Health and social care rights

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Useful contacts 

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:

• the Patient Advice Liaison Service (PALS) in England
• the Community Health Council in Wales.

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

Carers Trust

carers.org
Information and support for people caring for someone else.

Carers UK

0808 808 7777
carersuk.org
Advice and support for anyone who provides care.

Disability Tax Guide

disabilitytaxguide.org.uk
Guidance and support for anyone taking on a personal assistant to help them live independently.

GOV.UK

gov.uk
Lists government services and information.

Health in Wales

wales.nhs.uk
Information about health problems and treatments, including details of local NHS services in Wales.

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.

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 February 2018. We will revise it in 2021.

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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