Get support to make an NHS complaint
Unhappy with your healthcare? You can make a complaint about:
- poor treatment or care
- attitude of staff
- poor communication
- waiting times
- lack of information
- failure to diagnose a condition
You can get different kinds of support from VoiceAbility. You can ask for help before you make your complaint, or after you’ve started the process.
I just wanted to say thank you for all your kind help and support. Knowing that you were there gave me confidence.
Support from an advocate
Advocates are independent professionals who are trained to support you. They don’t work for the NHS. Advocates are on your side.
An advocate can help you to:
- work out what you want to complain about and the outcome you’re looking for
- write your own complaint letter and send it to the right people
- understand the response you get and what to do next
The complaint could be for you, a member of your family or someone you care for.
An advocate will support you to do as much as you can for yourself. Advocates can sometimes attend complaints resolution meetings with you, if you find it difficult to say what you want.
Advocates help to make sure that the NHS listens to you.
Make a referral online
Complete a web form, and we’ll contact you
helpline@voiceability.org
Email us about your complaint
0300 303 1660
Call us 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
You can also use webchat to talk to an advocate online. This is available 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Click the Chat with an advocate button on your screen to start a conversation.
Support to make a complaint yourself
You might want information to help you feel empowered to complain by yourself.
You can ask for information and resources to be sent to you by email or sent to you by post. You can also get information and resources in Easy Read.
We can send you these resources to support you with your complaint:
- our self-help toolkit, which helps you with every stage of the process
- a guide and template for writing a complaint letter
- a log sheet for tracking the progress of your complaint
- a consent form for complaining on behalf of someone else
helpline@voiceability.org
Contact us to get support
0300 303 1660
Call us 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
Ashlea said she felt really supported and empowered by the support that she received from her advocate.