The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is calling for people to speak up about their experiences of care.

New research published by the CQC shows that almost seven million people who have accessed health or social care services in the last five years have had concerns about their care, but never raised them. Of these, more than half – 55 per cent – expressed regret about not doing so.

The most common reasons for not raising a concern were not knowing how – 22 per cent – or who to raise it with – 27 per cent – not wanting to be seen as a ‘troublemaker’ – 43 per cent – and worries about not being taken seriously – 41 per cent – with 46 per cent of people feeling that nothing would change as a result.

However, when people did raise a concern or complaint, the majority in the south west at 64 per cent found their issue was resolved quickly, it helped the service to improve and they were happy with the outcome.

The research has been published to mark the launch of the CQC’s ‘Declare Your Care’ campaign, which encourages people to share their experiences of care with the CQC to support its work to improve standards of care in England.

The majority of people in the south west who did raise a concern or complaint were motivated by a desire to make sure that care improved for others.

This included 60 per cent wanting to improve the care they, or a loved one, received, 53 per cent for everyone using the service and 22 per cent also hoping for an apology or explanation.

The main reasons given for raising, or wanting to raise a concern, were delays to a service or appointment, lack of information and poor patient care.

Additionally, 20 per cent indicated that they have raised or wanted to raise concerns about the lack of communication between health and care services.

Ian Trenholme, chief executive at the CQC, said: “Our annual state of care report shows that most people are getting good care, a real testament to the hard work of the many people working across health and social care in this country.

“We know that when people raise a concern, they have a genuine desire to improve the service for themselves and others. We also know that the majority of services really appreciate this feedback and make positive changes, as this new research shows.

“Hearing from people about their experiences of care is an important part of our inspection work and contributes to driving improvements in standards of care.

“Everyone can play a part in improving care by directly giving feedback to services, or by sharing information and experiences with us so that we can take action when we find poor care.

“Sharing your experience also enables us to highlight that many great examples of care we see.”

To share your experiences, visit www.cqc.org.uk/sye