The Care Inspectorate has today published a statistical bulletin on complaints about care services in Scotland.

The report covers complaints received and investigated between April 2019 and March 2022 and focuses in particular on the most recent year, 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.

The statistics show the Care Inspectorate actioned every complaint received and responded appropriately using a risk-based assessment process to satisfactorily resolve complaints as quickly as possible.

In 2021/22, the Care Inspectorate received 5,595 complaints. In 2019/20 the Care Inspectorate received 5,831 complaints.

All complaints received were assessed to ensure that they were within the remit of the Care Inspectorate to investigate, to ensure inspectors had sufficient information about the complaint and to ensure that the complainant wished to proceed, otherwise complaints were revoked. In 2021/22 21% of complaints received were revoked, a decrease from 25% in 2019/20.

Any complaints raised which suggests an adult or child is at risk of harm are immediately reported to the appropriate body. Any information that suggests a crime has been committed is immediately referred to Police Scotland.

A total of 4,357 complaints were resolved using the Care Inspectorate’s four resolution pathways in 2021/22. In 62% of these, information provided by the complainant was passed to the inspector for that service to inform and focus future scrutiny and improvement activity including unannounced inspections; 16% were resolved quickly by the service directly; 6% were investigated by care services via their own complaints procedure and 17% were deemed serious and were investigated by the Care Inspectorate. *

Where the Care Inspectorate conducted an investigation in 2021/22, 76% of complaints were upheld.

Edith Macintosh, interim chief executive of the Care Inspectorate said: “Everyone in Scotland has the right to good quality care that meets their needs and respects their rights.

“Where people feel the care they experience is not as good as it should be, it is important they can access the most effective way to resolve the issue quickly, whether that’s raising it directly with their care service, or by contacting the Care Inspectorate.

“Complaints about care can cover a very wide range of issues. When someone comes to us with a complaint, we use different pathways to resolve it in the most proportionate and appropriate way. All complaints brought to us are assessed and actioned, we take all complaints seriously and consider all information given to us carefully.

“Anyone with a complaint about a care service can contact us on 0345 600 9527.”

The full report can be read here.

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