Inspections and complaints: how care homes are overseen in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey

Care by country · 7 min read · Last updated 2 November 2026

If something goes wrong in a care home, families need to know who to tell and what to expect. Oversight differs a great deal between countries, and between regions inside them. This guide sets out what we found in public sources for France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey, and is open about where we found little. It is general information, not legal advice. Local advice from a lawyer or the authority named is essential.

First steps in any country

  1. Immediate danger: if a resident is in danger now, call the local emergency services or the police. The EU-wide number is 112.
  2. Raise it with the manager: for most concerns, start with a calm conversation, then follow up in writing so there is a record. See warning signs and raising concerns.
  3. Keep records: note dates, times, names and what you saw, and keep photos, messages and medical documents. An Italian legal article lists medical reports, photos, written statements from witnesses and messages as useful evidence. It also warns that secretly recording in private spaces may raise privacy problems, so take legal advice before recording.
  4. Contact the authority: use the country sections below. Check the home's licence first. See care home contracts and fees.

France

According to the French government, 3133 is the national free helpline for reporting maltreatment of vulnerable adults, including older people. It replaced the 3977 number on 1 March 2026 and runs from 9:00 to 20:00, seven days a week. Anyone can use it, including victims, witnesses, relatives and carers. An online report form launched on 28 May 2026 for written reports at any time. Reports are recorded in a national system and passed to the regional health agency (ARS), the departmental council or the departmental employment and solidarity office.

Service-Public.fr (last verified 6 March 2026) says the departmental council is the administrative authority for abuse in an EHPAD, a care home or at home, and can ask the facility to stop the abuse and may consider temporary or permanent closure. The ARS handles hospitals and is an alternative contact depending on the victim's residence. In urgent cases, contact the public prosecutor, the police or the gendarmerie. Service-Public.fr adds that callers to 3133 can use a pseudonym or ask not to be called back, that witnesses are described as having an obligation to report, and that failing to report known abuse can be punished by up to 3 years in prison and a €45,000 fine.

The Service-Public page does not mention the Défenseur des droits, the personne qualifiée or the conseil de la vie sociale, so we cannot describe them here. Ask the EHPAD for its residents' rights information. See care in France.

Italy

Money.it (27 March 2025) lists the routes to report mistreatment or neglect in an RSA: the Carabinieri, Polizia di Stato or Polizia Locale (a denuncia or querela); an esposto to the public prosecutor; the NAS, the Carabinieri health unit that inspects RSAs; the ASL prevention department, which oversees care quality in social-health facilities and can order checks, even on anonymous reports according to the article; and the municipal social services. It names advocacy groups including Auser, FederAnziani and Telefono Anziani Maltrattati. The article notes that these offences are prosecuted automatically, so a credible report can be enough to open an investigation.

This is a secondary source, and Italian rules and bodies differ by region. Ask the ASL and the comune which route fits your case. Check that the home is authorised and accredited, as our Italy guide explains.

Spain

Social services in Spain are regional, so the licensing and inspection body is the regional government's social services department. A 2015 recommendation from the national Ombudsman (Defensor del Pueblo), about a home in Aragon, illustrates the system: the regional department holds inspection, control and sanctioning powers under regional law, authorisation is meant to ensure services meet quality requirements and minimum standards, and a local licence to open (licencia de apertura) is also required. In that case the home kept operating for years without full authorisation. The Ombudsman recommended more intensive inspection and better cooperation between the administrations that inspect.

We did not find a single national complaints route. Ask the home for its authorisation and registration details and its complaints procedure, and ask the regional social services department how to report a concern. The Ombudsman also accepts complaints about administrations. See care in Spain.

Portugal

A December 2023 article in Postal, drawing on information from the consumer group DECO, says to confirm that a home has an operating licence or provisional authorisation before choosing it. It lists these routes for problems: the complaints book (Livro de Reclamações), physical or electronic; ASAE for safety and hygiene; the Segurança Social for licensing issues; and the police, through the online Queixa Eletrónica portal, for criminal conduct.

The article gives no phone numbers or licence lookup steps. Our Portugal guide suggests checking the home's licence and its entry on Carta Social.

Greece

Our earlier research found that some unlicensed homes exist: see care in Greece. A June 2024 report in Aftodioikisi.gr describes the National Transparency Authority inspecting two for-profit elderly care units in Attica. Neither had the licences it needed, neither had an active fire protection certificate, and neither had the required staff such as nurses, a physiotherapist, a social worker and a psychologist. The regional units of the Attica Region, which handle licensing, had issued fines and closure orders, but the units kept operating, and the authorities sent the findings to the prosecutor.

We did not find official guidance on how families complain. Ask the home for its licence, ask the regional authority to confirm it, and ask a local lawyer about reporting routes. We have not found a source on the Greek Ombudsman's role for care homes, so we make no claim about it.

Turkey

Turkey's Ministry of Family and Social Services runs ALO 183, a 24-hour line that takes reports of neglect, abuse and violence and lists elderly people among the groups it serves. Calls from within Turkey are free, and citizens abroad can call +90 312 253 92 00. Its page does not mention care homes specifically or say whether callers can stay anonymous.

Our earlier source, a 2021 survey by the law firm CMS, reports that provincial officials inspect each home twice a year and that private homes need an opening permit from the provincial Directorate of Social Affairs. Treat that as a starting point and ask the home for its current permit. See care in Turkey.

If you live in another country

  • Appoint someone local you trust to visit regularly and report back. See supporting a parent from a distance.
  • Get a translation of any complaints procedure in the contract.
  • Ask the home which language you can use to complain.
  • Keep copies of everything in a shared place, and tell more than one person where it is.

If you are unsure whether something is abuse or poor care, report it anyway and let the authority decide. See warning signs and raising concerns.

Frequently asked questions

Who inspects care homes in France?

Service-Public.fr names the departmental council as the administrative authority for abuse in an EHPAD or care home, with the ARS as an alternative contact. Reports can be made to 3133, which replaced 3977 on 1 March 2026.

Can I report a care home anonymously?

It depends on the country and the route. Service-Public.fr says callers to 3133 can use a pseudonym or ask not to be called back. Money.it says the Italian ASL can start checks on anonymous reports. For other countries we could not confirm, so ask the authority.

What if the home is not licensed?

Ask the home to show its licence, and ask the licensing authority to confirm it. Spanish and Greek sources describe homes that kept operating without full authorisation, so do not rely on the home's word alone.

Sources and further reading

This guide is general information only, compiled from the public sources listed above as of the date shown. It is not legal, medical, tax, financial or care advice, and we cannot guarantee that it is complete, accurate or up to date. Rules, thresholds and prices change and differ by country and region, and some sources describe other countries' rules as examples. Check details with the authorities and care homes named, and take professional advice for your own situation before you act. If you spot an error, please email [email protected] and we will correct it.