Giving feedback and making complaints
If you feel that you or someone you know has been treated unfairly or discriminated against by a provider of health or social care, the first thing to consider is raising the issue with the healthcare provider. You may prefer to put the matter in writing so that there is a record of your complaint.
You can give feedback via patient surveys, or a patient forum (in England these will be replaced in 2008 with a new structure of Local Involvement Networks).
Under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, NHS organisations are required to consult disabled people about healthcare services and how they are designed and provided. Under public authority duties related to promoting race and gender equality, NHS organisations must also consult with people from ethnic minorities, and with women and men, to assess the impact, or likely impact, of new and revised policies and practices.
On this page
England
If you are unhappy with the response to your complaint, you can ask the Healthcare Commission for an ‘independent review’ of your case. Your local Patient Advisory Liaison Service may be able to offer support.
If you are still unhappy after local complaints procedures have been exhausted and after independent review, you can also complain to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
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Wales
If you are unhappy with the response to your complaint, you can ask the Independent Review Secretariat for an ‘independent review’. Your local Community Health Council may be able to offer you support.
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Scotland
The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman is completely independent of the NHS and the government. The ombudsman can investigate complaints about the NHS, as well as private healthcare providers if the treatment was funded by the NHS.
To complain about mental health treatment in Scotland, contact the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland, which is a public authority set up to protect the interests of mental health patients. It can investigate complaints about the use of legal powers in mental health hospitals and nursing homes, and can help you through the NHS complaints system.
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What next?
If you have read the above section, and you feel you may have been discriminated against and want to know more about your rights under law, the ‘How to use your rights’ section of our website tells you what you can do to challenge unlawful discrimination.
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