Scottish care homes: Complaints against homes double as bosses warn of vacancy crisis

The number of complaints registered against care homes in Scotland has nearly doubled, new figures show, as care bosses warn of an unfolding vacancy crisis.

A crisis in Scotland’s care homes is unfolding, new figures have revealed, as complaints against care facilities in the last decade have nearly doubled.

It comes as top care sector chiefs warned the Scottish Government that unless it “starts taking social care seriously, the quality of care will decline” further.

The government’s care sector watchdog, the Care Inspectorate, has revealed it received 5,910 complaints regarding care facilities in Scotland in 2022/23. However, in 2012/23, the figure was just 3,185.

The government’s care sector watchdog, the Care Inspectorate, has revealed it received 5,910 complaints regarding care facilities in Scotland in 2022/23. Picture: Getty Images

The Care Inspectorate says this is “a continuation of the long-term increasing trend in concerns/complaints received”.

A spokesperson for Scottish Care, which represents over 400 independent care providers, said the figures “highlight a worrying trend of increasing concern” in the care sector.

“A significant contributing factor to this trend, is the ongoing problem of staff vacancies in care services,” said the spokesperson.

“The shortage of staff directly impacts the quality of care provided, leading to the understaffing and overburdening of existing staff.

“Care providers are facing immense challenges in recruiting and retaining a stable workforce, turnover is high with approximately one-third of staff being new every year.

“We urgently implore the Scottish Government to take proactive measures to address this pressing matter.”

Last week, medics called on the Scottish Government to hold “urgent talks” over the future of the country’s care sector, amid warnings that homes are closing at a rate of one a week.

Professor Andrew Elder, president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE), said his organisation was “deeply concerned” about care home closures, warning these could impact on NHS care over the winter.

Stressing the “decline in care home capacity is felt across the whole system”, Prof Elder insisted action was needed from ministers as a “matter of urgency”.

The spokesperson for Scottish Care added: “The critical issue is the need to invest in better pay and improved terms and conditions to match those in the NHS which is vital for ensuring parity of esteem and incentivising individuals to pursue careers in social care.

“While the Scottish Government’s talk of increasing carer wages to £12 per hour may sound promising, the lack of a clear timetable and adequate funding raises significant concerns about this commitment.

“The sustainability of the social care sector and the well-being of our elderly populations must be our top priority.

“Unless the Scottish Government starts taking social care seriously, the quality of care will decline despite the best efforts of local staff and organisations.

“We call upon the current Scottish Government to move beyond rhetoric and take meaningful action that demonstrates a genuine commitment to the care sector.”

A total of 4,495 complaints were resolved using the Care Inspectorate’s four resolution pathways.

Most of these complaints are resolved by service providers directly, however, around 19 per cent are deemed ‘high risk’ and are investigated by the Care Inspectorate.

The regulator upheld 76 per cent of the complaints where the Care Inspectorate conducted an investigation in 2022/23.

Around one-fifth to a quarter of the complaints received by the Care Inspectorate are not within the watchdog’s remit, and therefore not proceeded.

Jackie Irvine, chief executive of the Care Inspectorate, said: “It is important that people can resolve any issues they may have with the care they experience, whether this is by contacting the Care Inspectorate, or by raising it directly with their care service.

“Our focus in all areas of our work, including complaints, is on improving the quality of care and outcomes for people who experience care.

“We do this by resolving complaints quickly and using all the intelligence we gather to focus our inspections as well as the wider scrutiny, assurance and improvement support work we carry out across all care services.

“Everyone in Scotland has the right to good quality care that meets their needs and respects their rights.

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

Social Care Minister Maree Todd said: “Social care services are fundamental to our communities and its clear how challenges like energy costs, the costs of living and Brexit have really impacted the recruitment and retention of staff. We continue to engage with Scottish Care and other partners regularly to build a more sustainable workforce that feels truly valued and properly rewarded for their work.

“We’ve increased pay and are working towards our commitment to increase spend in social care by 25 per cent by the end of this Parliament, an increase of over £840 million. In the longer term we believe the National Care Service will help us and our partners to provide consistency in further improved pay and conditions, access to training and development and ensuring a career in social care is attractive and rewarding – but we are beginning to make those improvements now.

“Local authorities are responsible for providing or commissioning services from the more than 1,200 social care providers across Scotland. Along with Health and Social Care Partnerships their workforce planning arrangements should take full account of the need to have safe and sustainable numbers of staff.”