how complaints at the company are processed.
The report highlights failures within the complaints course of, saying the preliminary grievance about Edwards was not logged on the related case administration system so couldn’t be seen by senior figures.
There was additionally no documented course of for contact and follows-ups with the complainant, so when makes an attempt to make contact have been unsuccessful, the course of motion was not clear.
A assessment into how non-editorial complaints are dealt with at the BBC was commissioned within the wake of the scandal in July
(AFP/Getty)
“The report identifies specific process shortcomings in the presenter case. The initial complaint in this case was not escalated quickly enough to senior management and we have apologised to the complainant for this,” Leigh Tavaziva, BBC Group Chief Operating Officer mentioned.
She added: “Although our existing processes and systems are, on the whole, working effectively, this review shows that we need to join them up better to ensure no matter how a non-editorial complaint comes into the BBC it is escalated swiftly, when needed, and dealt with by the right people.
“Where the review identifies process improvements we accept those in full, and we are delivering on an action plan with a number of enhancements already in place.”
Mr Edwards has been off air for seven months after being suspended in July over the allegations and hypothesis stays about his future at the BBC because it prepares for a basic election this 12 months.
Vicky Flind, Mr Edwards’s spouse, who named him because the presenter at the centre of the scandal after the allegations have been first reported in The Sun, mentioned he could be in hospital for the “foreseeable future” after he suffered a “serious episode”.
Mr Edwards, who has a historical past of psychological in poor health well being and has beforehand been handled for extreme melancholy, is just not but thought to have recovered and it’s unclear if he stays in hospital.
The Welsh journalist had been for years at the helm of important political and royal occasions for the BBC.
He introduced the late Queen’s dying on the BBC final September, coated her funeral and anchored the BBC’s broadcast of the coronation of the King in May.
The Metropolitan Police mentioned in July that no felony offence had taken place.
In mild of the report, the BBC mentioned deliberate enhancements to their non-editorial complaints course of included; larger consistency throughout groups in how complaints are handled, higher use of expertise to handle complaints and work to guarantee there are adequate sources throughout specialist groups coping with complaints.
More follows on this breaking information story….
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