This page explains what information we need from you when you fill in our complaint form. It also has advice on what to do if you plan to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to help you make your complaint.
We want to hear about your complaint in your own words. We know some people find AI tools such as ChatGPT helpful when completing the form. Please be aware that AI-generated text can make complaints too complicated or include legal references that are not relevant. This may increase the time it takes us to review your complaint or we may need to ask you to resubmit it.
Find out more about using AI to help you bring your complaint to us.
What we need to know
We will ask you the following about your complaint:
When it happened
You should normally complain to us within a year of when you first became aware of the problem. If it was more than a year ago we may still be able to help you, if there were good reasons for the delay. We’ll ask you to explain on the complaint form or you can ring us for more information on 0345 015 4033. Find out more about time limits here.
- How it affected you
What you would like done to put things right
We can, for example, recommend that organisations explain and apologise, change their procedure and, if appropriate, make a payment. We will ask you what you would like us to achieve for you. If we do not think that we can achieve it, we will let you know. Find out more about what we can and can't do to sort out your complaint.
If you are planning or have taken legal action
In some cases, you might be better off taking legal action, for example, if you want a very large financial payment. We will ask you if you have already been to court or are thinking about taking legal action, as it may affect whether we can investigate your complaint. Find out more about legal action here.
- If you are complaining for someone else
If relevant, we will need to check if they agree to this.
We will also ask you to send us a copy of the organisation's final response to your complaint to them.
Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to write your complaint
When you bring a complaint to us, we need to understand your personal experience and how the issues have affected you. Simple, clear language that explains what happened to you will always be more helpful than complicated, formal writing.
We know some people find AI tools useful to support with their writing. It is important to remember the risks of sharing your information with AI tools. Providers of these tools may use it to train their AI systems and may process it in different countries. Avoid entering sensitive personal information unless you are confident about how it will be used and protected.
Here are some suggestions to get the best results from AI tools while making sure it still sounds like you and your complaint.
- Keep your prompts focused on your experience and how it made you feel. A prompt is a question or instruction that you type into an AI tool to tell it what you want help with. You can use these examples of useful AI prompts to help with your complaint.
- Do not ask AI to add legal arguments, use formal legal language or reference laws to try and make your complaint sound more ‘official’.
- It is important to check any AI-generated text to make sure it reflects your own personal experience and contains accurate facts.
Complaint forms
Use our complaint checker to find out if your complaint is ready for us and make a complaint using our online form. You can also:
- log in to your account if you have already made a complaint to us
- download a form to make a complaint about the NHS in England, a UK government department or other public organisation.
If you need support completing the form but prefer not to use AI tools, you can call us on 0345 015 4033, ask a friend, family member or advocate to help you, or request the complaint form in an alternative format if you need one.