Nearly 5,600 complaints received by Care Inspectorate in last year

Almost 5,600 complaints were received by the Care Inspectorate in 2021-22, according to a report.

The scrutiny body issued a bulletin yesterday detailing the complaints received and investigated between April 2019 and March 2022.

The most recent year – April 1 2021 to March 31 2022 – saw 5,595 complaints submitted.

This was down by 236 compared with the 5,831 received in 2019-20.

Some 21% were revoked after all complaints were assessed to ensure they were within the remit of the Care Inspectorate, that the complainant wished to proceed, and that inspectors had enough information.

In 2019-20, 25% of complaints were revoked.

A total of 4,357 submissions were resolved using the body’s four resolution pathways in the most recent year, with 62% passed to the inspector for the service to inform and focus activity.

A further 16% were reported to have been “resolved quickly” by the service directly, while 6% were investigated by care services through their own procedures.

The body said 17% of complaints received over the year were deemed to be serious and were investigated by the Care Inspectorate. Of those, 76% 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.”

Complaints about care can cover a wide range of issues