The annual return is now available for services to complete between 6 January and 2 March 2025.
All service types must complete their annual returns electronically, using the Care Inspectorate’s eForms system.
You will have received an email notification that your annual return form is now available. Please check that you have been allocated the correct form for your service type and that you can access this. You can find this within the [Current] menu option within the [Documents] section in the eForms system.
If you have not received a notification or have been allocated the incorrect annual return, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call us on 0345 600 9527 between 09:00 - 16:00.
The annual return gives us important information that helps us plan, inform and carry out our inspections and improvement work. We also share some of the information with other organisations, such as the Scottish Social Services Council and the Scottish Government, and we use it to produce several statistical publications that you can view on our website.
The intelligence we gather through annual returns helps us target our improvement activity and support within social care. It is a great source of baseline data across a variety of health and wellbeing indicators which we use to identify, drive and track improvement, for example infection control, nutrition and the recruitment and retention of staff. The data also helps us to identify trends and topics by both geographical area or service type, so that we can see where best to focus our improvement support work, for example, improvement workshops or new resources and guidance for care services across the sector.
All services registered before 1 October 2024 must complete an annual return. If your service registered on or after 1 October 2024, you should still try to complete an annual return this year. Although it’s not mandatory, we will still be able to use any information supplied. The information you put in will automatically appear in the next annual return and you will then only need to enter any information that has changed.
Remember - even if your service is inactive, you must submit an annual return.
If you have any problems accessing or completing your annual return, read our frequently asked questions. If you don’t find the answer to your question there, you can email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call us on 0345 600 9527 between 09:00 - 16:00, or visit our website for further information and guidance.