Quick summary
A missed visit should trigger a call from the provider and a replacement carer, not a voicemail. NICE says providers should have a plan in place for missed visits and put it into action when one happens. Before you sign with anyone, ask what their plan is. If it keeps happening, use their complaints procedure, and then the Ombudsman.
Why visits get missed
It is worth understanding, because the cause tells you whether it is likely to happen again.
- Sickness. A carer is ill and cover is not arranged in time.
- A round that has no slack. One visit overruns and the rest of the day slides.
- Staff leaving. A rota built around someone who has handed in their notice.
- Weather and roads. In the moorland villages around Wincle, Wildboarclough and Longnor, winter access is a real planning issue.
- Communication failures. A visit cancelled by the family but still on the rota, or the other way round.
Staff turnover is the one that sits underneath most of the others. Domiciliary care staff turnover ran at 23.7 per cent in 2025, with a vacancy rate of 9.7 per cent in October 2025 (Skills for Care). A provider struggling to keep carers will struggle to keep visits.
What should happen when a visit is missed?
NICE’s home care guideline is clear that care workers should avoid missing visits and should be aware that missed visits can have serious implications for someone’s health or wellbeing. It also says providers should have plans in place for missed visits and put those contingency plans into action when visits are missed or late (NICE NG21).
NICE gives examples of what those plans can include: arrangements for a family member, carer or neighbour to visit, giving care workers contact details for that person, and setting out clearly in the person’s risk assessment what should happen if a visit is missed.
What a good provider does | What a poor one does |
|---|---|
Knows the visit is late before you do | Finds out when you ring |
Rings you to say so, with a new time | Leaves you to chase |
Sends a replacement carer | Skips the visit and says sorry |
Prioritises time-critical visits, such as medication | Treats every visit the same |
Records it, and tells you why it happened | Does not mention it again |
Changes something so it does not recur | Lets the same thing happen next week |
Which visits matter most?
Not all missed visits carry the same risk.
- Time-critical medication. For someone with Parkinson’s, a dose given more than 30 minutes late can cause symptoms to return and raise the risk of falls (Parkinson’s UK).
- Someone who cannot get up without help. A missed morning visit can mean hours in bed without food, drink or the toilet.
- Someone at risk of falling who relies on the visit being the check that they are all right.
- Food and fluids for someone who will not eat or drink unless prompted.
These should be marked in the care plan as time-critical, so that the provider knows which visits must be covered first if something goes wrong on the rota.
What to ask before you sign
- What happens if our carer is off sick?
- How will you let us know if a visit is running late?
- How do you know if a carer has not arrived? Many providers use electronic call monitoring, where carers log in and out on a phone.
- Who do we ring out of hours, and does someone answer?
- What is your carer turnover? Missed visits and staff churn are closely linked.
- What is in the missed visit section of the care plan?
What to do if it happens
Once, as a one-off with a good explanation, a phone call is usually enough.
If it happens again, or if nobody told you, put it in writing to the manager. Say what was missed, when, what the impact was, and what you want to happen. Keep a note of dates and times. The care diary kept in the home should show what visits took place.
Every regulated care provider must have a complaints procedure. Ask for a copy.
If a complaint is not resolved
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman can investigate complaints about adult social care arranged privately with a care provider, whether it is paid for with private money or with direct payments from a council (LGSCO). It is free and independent.
The Ombudsman will usually expect you to have gone through the provider’s own complaints process first. It cannot normally look at complaints made more than a year after you became aware of the problem, so do not wait too long.
If the care is arranged by the council, you can also complain to the council, since it is responsible for the service it commissions.
If someone is at risk right now
If a visit has been missed and you think the person may be unwell, on the floor, or without medication they need, do not wait for the provider to call back. Check on them yourself or ask a neighbour with a key. If they are hurt or unwell, call 999 or 111.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a missed visit?
A visit that did not happen at all, or happened so late or so short that the care in the plan could not be given. A visit that is consistently late can be as much of a problem as one that is missed.
Should I be charged for a missed visit?
Check your contract. Generally you should not pay for care that was not delivered, but terms vary, so ask before you sign rather than after.
Can I switch providers?
If you are paying privately, yes, subject to the notice period in your contract. If the council arranges your care, ask for a review, or ask about a direct payment so you can choose the provider yourself.
Is a missed visit a safeguarding issue?
It can be, particularly if it is repeated and someone has come to harm or was put at risk. If you think someone is being neglected, you can raise a safeguarding concern with the council’s adult social care team.
Can I complain to the CQC?
The Care Quality Commission does not investigate individual complaints, but you can share your experience with it and it uses that information in its monitoring. For a complaint to be investigated, use the provider’s process and then the Ombudsman.
About Visiting Angels Cheshire East
Visiting Angels Cheshire East provides care at home across Macclesfield, Wilmslow, Knutsford, Congleton, Alsager and the villages of East Cheshire, along with Buxton, Whaley Bridge and the Staffordshire Moorlands towns.
- You see the same faces. Our carer turnover is 12 per cent, against a sector figure of 23.7 per cent (Skills for Care, 2025).
- You choose your caregiver. You meet them before care starts, and if it is not right you say so and we send someone else.
- No visit is ever shorter than an hour, so a round has room to absorb a day that does not go to plan.
- Carers trained in dementia, Parkinson’s, stroke recovery and complex care.
- Live-in care available, up to full time.
Jude’s mother Joyce is 100 and lives by herself:
“Joyce lives by herself and we needed a care provider that could give us the same carer most visits. Visiting Angels have been able to accommodate this, which is very helpful. They know her routine and have built up a rapport with my Mum. Understanding the details of her routine is an important part of her care and wellbeing. I trust them with keys, security and being with Mum to, cook, sit and talk and give tablets etc etc.. We communicate regularly and they are always there on the phone if issues occur. They are very friendly, understanding and flexible if changes occur.”
Jude Burton, Google review
Not sure what you need yet? Start with a free assessment
Our free home care assessment is a visit at a time that suits you, with no obligation afterwards. In it we will:
- Work out what is actually difficult, and which visits are time-critical.
- Talk through a realistic package, what it would cost, and what happens if a carer is off sick.
- Look at the money with you, and point you towards the funding, benefits and grants you may be entitled to.
- Tell you honestly if you do not need us yet, or if someone else is a better fit.
If missed visits are the reason you are looking for a new provider, call us on 01625 720157. You can also send an enquiry, and you can read more about how we work.
Authored by Dr Haroon Ahmad, Managing Director, Visiting Angels Cheshire East.
Published 21 September 2026. Last updated 21 September 2026.
This article is general information about home care and complaints, not legal advice, and no substitute for advice about an individual’s circumstances. Contract terms vary between providers. Visiting Angels Cheshire East provides personal care at home rather than medical or nursing care. If you believe someone is at immediate risk, call 999. To the fullest extent permitted by law, GB Care at Home Ltd accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on this article.
