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Voluntary patients

Explains your rights if you are having treatment in hospital as a voluntary patient.

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

Care Quality Commission (CQC)

cqc.org.uk
Regulates and inspects health and social care services in England.

Carers UK

0808 808 7777
carersuk.org
Advice and support for people caring for someone else.

Civil Legal Advice (CLA)

gov.uk/civil-legal-advice
Can tell you if you're eligible for legal aid, and give you free and confidential legal advice if so.

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.

This information was published in June 2018. 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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