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Rights and complaints guide

By Does Your Duck Quack

How to complain about NHS hospital care in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Set out what happened, its impact and the outcome you want; use the correct NHS complaint, advocacy and ombudsman route for the UK nation.

Checked: 13 October 2026 · Next review: 13 April 2027 · Applies to: UK, with nation notes
How this guide was prepared

Purpose: rights guidance · Level: detailed

Checked by: Does Your Duck Quack. Sources are linked below; seek professional advice for individual circumstances.

The short answer

What to do first

Set out what happened, its impact and the outcome you want; use the correct NHS complaint, advocacy and ombudsman route for the UK nation.

Start here: Ask a clinician to review ongoing treatment, discharge or safety concerns separately and promptly. For the complaint, state the service, dates, people involved, impact, questions and outcome sought. Include consent if acting for someone else, request accessible communication, keep evidence, and ask for acknowledgement and a response timetable. Use urgent-care, safeguarding, police or 999 routes when risk cannot wait.

Visual guides

See the decision at a glance

Hospital complaints by UK nation
  1. EnglandComplain to the NHS provider or commissioner, then use the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman route if unresolved.
  2. ScotlandUse NHS Scotland’s complaints process, then the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.
  3. WalesUse Putting Things Right, then the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.
  4. Northern IrelandUse the HSC complaints process, then the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman.

Scope of this guide

This guide helps you understand the options and questions to ask. It is not personal medical, legal or financial advice. Check the official sources for your nation and seek qualified help for high-stakes decisions.

Who this guide is for

Patients and their chosen supporters seeking clear answers after hospital care.

Separate immediate clinical risk or safeguarding from the routine complaint. Ask a clinician to review ongoing treatment or discharge risk now. A complaint should not delay urgent care, patient-safety reporting or adult-protection action. PALS may help resolve a current concern in England but is not a substitute for a formal written complaint when one is needed.

What to prepare and ask for

1. Keep care safe and prepare a clear complaint

Ask a clinician to review ongoing treatment, discharge or safety concerns separately and promptly. For the complaint, state the service, dates, people involved, impact, questions and outcome sought. Include consent if acting for someone else, request accessible communication, keep evidence, and ask for acknowledgement and a response timetable. Use urgent-care, safeguarding, police or 999 routes when risk cannot wait.

2. England: NHS provider, advocacy, PHSO and CQC

Complain to the NHS provider or commissioner and give dates, impact and the remedy wanted. Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) may help resolve a current problem; an NHS complaints advocate can support the process. After the local process, the Public Service Ombudsman, formerly PHSO considers eligible unresolved NHS complaints. Raise service-quality concerns with CQC; it does not resolve every individual dispute.

3. Scotland: NHS board, PASS and SPSO

Give the hospital or NHS board the dates, impact and remedy sought, and ask for accessible communication, consent requirements and the response timetable. The Patient Advice and Support Service (PASS) provides independent information and support. The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman is the final stage for eligible unresolved complaints after local procedures. Request a separate clinical review for ongoing harm.

4. Wales: Putting Things Right, Llais and the Public Services Ombudsman

Contact the health board or trust with dates, impact, questions and desired outcome, and ask for the Putting Things Right process and accessible communication. Llais can support people raising health and social-care concerns. The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales may consider eligible unresolved complaints. Ask the clinical team to address ongoing treatment or discharge risk now.

5. Northern Ireland: HSC trust, PCC, NIPSO and RQIA

Write to the HSC trust complaints manager with dates, impact, questions and the outcome sought; include consent when acting for another person. The Patient and Client Council (PCC) supports questions and complaints. The Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO) considers eligible unresolved public-service complaints. RQIA receives concerns about regulated services but does not replace the HSC complaint or ombudsman route for every individual remedy.

Evidence and questions

Common questions

Which ombudsman handles NHS complaints?

For unresolved NHS complaints in England, contact the Public Service Ombudsman, formerly the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Scotland uses the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman; Wales uses the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales; Northern Ireland uses the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman. Normally finish the health organisation’s complaints process first and keep its final response. Check the appropriate ombudsman’s guidance about time limits, accepted complaints and assistance before submitting your papers.

Can I complain on behalf of a relative?

You can help submit a complaint, but the provider may need the patient’s consent before discussing confidential details. Ask what they want and follow the organisation’s authorisation process. If they cannot consent, the provider will consider its rules and interests.

What should I include in an NHS complaint?

Include dates, ward or service, what happened, how it affected the patient and the outcome you want. Separate what you witnessed from what someone told you, and attach copies rather than originals. Ask for an interpreter or accessible format if needed.

Who can help me make a hospital complaint?

Support differs by nation: local NHS complaints advocacy in England, Llais in Wales, the Patient Advice and Support Service in Scotland, and the Patient and Client Council in Northern Ireland. These services can explain the process and help organise concerns.

Before you act

Write down the outcome you want, the names and dates involved, and the evidence or documents you already have. Ask for important decisions, costs and next steps in writing. If information is unclear, ask which nation’s rules are being used and when the decision will be reviewed.

If there is a delay or disagreement

Keep a short factual record of calls, letters and missed actions. Ask for the responsible person, the written reasons, the complaints or review route and any deadline. Immediate health or safety risks should be escalated separately rather than waiting for a routine complaint.

Differences across the UK

NHS complaint procedures, advocacy services and ombudsmen differ across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Start with the hospital, NHS board, health board or HSC trust responsible for care and follow the nation-specific step below. Regulators receive concerns about service quality but do not replace every complaint or ombudsman route. From 1 October 2026, England’s NHS ombudsman is the Public Service Ombudsman, formerly PHSO. Advocacy help is arranged locally in England; NHS England lists how to find it. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland use Llais, PASS and PCC for support, with separate ombudsmen.

Primary sources

The publisher checked this guide against the 22 official sources below. This is an editorial source check, not approval by a clinician, lawyer or benefits adviser.

Editorial note: By Does Your Duck Quack.