People regret not raising concerns about their care – but those who do raise concerns see improvements

News - 5 April 2019

Almost 7 million people who have used health or social care services, in the last five years, have had concerns about their care but never raised them.
Graphic saying 'Speak-up' from our annual report

Whilst launching their new campaign, 'Declare Your Care' the Care Quality Commission has highlighted new research which found that almost 7 million people who have used health or social care services, in the last five years, have had concerns about their care but never raised them. Of these, over half (58%) expressed regret about not doing so.

The most common reasons for not raising a concern were:

  • not knowing how (20%) or who (33%) to raise it with
  • not wanting to be seen as a 'troublemaker' (33%)
  • worries about not being taken seriously (28%)
  • feeling that nothing would change as a result (37%).

However, when people did raise a concern or complaint, the majority (66%) found their issue was resolved quickly, it helped the service to improve and they were happy with the outcome.

At Healthwatch Merton, we help shape and improve the services you use. We do this by influencing the way services are designed and delivered based on evidence gained from you. We can only do this if have your say!

Our role is to engage with people in our locally and inclusively. We want to hear from people across every part of your community - so if you haven't met us yet, please get in touch!

You can share your experiences with the CQC by following this link: https://www.cqc.org.uk/share-your-experience-finder

And you can always share your experiences with Healthwatch Merton by emailing info@healthwatchmerton.co.uk or calling 020 8685 2282

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