Effective Complaints Management

How to ensure you're meeting Regulation 16 - receiving and acting on complaints.

Do you know what to do if you’re hit with a complaint? 

Regulation 16 of the Health and Social Care Act covers receiving and acting on complaints.   

As a care provider, you need an effective and accessible system for: 

  • Identifying 
  • Receiving  
  • Handling 
  • And responding to complaints. 

Every complaint received must be investigated. 


Top tips for dealing with complaints

Any complaint received must be investigated and necessary and proportionate action must be taken in response to any failure identified by the complaint or investigation.

It is important to note that the CQC does not investigate complaints. However, they may request a written response under their enforcement powers for complaints of a serious nature.

#1
Establish a Transparent and Accessible Complaints Policy

#2

Encourage a Culture of Openness

#3

Document and Record Complaints Thoroughly

#4
Investigate Complaints Objectively and Timely​

#5

Use Complaints as a Tool for Continuous Improvement

#6

Engage with the Complainant

Do you need support dealing with a complaint?

If you need support dealing with a compliant, we’re here to help you.

We can support you with an independent review of any complaint or leadership, guidance and training to support effective complaint management.

Get in touch.

Contact our team on 0330 133 3002 or email us customer-care@delphi.care today!

Using our expertise, our team can help you through the CQC registration process to ensure that all aspects of the paperwork and process is completed correctly.

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Recent feedback from our clients

Sophie has been extremely supportive during the time we have been working together; she is friendly and personable yet professional. Sophie has always been available with high levels of communication, advice and guidance throughout our discussions and review of documents. Sophie has great attention to detail and has been helpful in providing action plans to improve the documents we have created. If she has not known something she has took the time to find out and feedback in a timely manner. It has been a pleasure to work with her, and I wish her all the best in her new chapter.

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October 28, 2026

Sarah Edwards

"Game-Changing Support for Initial CQC Registration – Highly Recommended!

Navigating the initial CQC registration process can be incredibly daunting, but partnering with Delphi Care Solutions, particularly Sean O’Hare, was one of the best decisions we made for Reliable Healthcare and Support Services Ltd (RHSS).

Sean provided comprehensive, end-to-end guidance throughout our registration journey. From developing robust, compliant policies and procedures to refining our Statement of Purpose, his attention to detail and regulatory knowledge was exceptional.
What truly set him apart was his intensive interview coaching. The mock Registered Manager interviews were challenging, but Sean prepared us extremely well for the level of scrutiny involved in the actual CQC process. His coaching gave our team the confidence and preparation we needed to succeed.
Thanks to Sean’s expertise, practical guidance and continuous support, we successfully secured our CQC registration.
He is an absolute font of knowledge, and we would highly recommend Delphi Care Solutions and Sean O’Hare to any new provider preparing to enter the social care sector or navigate their CQC registration journey."

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October 5, 2026

Blessings Mbuyisa

“Delphi Care made a real difference to our CQC registration journey.

Alex was our first point of contact and handled the sales side. He was always helpful, easy to speak with and supportive throughout the process. He continued to offer guidance even after the contract had finished, which we really appreciated.

Sean overseen all of our application and was a real font of knowledge. His understanding of CQC requirements, policies and the registration process was clear from the start. The documents he created were detailed, professional and exactly what we needed.

Sean also carried out our mock interviews. They were very hard, but that was a good thing. They showed us the level expected by CQC and pushed us to learn what we needed to know for the real interview.

Having Delphi Care support us as consultants was game changing for us, and we now have our licence. There are many companies claiming to be CQC consultants who do not have the right knowledge or experience, so we are very glad we chose Delphi Care.

We would highly recommend them.”

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September 21, 2026

Director, Independent Healthcare Provider