Complaining about health and social care
Explains what you can do if you experience a problem with the health or social care you receive or think you should have received.
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Useful contacts
How to find an advocate
To find advocacy services and groups in your area, you could call Mind's Legal Line on 0300 466 6463 or contact your local Mind.
If you're in hospital, you can also contact the:
- Patient Advice Liaison Service (PALS) in England
- Community Health Council in Wales
In some situations, you may be legally entitled to the support of an advocate. For more information, see our page on your legal rights to advocacy.
Other organisations
Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA)
0345 123 2352
avma.org.uk
Advice and support for people affected by avoidable harm in healthcare.
Care Quality Commission (CQC)
cqc.org.uk
Regulates and inspects health and social care services in England.
Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW)
careinspectorate.wales
Independent regulator for social care in Wales, where you can make complaints about care providers and workers.
General Medical Council (GMC)
gmc-uk.org
Helps to protect patients and support doctors, and maintains a register of licensed doctors.
Health in Wales
wales.nhs.uk
Information about health problems and treatments, including details of local NHS services in Wales.
Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
hcpc-uk.co.uk
Regulates some types of health, psychology and social work professionals.
HealthWatch England
healthwatch.co.uk
Helps represent people who use health and social care services in England.
Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW)
hiw.org.uk
Independent regulator for healthcare in Wales, where you can make complaints and provide feedback.
Law Society
lawsociety.org.uk
Professional association for solicitors in England and Wales. Includes a searchable directory of solicitors.
Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
lgo.org.uk
The final stage for complaints about councils and some other organisations providing local public services.
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
0345 015 4033
ombudsman.org.uk
Makes final decisions on complaints that have not been resolved by the NHS in England and UK government departments.
Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS)
nhs.uk/common-health-questions/nhs-services-and-treatments/what-is-pals-patient-advice-and-liaison-service
Offers confidential advice, support and information on health-related matters. You can find services by searching on NHS UK or asking a doctor or healthcare professional for their details.
Patients Association
0800 345 7115
patients-association.org.uk
Charity that promotes the voice of patients in health services.
Public Services Ombudsman for Wales
0300 790 0203
ombudsman-wales.org.uk
Looks into complaints about public services and independent care providers in Wales.
This information was published in May 2017.
This page is currently under review. All content was accurate when published.
References are available on request. If you would like to reproduce any of this information, see our page on permissions and licensing.
