How to complain about NHS care, CHC decisions, and care providers
If you are unhappy with NHS care, a Continuing Healthcare decision, or the standard of care at a registered provider, you have the right to complain formally. The complaints process has several stages — starting with the organisation directly and escalating to the Ombudsman or CQC if unresolved.
Complaining to the NHS — the formal process
Step 1: Complain directly to the NHS trust, GP practice, or Integrated Care Board within 12 months of the incident. Most NHS organisations have a formal complaints team and a published complaints procedure. Be specific, factual, and clear about the outcome you are seeking.
Step 2: If unresolved, escalate to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, which is the independent final stage. The Ombudsman will investigate procedural failures and can recommend remedies including compensation.
A good complaint letter sets out the facts in chronological order, identifies the standards or policies that were breached, explains the impact on the patient and family, and clearly states what resolution is being sought.
Complaining about a CHC decision specifically
CHC complaints are handled differently from general NHS complaints. Refusals are challenged through the dedicated CHC appeals process — Local Resolution followed by Independent Review Panel — rather than through the standard NHS complaints route. Read our full CHC appeals guide →
Complaining to the CQC about a care provider
The Care Quality Commission does not investigate or resolve individual complaints, but it does use them to inform inspections and enforcement action. If you have concerns about a registered care home, home care agency, or hospital, report them to the CQC. Concerns about poor practice, safeguarding, or systemic failures are particularly important.
Complaining to the Local Government Ombudsman
If your complaint is about a local authority's care decisions — a refused needs assessment, an inadequate personal budget, poor care coordination, or a charging dispute — escalate to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman after the council's own complaints procedure is exhausted.
When to get legal advice
Serious neglect, financial abuse, significant personal injury, or wrongful death may justify legal action in addition to a complaint. Specialist solicitors handle these cases, often on a no-win-no-fee basis. Care home abuse and neglect cases have their own specialist solicitor route — read our care home abuse guide.