If you are unhappy with the care and treatment you, or someone else has received from the NHS, or services paid for by the NHS, you have the right to raise your concerns about it.

If you decide to make a complaint, you should do so within 12 months of the incident you are complaining about, or, within 12 months of the time you became aware of the impact or results, of the care and treatment which you are complaining about.

N.B. In certain circumstances, the NHS will look at complaints that are outside of these timescales, but they do not have to. Anyone can make a complaint about their NHS care and treatment.

If the person concerned is unable to make a referral to us, someone else can do it for them. Usually we will need the person’s consent, but we understand that sometimes this isn’t possible.