How to make a complaint about a care home

If you’re not happy with your or a friend or relative’s care home, there are steps you can take. 

How do I make a complaint if the council provides my care?

If you feel you’ve been treated unfairly, you can make a complaint. You shouldn’t worry that you’re making a fuss or causing problems.

Step 1: try to resolve the issue informally

The usual first step is to complain to the home manager. You may find that asking for a chance to speak to them informally about your concerns may be enough to resolve the matter, or you could put your concerns into a letter if you prefer.

Step 2: use the council's complaints procedure

If the care home place is being funded by the local council, and the problem hasn’t been resolved by raising it with the care home, then you should contact the local council.

Find your local council to view their complaints procedure on GOV.UK

Step 3: contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

If you’re unhappy with the response from the local council, then you need to approach the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, who may be able to investigate further.

Visit the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman website

How do I make a complaint if I'm self-funding?

Self-funders make complaints in a similar way to people who have their care paid for by the council.

Try to resolve the issue informally first. If this is unsuccessful, you can make a formal complaint using you care provider's complaints procedure. If the issue hasn't been resolved using the provider's procedure, you can ask the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to consider your complaint.

Tips for making a complaint about care

1. Be clear about what you want – what do you want to achieve by making a complaint? Whether you want the council to apologise or change a decision, it's important that you state this clearly in your complaint.
2. Complain as soon as possible – while you generally have 12 months to complain, it can help to do it sooner while events and important details are fresh in everyone's minds.
3. Complain in writing – it's usually best to make your complaint by letter or email so you're sure it covers everything you want to say. However, you can complain verbally if you want to.
4. Say you're making a formal complaint – state at the top of your letter or email that you are making a formal complaint. This makes it clear that you expect the council to respond in line with the complaint regulations.
5. Be clear what your complaint is about – set out what went wrong and how you've been affected, providing specific details, such as when and where incidents occurred, and the names of staff involved.
6. Be concise and polite – avoid giving details that may distract from the main issues and the outcome you want to achieve.
7. Include evidence – for example, emails or letters you have received from the local council or a copy of your needs assessment.
8. Get help if you need – consider whether you need help to put what you want to say in writing, or to work out what's important and relevant to your complaint. You might seek help from a friend or relative, or staff from a local Age UK. 

Can I complain to the Care Quality Commission?

The Care Quality Commission doesn't investigate individual complaints against care homes. However, you can contact them to let them know your concerns and to tell them that you are raising a complaint against a care home.

You can tell the Care Quality Commission about your complaint by phone, letter or through their website.

Visit the Care Quality Commission website

What do I do if the home says my relative is refusing care?

Your relative can refuse care if they don’t want certain things. The care home may say that this is the reason that the care is not the standard that you would expect.

However, the carer should always note down that your relative refused the care in their daily report sheets. Make sure that the home has a record that your relative actually refused the care, and talk to the home about what solutions there could be to help your relative.