The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have today released new research which shines a spotlight on the impact of lockdown measures on the wellbeing of people who use care services. According to CQC, nearly three quarters of carers (73%) say that the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions have had an impact on the mental health of the person they care for and over half (56%) of carers say that the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions have had an impact on the dignity and independence of the person they care for.

Last year, CQC and Healthwatch England launched the #BecauseWeAllCare campaign to help improve care services for all by encouraging everyone to feedback on their experiences of health and social care. The public’s views are needed now, more than ever, to help health and social care services respond to patients’ needs - during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond - and improve the quality of care for years to come. Concerns shared with CQC help the regulator to spot poor care quickly and take action. If you have a concern that a loved one or someone you care for is not getting the care they should, or is being put at risk, do not hesitate to share your concerns using CQC's online feedback form.

Carers UK is working with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), to encourage carers to provide feedback on care services they have recently used, and to raise concerns about the care their loved one receives from care organisations, if they do not think it is meeting standards of quality and safety.

Responding to the research findings, Emily Holzhausen OBE, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Carers UK said: 

“It is vital that carers come forward and provide feedback to the CQC about their experiences of accessing care services – whether those experiences are positive or negative. Whether good or bad, providing feedback helps services to understand what’s working and what isn’t when it comes to health and social care. This enables services to make necessary changes to ensure the delivery of good care, or to replicate best practice across other services.

“Providing feedback on a health and care service that you, or the person you care for, have recently experienced is particularly important given the impact COVID-19 continues to have on services carers rely upon. Your information is valuable to CQC as it helps them decide when, where and what to inspect.”

You can find out more information about how you can feedback on your experiences of accessing care services, here.