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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.

Useful contacts 

Mind's services

  • Legal Line – provides legal information and general advice by phone or email. 
  • Local Minds – provide face-to-face services, such as talking therapies, peer support and advocacy, across England and Wales.

Find an advocate

To find advocacy services and groups in your area, you could call Mind's Legal Line or contact your local Mind.

If you're in hospital, you can also contact:

In some circumstances, you may be legally entitled to get the support of an advocate. See our page on your legal rights to advocacy for more information.

Other organisations

Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA)

0845 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)

0300 7900 126
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)

0300 062 8163
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.

NHS Complaints Advocacy (England)

0300 330 5454
nhscomplaintsadvocacy.org
Free, confidential advocacy service available to anyone who wants support to make a complaint to the NHS.

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

nmc.org.uk
Regulates nurses and midwives in the UK.

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
Offer confidential advice, support and information on health-related matters. You can find them 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

ombudsman-wales.org.uk
Looks into complaints about public services and independent care providers in Wales.

This information was published in May 2017. We will revise it in 2020.

References are available on request. If you would like to reproduce any of this information, see our page on permissions and licensing.

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