How to Complain About a Care Home (2026)
If you're worried about the care a relative is receiving, you're not being difficult by raising it — you're doing exactly what you should. There's a clear process for complaints about care homes in England, and most problems get sorted out quickly once they're put in writing. Here's how it works, and what to do if it doesn't get resolved.
- Start by raising the issue with staff or the manager — many problems are fixed at this stage, especially once you put your concerns in writing.
- If that doesn't work, use the home's formal complaints procedure. Every care home must have one and must give you a copy if you ask for it.
- Still unresolved? You can complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, free of charge, whether the care is council-arranged or self-funded.
- For concerns about the quality or safety of care generally, tell the Care Quality Commission (CQC) — it doesn't settle individual disputes, but uses concerns to decide when and where to inspect.
- If someone is at immediate risk of harm, contact the council's adult safeguarding team straight away — don't wait for the complaints process.
Where do you start?
Raise the issue directly with the home first, ideally with the manager rather than a member of care staff. Many complaints — a missed medication round, a change in routine that wasn't explained, a laundry item that keeps going missing — are resolved on the spot once someone senior knows about them.
Even at this informal stage, follow up with a short email or letter confirming what you discussed and what was agreed. This creates a paper trail and makes it far harder for the issue to be forgotten or minimised.
How do you make a formal complaint?
If speaking to staff doesn't fix things, or the issue is serious, ask for the home's written complaints procedure. Every registered care home is required to have one as a condition of its CQC registration, and staff must be able to give it to you on request.
A formal complaint should be in writing — a letter or email — and should set out:
- What happened, with dates and times where possible
- Who was involved (names, or roles if you don't know names)
- What you've already done about it, and what response you got
- What outcome you're looking for — an apology, a change in practice, a review of care, or something else
Send it to the registered manager, or the provider's head office if the home is part of a larger group. Ask for acknowledgement and a timeframe for a response — most providers aim to respond within a set number of working days, though this varies, so ask what theirs is.
What if the complaint isn't resolved?
If you're not satisfied with the home's response — or you don't get one — you can take the complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. This applies whether the care was arranged by the council or you're paying for it yourself.
The Ombudsman:
- Investigates complaints that haven't been resolved directly with the home
- Is free and independent of both the council and the care provider
- Can recommend remedies, including apologies, changes in practice, or financial redress
- Generally expects you to have completed the home's own complaints process first
When should you contact the CQC?
The CQC regulates the quality and safety of care homes in England, but it doesn't investigate or resolve individual complaints in the way the Ombudsman does. What it does do is use information from concerns raised by families to decide when to inspect a home, and to inform its published ratings — Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement, or Inadequate.
Contact the CQC if:
- You're worried about the standard of care more broadly, not just one incident
- You believe there's a safety or safeguarding risk
- You want your concern on record to feed into the home's next inspection
What counts as an urgent safety concern?
If someone is at immediate risk of harm — physical abuse, neglect, a serious injury that hasn't been explained, or a sudden and unexplained decline in wellbeing — don't wait for the complaints process. Contact the local authority's adult safeguarding team directly. They have a duty to look into it and can act quickly, including working with the CQC and the police if needed.
Who deals with what
| Contact | What they do | What they don't do | Contact them for |
|---|---|---|---|
| The care home itself | Resolves complaints through its own procedure | Independent oversight | Your first step, always |
| Local Govt & Social Care Ombudsman | Investigates unresolved individual complaints; can recommend remedies | Regulate ongoing care quality | When the home's own process hasn't fixed things |
| CQC | Regulates care quality; uses concerns to target inspections | Settle individual disputes or award compensation | Quality or safety worries about the home generally |
| Council safeguarding team | Investigates and acts on abuse or neglect concerns | Handle routine service complaints | Immediate risk of harm |
Does it matter who arranged and pays for the care?
No — the same complaints route applies whether the local authority arranged the care as part of a needs assessment, or you're a self-funder who contracted directly with the home. The Ombudsman can look into complaints in either case. If the council arranged the care, you can also raise concerns with the council's own complaints team in parallel, since it retains some responsibility for the placement.
How do you make a complaint stronger?
- Keep a dated record of events, conversations and who said what — a simple diary is enough
- Note names and job titles of staff involved where you can
- Keep copies of every letter, email and reply
- If your relative lacks capacity to complain themselves, a person with lasting power of attorney for health and welfare can complain on their behalf
- If you're not sure how to proceed, or worry about being taken seriously, Age UK and independent advocacy services can support you through the process
- Carers supporting someone through this can also find practical guidance at Carers UK
Frequently asked questions
Will complaining affect the care my relative receives?
It shouldn't — a well-run home will treat feedback as a normal part of improving its service, not as something to hold against a resident. If you're worried it might affect care, involve an independent advocate, the council, or put your concern in writing so there's a clear record it was raised properly.
What should a care home's complaints procedure include?
It should explain how to make a complaint, who to send it to, how long the home will take to respond, and what to do if you're not satisfied with the outcome — usually pointing you towards the Ombudsman. Every home must have one and must provide it if you ask.
How long does a care home have to respond to a complaint?
There's no single statutory deadline, but most providers set out their own timeframe in their complaints procedure — often a matter of weeks. Ask for this in writing when you submit your complaint, so you know what to expect and can follow up if it's missed.
Can I complain on behalf of someone who lacks mental capacity?
Yes. If you hold lasting power of attorney for health and welfare, you can raise and pursue a complaint on their behalf. Without this, a close relative can still raise concerns, though the home may need reassurance about your relationship to the resident.
Does the CQC investigate my specific complaint?
No. The CQC doesn't resolve individual disputes or award compensation. It uses what you tell it, alongside inspections and other evidence, to build a picture of a home's overall quality and decide when to inspect. For your individual complaint to be investigated, go through the home's own procedure and, if needed, the Ombudsman.
Who investigates complaints in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
Each nation has its own regulator and ombudsman — for example, the Care Inspectorate in Scotland. The general principle is the same as in England — raise it with the home first, then escalate — but the specific bodies and timeframes differ, so check what applies where the care home is located.
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