Complaints against the NHS
If you have been injured while in the care of the NHS, you are entitled to make a complaint. Every NHS organisation has a complaints procedure, including hospitals, GP surgeries and dentists. Most private healthcare providers will also have a complaints procedure.
Making a complaint about the NHS
For NHS patients, the NHS Constitution explains your rights when making a complaint. Amongst other things you have the right to:
- Have your complaint dealt with efficiently and properly investigated.
- Know the outcome of any investigation into your complaint.
- Take your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman if you are not satisfied with the way that the NHS has dealt with your complaint.
Why making a complaint against the NHS?
Making a complaint can be very helpful for a number of reasons:
- It lodges your complaint with the NHS service, which they will then investigate and respond.
- It is an opportunity to get an explanation as to why you were treated in a certain way.
- You may be offered a complaint meeting with key members of staff and those who were in charge of your treatment so that you can ask them questions face-to-face.
- The response to the complaint may be very helpful in terms of bringing a claim for medical negligence compensation. It may contain an admission of fault for example which could make bringing a claim much easier.
Claims against the NHS for medical negligence
Our team of specialist solicitors may be able to assist you with drafting the complaint. If you have already made a complaint and received a response then we can review this for you and advise whether you have a claim for medical negligence compensation.
We are always happy to discuss the circumstances of your potential claim against the NHS, either over the phone, via email or where appropriate at a meeting.
We offer:
- No win, no fee services
- Help with rehabilitation for your injuries
- A friendly team of experts
We are members of the Law Society Clinical Negligence Panel – a specialist qualification held by experienced medical negligence solicitors – and are recognised by the independently researched publications, The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners.