The Care Quality Commission checks whether hospitals, care homes and care services are meeting government standards. Visit our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Safeguarding people

Safeguarding means protecting people’s health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. It is fundamental to creating high-quality health and social care.

We help to safeguard people by:

Those most in need of protection are:

children
young people
vulnerable adults whose circumstances make them vulnerable

using information we receive (particularly when concerns are raised about abuse, harm or neglect) to monitor and report on care services’ compliance with National standards.
referring concerns to local councils and/or the police for further investigation.
working with partners such as the police, local councils, health agencies, other regulators and government departments.
using our unique perspective across health and social care to report our findings about safeguarding issues.
contributing to national safeguarding policies and making recommendations.
being involved in multi-agency children’s safeguarding inspections to get a picture of children’s and young people’s experiences and how well they are being safeguarded.
consulting people about their views and experiences of care.

How well is your care service safeguarding people?

Do you receive health and social care? Search for your care service on our website to read our inspectors’ full report on how it is meeting the national standards in relation to safeguarding.

You can search for your care service at the top of this page.