Care for older people

We want more older people, and their friends and families, to share their experiences of health and social care with us.

Research has shown that older people are less likely to complain about services and less aware of the different ways they can share their views.

However we also know that older people are the most regular users of health services. Two out of three people admitted to hospital and 70 per cent of hospital emergency beds are taken by those aged 65 and over. It's vital that the voices of our growing elderly population are heard.

If you're aged 60 or over and receiving care, or a friend or family member of someone who is, we want you to tell us about the care you’ve received, good or bad. Our inspectors can’t be everywhere at once and your information will help us decide when, where and what to inspect. By telling us about your experiences, you could stop poor care happening to someone else.

What to do if you experience poor care

If you experience poor care, you should contact the service provider in the first instance. By law, all health and social care services must have a complaints procedure.

If you're unhappy with the response, there are further steps you can take. The organisation you'll need to contact will depend on who the provider is. Find out more about how you can make a complaint.

Our role

Our role as the regulator means that we don't settle individual complaints ourselves, but we still want you to tell us about your experiences of care. Your information is valuable to us. It helps us decide when, where and what to inspect, and to take action to make sure everyone gets good quality care in the future.