Raising Concerns
Sometimes things don’t go as well as they should.
Sometimes things go really well with your healthcare and you want to shout out from the highest point.
Sometimes things don’t go so well and you feel that you want to make it known. Sometimes things have felt like a disaster and you just want to make sure nobody else goes through what you have.
If your concerns are about an individual doctor or therapist then the avenue to complain about is different from when you are complaining about a service provider such as a clinic for surgery or hospital.
Each GP surgery and hospital will have their own complaints department, and all compliments, concerned and complaints should be raised in that way, as well as taking things higher if you feel you need to.
INDIVIDUAL
doctors, nurses, counsellors, psychotherapists, therapists.
The General Medical Council
If you have a serious concern about an individual doctor, then the GMC is the place to go. They only investigate concerns about individuals, so if your concern is about a clinic, or a hospital then the GMC is not the right place. They also only investigate when the concern you are raising is so serious that it might mean that the doctor shouldn’t be allowed to continue working as a doctor. However, if there are a multitude of smaller concerns that make you think that that doctor causes harm to patients, then you should also let the GMC know.
To search for the GMC registration number of the doctor, visit the GMC website.
The Nursing & Midwifery Council
The Nursing & Midwifery Council regulate nurses and midwives. If you feel that the care you have been given by a nurse was not right then you can raise that concern with the NMC. Again, concerns should be serious, or multiple, and about a single nurse rather than a clinic or hospital.
To search for the NMC registration number of the nurse, you can do so on the NMC website.
The Health & Care Professions Council
If your concern is about a psychologist, a social worker, an arts therapists, or a speech and language therapist then they are regulated by the HPC.
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
The BACP provides a directory of counsellors, and also provides a means of raising a concern about an individual therapist. Everyone should feel safe and cared for, and if you don’t then you should report it.
PROVIDERS of Services, such as GP Surgeries, Hospitals and Clinics
The avenue for these complaints depends on where you live.
England
Wales
Ireland
