CQC Whistleblowing: How to Raise a Concern, How CQC Handles It and What Care Providers Must Do (2026)
How staff can raise a concern with CQC, what happens next, what the law protects, and what registered managers and providers need in their whistleblowing and freedom to speak up arrangements.
You can whistleblow to CQC if you work for a CQC-registered health or adult social care provider in England and have a concern about the service, using CQC’s “give feedback on care” route, which covers a concern about a service you work for. You can do it anonymously. CQC is a “prescribed person” under the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014, so a worker making a qualifying disclosure to CQC has legal protection against dismissal and detriment under the Employment Rights Act 1996. If someone is at immediate risk of harm or abuse, call 999. Providers should have a whistleblowing or freedom to speak up policy that staff trust, because concerns that cannot be raised internally go to the regulator.
This guide is for care workers and managers who want to raise a concern, and for registered managers and providers who need their whistleblowing arrangements to work. It explains how to raise a concern with CQC, what a qualifying disclosure is, how CQC treats whistleblowing, and what providers should do. It uses CQC’s own page and statistics, linked in the sources section. This is general information, not legal advice: Protect and other free advice services can help individual workers.
Key takeaways
- CQC’s “give feedback on care” page covers a concern about a service you work for, and you can give feedback anonymously, though CQC is more likely to act if it can contact you.
- CQC is a prescribed person. A qualifying disclosure to CQC carries the same legal protection as raising it with your employer.
- Dismissal or detriment because of a protected disclosure is automatically unfair under the Employment Rights Act 1996.
- Workers do not have to raise a concern internally before going to CQC, but a trusted internal route lets problems be fixed earlier.
- Providers should have a whistleblowing or freedom to speak up policy and evidence that concerns lead to action.
In this guide
- How to whistleblow to CQC
- Before you contact CQC
- What counts as whistleblowing? Examples in care homes
- CQC as a “prescribed person”
- Legal protection for whistleblowers
- Anonymous disclosures
- What providers should do: policy and practice
- Whistleblowing, complaints and notifications: what is the difference?
- Sources and how this was checked
- Frequently asked questions
How to whistleblow to CQC
CQC’s “give feedback on care” page says you can tell CQC about an experience of care, or a concern about a service you work for. CQC will ask for the name and location of the service, when you used it or worked there, whether you have raised it with the service or other authorities, and whether CQC can contact you. You can give your feedback anonymously, but CQC says it helps it take action if it can contact you for more information. CQC only covers services in England.
- Online: use the give feedback form on CQC’s website.
- By phone or email: CQC’s page gives 03000 616161 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm, excluding bank holidays) and enquiries@cqc.org.uk. Check the page for current details.
- Immediate risk: call 999 if there is an immediate risk of harm or abuse.
Formal complaints about the care a person received go to the service first. See complaining about a care home.
Before you contact CQC
Our suggestions for workers (not legal advice):
- Consider raising it internally if you feel safe to, and keep a record of when and how you did.
- Write down what you saw, with dates, times and who was involved, without copying confidential records you are not entitled to take.
- Decide whether to give your name. Anonymous reports are accepted, but contact details make follow-up easier.
- Get free, independent advice. Protect (a whistleblowing charity) and the helpline for NHS and social care workers can advise on your rights before you decide.
What counts as whistleblowing? Examples in care homes
A qualifying disclosure, as defined in the Employment Rights Act 1996, is information that, in the worker’s reasonable belief, is made in the public interest and tends to show that one of six things has happened, is happening or is likely to happen: a criminal offence, a failure to comply with a legal obligation, a miscarriage of justice, danger to the health or safety of any individual, damage to the environment, or deliberate concealment of any of these. In a care setting, examples (ours) include:
- Neglect or abuse of people using the service.
- Unsafe staffing levels that put people at risk.
- Medicines being given wrongly, or records falsified.
- Unsafe equipment, premises or infection control.
- Restraint or restrictions used without lawful basis.
- Pressure on staff not to report incidents, or to alter records.
A personal grievance about your own pay or contract is generally not a whistleblowing concern, although some matters can overlap. Take advice if unsure.
CQC as a “prescribed person”
Under the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014, CQC is a “prescribed person”: one of a specific list of bodies a worker can make a protected disclosure to, separate from their own employer. This is not a minor legal footnote. In its most recent prescribed persons report (2024/25), CQC recorded 21,432 cases involving information of concern from workers speaking up in a single year, of which 16,192 were assessed as qualifying disclosures, and 15,852 of those led to further regulatory action. Of those, 4,541 were categorised as safeguarding priority 1, meaning CQC’s own first action was to make a safeguarding referral to the local authority (see the local authority safeguarding process). The previous 2023/24 report recorded a broadly similar 20,901 cases and 15,919 qualifying disclosures.
Legal protection for whistleblowers
A worker who makes a qualifying disclosure is protected under the Employment Rights Act 1996 from being dismissed or subjected to a detriment because they made it. Dismissal for this reason is automatically unfair. Disclosure to a prescribed person such as CQC carries the same legal protection as raising the concern with the employer, provided the disclosure qualifies. There is no strict legal requirement for a worker to raise a concern internally first.
Anonymous disclosures
CQC accepts anonymous feedback, and a named report with contact details makes it easier for CQC to follow up on specifics. Staff should understand this is a genuine choice. Providers should never try to identify an anonymous reporter, and should treat what is reported seriously whoever it comes from.
What providers should do: policy and practice
CQC asks new providers to have a freedom to speak up or whistleblowing policy ready (see CQC policies and procedures), and “freedom to speak up” is one of the quality statements under the Well-led key question. Whether staff feel they can raise concerns internally, and trust that something will happen, makes a real practical difference. A policy that exists on paper but is not trusted means concerns are not raised early and are not resolved internally: they either go unraised, or go straight to the regulator once someone feels they have no other option.
| Policy that exists but is not trusted | Policy that works |
|---|---|
| A generic document in the policy folder, rarely referenced, with no accessible route staff believe will be acted on without repercussions | A clear, well-communicated route to raise concerns, visible evidence that past concerns led to real action, and reassurance, backed by practice, that raising a concern will not lead to detriment |
Our suggested checklist for registered managers:
- Name the people staff can go to, including someone outside the line management chain.
- Acknowledge every concern promptly, record it, investigate it and tell the person what happened, within the limits of confidentiality.
- Protect people who raise concerns, and take any retaliation seriously.
- Do not try to identify anonymous reporters.
- Share learning with staff and review patterns at governance meetings (Regulation 17).
- Notify CQC where a concern is also a notifiable event, such as an allegation of abuse (CQC notifications), and refer safeguarding concerns to the local authority.
- Tell staff how to contact CQC and Protect, and display the information.
Whistleblowing, complaints and notifications: what is the difference?
| Route | Who uses it | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Whistleblowing or raising a concern | Workers raising concerns about the service they work for | The employer, and CQC as a prescribed person |
| Formal complaint | People using the service or their families | The provider first, then the council and the Ombudsman |
| Statutory notification | The registered provider or manager | CQC, on its forms, for defined events such as abuse allegations and deaths |
| Safeguarding referral | Anyone with a concern about an adult at risk | The local authority safeguarding team |
Sources and how this was checked
- CQC: Give feedback on care (read 25 October 2026).
- CQC prescribed persons reports for 2024/25 and 2023/24 (figures as summarised on this page); Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014; Employment Rights Act 1996.
- Birdie: CQC whistleblowing (read 25 October 2026).
The examples, checklist and comparison are our suggestions. This is general information, not legal advice.
Make concerns easy to raise and easy to track
CQCLogic gives you a documented, timestamped record of concerns raised internally and the action taken, so you can show your whistleblowing arrangements work. It does not give legal advice. See a sample improvement plan, view pricing or get started free.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I whistleblow to CQC?
Use the give feedback on care form on CQC’s website, which covers a concern about a service you work for, or phone 03000 616161 or email enquiries@cqc.org.uk. You can give feedback anonymously. Call 999 if there is immediate risk of harm or abuse.
What does it mean that CQC is a prescribed person for whistleblowing?
Under the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014, CQC is one of the specific bodies workers can make a protected disclosure to if they do not feel able to raise a concern internally, or have raised it without a satisfactory response. Disclosing to a prescribed person carries the same legal protection, provided the disclosure qualifies.
What complaints qualify as whistleblowing?
A qualifying disclosure is information that, in the worker’s reasonable belief, is made in the public interest and tends to show a criminal offence, a failure to comply with a legal obligation, a miscarriage of justice, danger to health or safety, environmental damage or concealment of any of these. A purely personal grievance is generally not a whistleblowing concern.
What are some examples of whistleblowing in care homes?
Neglect or abuse, unsafe staffing, medicines given wrongly or records falsified, unsafe equipment or infection control, unlawful restraint or restrictions, and pressure to alter records or not report incidents.
What must be reported to CQC?
That is the provider’s duty through statutory notifications, such as deaths, serious injury, allegations of abuse and police involvement. Whistleblowing is separate: it is a worker raising a concern. See our guide to CQC notifications.
Does a worker have to raise a concern internally before going to CQC?
No, not as a strict legal requirement. But a trusted internal whistleblowing policy makes it far more likely concerns are raised and resolved early, rather than only surfacing once a worker feels they have no choice but to go to the regulator.
What legal protection does a whistleblowing worker have?
A qualifying disclosure gives protection under the Employment Rights Act 1996 against dismissal or detriment for making it, provided it is made in the reasonable belief that it is in the public interest and relates to the specified categories of wrongdoing. Dismissal for making a protected disclosure is automatically unfair.
Can someone whistleblow to CQC anonymously?
Yes. CQC accepts anonymous feedback, though providing contact details makes it easier for CQC to follow up on specifics.
How seriously does CQC treat whistleblowing?
CQC’s prescribed persons reporting shows it receives tens of thousands of disclosures a year, a substantial proportion assessed as qualifying disclosures, and in its most recent report the large majority of those (over 95%) led to further regulatory action.
What should a care home do when a staff member raises a concern?
Acknowledge it, record it, investigate promptly, protect the person from detriment, do not try to identify anonymous reporters, notify CQC or refer to the local authority where required, and share the learning.