Many people do not complain because they find it hard or think it will not make a difference. But every complaint will help us spot any wider problems in public services that need to change.
We want to make it as easy as possible for you to make a complaint by yourself. But we know that for all sorts of reasons, you might need someone else to support you through the process.
Help making your own complaint
You usually need to complain to the organisation you’re unhappy with first.
If you’re not sure how to get started, we’ve put together some tips to help you complain to an NHS service in England.
You could also contact these organisations for advice on making your complaint:
- your local Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
- the Patients Association
- your local Healthwatch
- the Advocacy Project guide to NHS complaints.
We know from our casework and research that some groups of people are less likely to make a complaint. We’ve put together information to help, especially for people with a learning disability or who want clearer Easy Read information.
Getting someone to help you make your complaint
We can give you information and advice about making a complaint, but we cannot make a complaint for you.
If you need someone to help you, there are other people and organisations you can ask. Someone who represents you and makes your complaint for you is called an advocate.
You could ask a friend or family member to do this for you. Or you could contact an organisation that offers free, professional advocacy services. We’ve listed some of these below.
If an advocate brings a complaint to us on your behalf, we’ll check with you first that you’re happy for them to do this.
If you’re having trouble finding the right support, call us on 0345 015 4033 and we’ll do our best to put you in touch with an organisation that can help.
Other organisations that can help
Your local authority will have an independent health complaints advocacy service where you live. This service is free to use. Below are links to four organisations that provide this service, but there are others too. Check with your local authority, local Healthwatch or the Local Government Association website to find the provider in your area:
Other organisations also offer advocacy support, including some charities. Here are a few of them:
- Action against medical accidents (for people affected by medical accidents)
- Age UK (for older people)
- Independent Age (for older people)
- Mencap (for people with a learning disability)
- Mind (for people with a mental health condition)
- Rethink (for people with a mental health condition).