Alternatives to Litigation: The NHS Complaints Procedure

• Introduction
• The GMC and other Professional Bodies
• NHS Complaints
  • Step One: Local Resolution
  • Step Two: Independent Review
  • Step Three: The Health Service
  • Should I Make a Complaint?
  • How Can Michelmores Help?
  • Where Can I Get More Information?
• Patient Advocacy: PALS, ICAS, etc.
• Public Inquiries
• Regulatory Bodies

Talk to Us Now

• 0800 0730140
• Request a call back
• Name:

  Phone number:

  Email:

  Summary of enquiry:
• Email Us Now

Print this page Forward to a friend, colleague or adviser

Where Can I Get More Information?

The NHS's policy regarding complaints is set out in a document called "Your Guide to the NHS" (this has replaced what used to be known as "The Patient's Charter").  You can access this document on-line here.

There is further guidance on complaints on the Patients' Voice section of the NHS website.

The Department of Health also publishes separate guidance, on its website.

The Citizens Advice Bureau website contains some useful information, including sections on NHS Patients' Rights, NHS Complaints, and How to Use an Ombudsman.

If you do not know which Trust a given hospital comes under, you can find out by entering the name of the hospital on this NHS web-page (unfortunately, the name of the Trust in question is not very obvious: when you have clicked on the appropriate hospital from your search results, it appears at the top of the screen, after the text reading "This is in: Local services search > NHS Organisations >").

If you do not know which Primary Care Trust is responsible for your area, you can find out by entering your postcode on this NHS web-page.

Health Service Ombudsmen

The following table provides contact details for the Health Service Ombudsmen who have responsibility for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, respectively.