Complain about a care home or care service

Find out what you should do if you have a concern or a complaint about a social care service.

Who should I contact?

We encourage you to tell the care service provider your concerns so they can put things right.

But we understand that some people are worried about sharing their concerns and complaints with providers.

In these cases, you can contact us.

What we will do

We will write to you to confirm that we have received the information you have given us.

We will then look at the information and decide how to respond.

We are responsible for making sure that providers meet the regulations and standards that apply to them.

If the provider is not meeting those regulations and standards, we will take further action.

We may ask the provider to investigate, or we may look into it ourselves.

What happens next?

If we find evidence that the provider has not met the regulations, we will tell them what they must do to put things right.

We use our inspection powers to find the information we need to make these and other decisions.

How long will it take?

We will aim to complete our enquiry within 20 working days. If we are not able to do this, we will keep you informed of what is happening and why.

Who else can help?

If the care you are receiving is paid for by your local council, you you may be able to use the statutory social services complaints procedure.

Speak to their complaints manager, who can tell you how to do this.

Created: 3/16/2006 Last updated: 9/19/2007