How to Complain About a Care Home in England — With a Free Complaint Letter Template

This guide covers care homes and nursing homes in England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have different complaints bodies. It's general information, not legal, medical or safeguarding advice — see our Disclaimer.

Who to complain to

In almost every case, start with the care home itself. Care homes registered with the Care Quality Commission must run an accessible complaints system and investigate every complaint they receive (Regulation 16). Who else you can go to depends on who arranges and pays for the care:

Not sure who pays? The care home's contract or the council's care and support plan will usually say.

How to complain, step by step

1Get your record together

Before you write, gather what you know: dates, what happened, who was involved, what was said, and anything you've already raised. A short, dated account is far more useful than a long one written from memory. Our guide on what to record before raising a care concern walks through this, and the free Care Incident Record gives you a form to write each incident down.

2Ask for the care home's complaints procedure

Ask the manager or reception for a copy, or check the home's website. It should tell you who to send your complaint to and how long they aim to take. If you've already spoken to staff and it hasn't been sorted, say so in your written complaint.

3Put it in writing

You can complain in person or by phone, but a letter or email gives you a dated record of exactly what you raised. Send it to the person named in the procedure — usually the registered manager. Keep it factual:

• What happened, in date order, with times and names where you have them.
• What you've already done — who you spoke to, and what they said or agreed.
• What you'd like to happen — an explanation, a change to the care plan, a meeting, an apology.
• What you're asking them to do next — confirm receipt, name who will look into it, and say when you'll get a written response.

If you're complaining for someone else, say what your relationship is, and whether they've asked you to act for them or you hold a registered lasting power of attorney for health and welfare (which can only be used for decisions they can't make themselves). The care home may ask about this before sharing personal information with you.

4Keep copies and track what happens

Keep a copy of what you sent and note the date. Write down every reply, call and promise — who said it, when, and what they agreed to do. If the complaint goes further, this is the record you'll rely on.

Free care home complaint letter template

Copy this into an email or letter, replace the parts in [square brackets], and delete anything that doesn't apply. Keep it to what you know — dates, what you saw, what you were told, and by whom.

[Highlighted text] is what you replace with your own details.

[Your full name]
[Your address]
[Your email and phone number]

[Date]

[Name of the registered manager, or the person named in the complaints procedure]
[Care home name]
[Care home address]

Subject: Formal complaint about the care of [resident's full name]

Dear [name],

I am writing to make a formal complaint about the care [resident's name] is receiving at [care home name]. I am [their daughter / son / partner / friend], and [they have asked me to raise this on their behalf / I hold a lasting power of attorney for their health and welfare].

What happened
[In date order. For example: "On [date] at about [time], I visited and found ... [Name, role] told me that ..." Keep what you saw yourself separate from what you were told, and say who told you.]

What I have already done
[For example: "On [date] I spoke to [name, role] about this. They said they would [action] by [date]. This has not happened."]

What I would like to happen
[For example: a full explanation of what happened; a review of [their] care plan; a meeting with [the manager]; [specific change]; an apology.]

Please could you:
1. confirm in writing that you have received this complaint and are handling it under your complaints procedure, and send me a copy of that procedure;
2. tell me who will look into it, and when I can expect a full written response;
3. let me know if you need anything further from me.

I have kept a dated record of events and can provide copies of [notes / photographs / messages] if they would help.

If we are unable to resolve this through your complaints procedure, I understand I can ask the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to look at it.

Yours sincerely,

[Your name]

Enclosed: [list any copies you are sending, or delete this line]

What to do if the care home doesn't respond

If you've had no acknowledgement, or the response date has passed, chase in writing. Refer to your original complaint by date, ask for a written update by a specific date, and say what you'll do next if you don't hear back.

Subject: Follow-up to my complaint of [date] about the care of [resident's full name]

Dear [name],

I wrote to you on [date] to make a formal complaint about the care [resident's name] is receiving at [care home name]. [You acknowledged my complaint on [date]. / I have not received an acknowledgement.]

I have not yet received a full written response. Please could you tell me in writing, by [date], where my complaint has got to and when I will receive your response.

If I have not heard from you by then, I will consider [raising the complaint with [council name], which arranges [their] care / asking the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to look at it].

Yours sincerely,

[Your name]

If the council arranged the care, you can also complain to the council at this point. Councils and NHS bodies work to a set complaints process in England. You should normally complain within 12 months of the events, or of when you found out about them (regulation 12), though they can accept a later complaint if you had good reason for the delay and it can still be investigated fairly. They must acknowledge a complaint within 3 working days and send a full response within six months unless you agree a longer period with them — and if they miss that, they must write to tell you why (regulations 13 and 14). These timescales apply to councils and NHS bodies, including care providers when they deliver NHS-funded care. They don't govern a care home's own procedure for self-funded or council-arranged care, which should set out its own timescales.

Taking it to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is free and independent. It covers care homes and nursing homes, whether the council or the family pays. What it says about timing:

• Complain to the care home (or council) first. The Ombudsman usually only looks at a complaint once the provider has had a fair chance to deal with it.
• Allow the care home a reasonable chance to respond, but don't wait indefinitely. If you've heard nothing after a reasonable time, or you're unhappy with the answer, you can ask the Ombudsman to look at it. It may be able to look at an urgent complaint without waiting, where it wouldn't be reasonable to expect you to wait. How long it expects you to allow is set out in its current guidance — check that before you escalate.
• Normally in writing, and within 12 months of when you — or the person affected — first knew about the problem. This is a legal time limit (Local Government Act 1974, section 34D), but the Ombudsman can choose to look at a later complaint.
• You can complain for someone else. If the person affected can't complain themselves, someone they've authorised in writing can complain on their behalf. If they can't authorise anyone, the Ombudsman can accept a complaint from a person it considers suitable to represent them (section 34C).

Two different things are described on this page. The timescales for councils and NHS bodies (3 working days to acknowledge, six months to respond) are set by regulations. How long the Ombudsman expects you to allow a care provider before you escalate is the Ombudsman's own guidance, so follow its current advice rather than a fixed number from this page.

If it finds fault, the Ombudsman can recommend things like an apology, providing a service, reconsidering a decision, improving procedures, or a payment. Its recommendations aren't court orders, but a care provider must tell the Ombudsman within a month what it has done or plans to do, and if the Ombudsman isn't satisfied it can require the provider to publish a notice of its findings (section 34I). The Ombudsman can't investigate court proceedings themselves (Schedule 5A) and has discretion over whether to take on a complaint, so if you are taking or considering legal action, get independent advice first.

For NHS-funded care, unresolved complaints about the NHS go to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman instead, or to both Ombudsmen together where health and social care overlap.

Where the Care Quality Commission (CQC) fits

The CQC regulates care homes in England, but it can't take forward an individual complaint on your behalf. It does want to hear about poor care — what people tell it helps protect others from the same experience. You can tell the CQC about your experience alongside your complaint — it won't replace it.

Keeping the whole record together

A complaint rarely ends with one letter. KinDox helps you organise your records, build a timeline and prepare complaint letters using your own information. You remain in control of what you write, review and send.

• Record incidents and conversations as they happen
• Organise evidence, questions and promises in one place
• Create documents and PDFs to share or print

£29.99 once · No subscription · Your records stay on your device · Not legal advice

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Sources

KinDox is an organisation and documentation tool. It does not provide legal, medical or safeguarding advice, and does not determine negligence, malpractice, abuse, regulatory breach or liability. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999.