27 How to Make a Complaint This information sheet is aimed at people who are having problems with their care home, local council or the NHS. It explains the steps you can take to challenge a decision or make a complaint. Please note: in this information sheet, where we say ‘social services’ this means local health and social services trust for people in Northern Ireland, or social work department in Scotland. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Contents Section 1. General advice on making a complaint Section 2. Complaining about a care home Section 3. Challenging your local council Section 4. Complaining about the NHS Section 5. Challenging NHS Continuing healthcare decisions Section 6. Dual complaints Section 7. Judicial review Section 8. Useful contacts Making a Complaint was published in October 2008. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this information sheet is correct. However, things do change so it is always a good idea to seek expert advice on your personal situation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 1. General advice on making a complaint If you are unhappy with the way you have been treated by your local council or NHS you may want to make a complaint. The different steps you can take are outlined in this information sheet. But first, here is some general advice on how to deal with any complaint. * Decide if you want to make an informal or a formal complaint. To make an informal complaint, speak to someone to try to sort things out as quickly as possible. You can clear up many problems by having an informal chat with a member of staff at the organisation. Most people make an informal complaint first because a formal complaint is more serious and may take longer to resolve. For a formal complaint, ask for information about the procedure and put your complaint in writing. Someone will investigate and then reply, in writing, telling you what they are going to do about it. All service providers must have a complaints procedure. It must set out how service users, or those acting on their behalf, can complain about the service. * Be clear about what it is you are unhappy about. Your complaint is more likely to be resolved to your satisfaction if you can be precise about what you are complaining about. * Say what you want the result of your complaint to be. Do you want an apology? Do you want an explanation of what went wrong and why? Do you want something to be changed so that other people don’t have the same experience you have had? * If you want compensation, this may be possible in some cases, but the complaints procedure may not be the right route for you. You may want to get advice on this. * Try to be as clear and concise as you can in any letters you are writing. * If you speak to someone about your complaint, by telephone or in person, it is a good idea to make a record of the time, date and name of the person you spoke to. For example, you may have made your initial complaint in person, or made a phone call to check your complaint has been received. Follow up any conversations with a letter confirming what was discussed. Make sure you keep a photocopy of any letters you send and keep all letters and emails you receive. * If you are making a formal complaint, state this clearly in your letter. This will mean that your care home, local council or NHS service will have to deal with your complaint within set time limits. There is more information on the time limits for care home, local council and NHS complaints in the next three sections of this information sheet. * You may find it useful to get further advice before making a complaint: for example, from your local Citizens Advice Bureau, or by calling our free advice service SeniorLine on 0808 800 6565 (0808 808 7575 in Northern Ireland). We give details later on where else you can go to get advice, depending on what your complaint is about. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 2. Complaining about a care home If you live in a care home and you are not happy about the home, its staff or the treatment you receive, you can make a complaint. You can also make a complaint if you are the relative of somebody who lives in a care home and are not happy about their treatment. You have the right to feel safe, and to be treated with dignity and respect. Stage one: informal complaint with a member of staff at the care home You can clear up many problems by having an informal chat with a member of staff or the manager of the care home itself. You have the right to complain if you are not happy about the way you are being treated. Stage two: formal complaint to your care home If an informal complaint does not resolve the problem, you can use the care home’s complaints procedure. You could ask a friend or relative or your local Citizens Advice Bureau to help you make your complaint. All registered care homes must have a complaints procedure, which should have been clearly explained to you when you moved in. It must set out how service users or those acting on their behalf can complain about the service. All care homes should have a Service User's Guide, which must be given to each resident and anyone else who requests it. The Service User’s Guide must include details of the complaints procedure. The registered care provider, usually the care home manager, must respond to your complaint, in writing, within 28 days. The response must say what, if anything, the home is going to do following your complaint. Stage three: making a complaint to social services If you are still not happy you can make a formal complaint to the complaints manager at your local social services. You will be asked to complete a complaints form. Some complaints, for example, those that are about care standards, cannot be investigated under the social services complaints procedure. If you do not wish to complain to the home directly you should contact the manager of your local social services and explain that the situation has broken down. If you are unhappy about the quality of care you or your relative is receiving, you may also want to ask for a reassessment of your care needs in case the home is no longer able to provide a service that meets your needs. If social services were not involved in helping you find a care home, they may not investigate your complaint. If this is the case, the complaints manager will write to explain why your complaint can’t be dealt with and what else you might be able to do. Stage four: complain to the regulator If you have complained to your local social services and you are still not happy, you should complain to the Commission for Social Care Inspection (England); the Scottish Regulation for the Regulation of Care (Scotland); the Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales or The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority in Northern Ireland. Their contact details can be found in section 8, ‘Useful contacts’. If your complaint is about a private care home this is the last stage you can go through. These bodies will not investigate your complaint, but they should check whether or not the care home is complying with the national care standards. If your complaint is about a local council care home you can complain to an ombudsman. You should complain to the Local Government Ombudsman (England); the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales; Scottish Public Services Ombudsman or the Northern Ireland Ombudsman. Their contact details can be found in section 8, ‘Useful contacts’. Legal action If you have been through all the stages above and you’re still not happy, you may be able to go to court to try to resolve your dispute. This might be because there is a breach of your contract with the care home. Alternatively you might have a case for a judicial review if a public body such as the CSCI or the local council has not carried out its legal duties properly. This can be very expensive unless you are eligible for legal aid. If you are eligible, the Legal Services Commission will be able to help you find a suitable solicitor. Your local Citizens Advice Bureau should be able to advise you about whether you are eligible for legal aid. Contact details for the Legal Services Commission can be found in section 8, ‘Useful contacts’. Contact details for your local Citizens Advice Bureau will be in your phone book. Getting help with making a complaint If you want help with making your complaint, you can get advice from your local Citizens Advice Bureau or Age Concern group. There are different independent bodies in each UK country which inspect and report on care services. * If you are in England you should contact the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) helpline for advice. * If you are in Scotland you should contact the Scottish Commission for the regulation of Care. * If you are in Wales you should contact the Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales (CSIW). You can complain directly to it about social care received from care homes. * If you are in Northern Ireland you should contact The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority. See section 8, ‘Useful contacts’, for contact details of all of the above. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 3. Challenging your local council Local councils are responsible for carrying out community care and carers’ assessments and deciding which social care services you need. The service could be help to support you to continue living at home, or it could be a place in a care home. There is more than one course of action you can take to challenge your local council; these are described in the following section. You can challenge your local council if you disagree with a decision that has been made about your care, or about the funding of your care. For example, you may want to put in a complaint if you: * have been refused an assessment or re-assessment of your needs; * feel that you are being asked to wait an unreasonable length of time to have your needs assessed; * don’t feel the assessment took into account all your needs; * feel that the services you are receiving are not meeting your needs; * have a problem with the way your services are being provided; * are being asked to wait a long time for equipment or adaptations; * feel that you are being charged an unreasonable amount for your care; or * are having problems getting local council funding for a care home place. You cannot: * complain about something that you have already made a complaint about (unless the situation has changed significantly since the earlier complaint); * complain about something that is nothing to do with social services; * complain about something trivial, just to be annoying or cause inconvenience – this is called being ‘frivolous or vexatious’; or * complain about something which is already being dealt with in a disciplinary or court case (judicial review can be an exception). Normally, complaints must be made within 12 months of the event happening but occasionally late complaints may be considered. If you want to complain about something that happened more than 12 months ago you should talk to the complaints officer at your council and explain why you couldn’t complain earlier. The council may still accept your complaint. Local council complaints procedure There are usually three stages to the local council complaints procedure: * stage one – involves you writing to the complaints manager at your local council * stage two – your complaint will be investigated and then an adjudicating officer will respond * review stage – there will be a review of the complaint by an independent panel. We look at each of these stages in more detail in the next section. If you would like further information, you should be able to get a leaflet from your local council that explains its complaints procedure. It should also have a complaints officer who can advise you. Or you can contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau or call our free advice service SeniorLine on 0808 800 6565 (0808 808 7575 in Northern Ireland). Stage one complaint To make a complaint you should contact the local council through its complaints manager to make your complaint. Explain why you want to complain and what you want to happen. You should do this in writing. You should get a response from the council within 10 working days although this can be extended to 20 days if necessary. If you have not heard anything after 20 working days, the complaints manager should tell you how to make a stage two complaint. If you do receive a response but you are not happy with it, you can also make a stage two complaint. Stage two complaint You must write, asking for a formal investigation, within 20 working days of receiving the response to your stage one complaint. The complaints manager will appoint an investigating officer and will discuss your complaint and what you want to happen with you. The investigation should be completed within 25 working days although this can be extended to 65 days. If this happens you should be contacted to explain why. You should then be told the result of the investigation. If you are still unhappy you can ask for an independent review. Review stage You can ask for a review of the outcome if you do not agree with it. You must request a review, in writing, within 28 days of receiving the formal decision. You should be told who to write to when you receive the formal decision from your local council. The complaints manager will arrange a ‘panel hearing’. You should be informed about this hearing in writing and be invited to attend. The panel will consist of three people, at least two of whom must be independent from the local council. It is fairly informal and you are allowed to take someone with you to speak on your behalf. The only person you cannot take is a solicitor acting in a professional capacity. If you would prefer not to attend, or you are unable to do so, you can send any additional details you would like considered, at any time before the date of the panel hearing. The panel should meet within 30 working days of receiving your complaint. Once the panel has considered your complaint, it should give a written decision and forward its recommendations to you and the local council within five working days. The council must then decide what action to take and tell you what it is going to do within 15 working days. Using the Ombudsman If you are unhappy with the outcome of the panel hearing, you can make a formal complaint to the ombudsman. In England this is the Local Government Ombudsman, in Wales and Scotland it is the Public Service Ombudsman, and in Northern Ireland the Northern Ireland Ombudsman. The ombudsman investigates cases of bad practice by the local council that have led to injustice. The ombudsman is independent. The law gives the ombudsman wide discretion to decide whether or not to conduct an investigation and how to try to resolve a case. The ombudsman’s investigator has a right to see all the council’s paperwork. If the ombudsman upholds your complaint, s/he has the power to recommend compensation, and to ask the council to review its procedures to ensure that practice improves. Complaints to the ombudsman are free, but unfortunately it can be a slow process – investigations take on average 18 months. For more information, including forms and helpful advice, contact the ombudsman for your country. Their contact details are in section 8, ‘Useful contacts’. Local government Monitoring Officer You can make a formal complaint to your local council’s Monitoring Officer as an alternative (or in addition) to using the local council’s complaints procedure. Whether you can make a complaint to your local Monitoring Officer before going through your local council’s complaint procedure will depend on what you are complaining about. You may get a speedier result if you are able to complain to your Monitoring Officer initially. The Monitoring Officer can investigate unlawful decisions taken by the council. But it cannot investigate complaints of bad practice until they have been through the council’s complaints procedure, and been considered by the Local Government Ombudsman. Several people have called Help the Aged to say that their local council doesn’t have a Monitoring Officer. But each local council must have someone who takes on this role even if they don’t have this specific job title. This is usually the council’s senior solicitor. You may need to ask who does this job and find out their full name to get in touch. Put your complaint in writing, setting out why you think the local council’s decision is unlawful. There is no set time limit for the monitoring officer to deal with your complaint, but if you do not get a reply within a couple of weeks write again, or contact the monitoring officer by phone. Lobbying Whatever else you do, you can also ask your local councillor or MP to take up your case. They can put extra pressure on your local council to resolve your complaint quickly. Similarly, a local group such as Age Concern, or a Citizens Advice Bureau, may be able to help. It may also be worth writing a letter to your local paper to let it know what the local council is doing. In the face of bad publicity, you may find that the local council reviews its decision. However, seek advice first – using the media doesn’t always work. This is not an alternative to using the complaints procedure or the law. It is usually sensible to carry on with a complaint in case your councillor or MP does not get a satisfactory response from the council. Advocacy services You can get advice and support to make a complaint from an independent advocacy service. An advocate is someone who can support you and speak on your behalf. An independent advocacy service has expert knowledge of how the system works; it uses this knowledge to represent your interests and assist you to get your point across more effectively. * Your local council social services department should be able to give you information about local advocacy organisations that can help you to make a complaint. * The charity Counsel and Care can provide details of advocacy organisations in your area. Call 0845 300 7585. * Your local Age Concern may provide an advocacy service. Contact details should be listed in your phone book. * You can ask your local Citizens Advice Bureau for advice and support in making a complaint. Check your phone book for contact details. Successful outcomes Calls to Help the Aged show that it’s often worth making a complaint if you are unhappy with a local council decision. There are lots of cases where people have successfully challenged local council decisions quickly and with relatively little effort. Here are two examples, both involving people who felt they had been unreasonably refused care home funding. 1. Mrs Dudley was living in a care home, in England, and her husband was still living at home. Mrs Dudley’s savings had fallen to £21,500, so her husband contacted social services. A social worker visited Mrs Dudley and assessed her as needing residential care. The social worker told Mr Dudley that although his wife’s savings were below £22,250 social services would not fund her care. Mr Dudley took advice and immediately made a formal complaint to social services. He also saw a solicitor about starting a judicial review and made this known to social services. As a result, Mrs Dudley’s case was reviewed and social services agreed to fund her care home fees. 2. Miss Edwards was concerned about her mother and grandmother. Her grandmother was assessed as needing residential care and the social worker wanted her to sell her house to pay the fees. Her grandmother didn't want to do this as her daughter (Miss Edwards’ mother), herself aged 62, still lived in the house. Miss Edwards was advised by Help the Aged that the social worker should ignore the value of her grandmother’s home as her daughter was over 60 and living there. Miss Edwards was given details of the guidance the social worker should follow and with this information she got back in touch with the social worker. A week later, Miss Edwards rang Help the Aged to say that the social worker had looked at the case again and agreed that social services would ignore the value of the grandmother's home and pay her residential care fees. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Section 4. Complaining about the NHS If you are not happy with the treatment you have received from the NHS you can make a complaint. You can also complain if you feel that the NHS is not providing services or equipment to meet your needs. Depending on the problem you have, it may be best to try to sort out the problem informally if you can by talking to the staff at the service involved. But if this does not help, you can use the NHS complaints procedure to make a formal complaint. You can use this procedure to complain about your NHS doctor, nurse, dentist, pharmacist, optician or any other NHS service you are unhappy with. You have the right to make a complaint, have it considered and get a response from that NHS service. Ask for a copy of the complaints procedure – all NHS services should have one. Is there a time limit for making a complaint? You usually need to make a formal complaint within six months of the incident you are unhappy about, or six months from the date you first became aware of it. In some cases it may be possible for this time limit to be extended: for example, if you couldn’t complain in time because you were too ill or grieving. But this will depend on the individual situation. Who can complain? To use the NHS complaints procedure you must be a patient or a former patient of the NHS service you are complaining about. You can also complain on behalf of another person: for example, a relative or someone you care for. But the NHS service looking into the complaint must agree that you are a suitable representative for that person. Who do I complain to? Who you complain to and what you do if you are not happy with the outcome depends on which UK country you live in. The general procedure is outlined in this section. Stage one – local resolution The first stage of the NHS complaints system, no matter which country in the UK you live in, is to make a formal complaint to the NHS service that you are unhappy with. Some large health centres and hospitals will have a designated complaints manager whom you can contact. Even if some smaller practices do not, it must have someone who is responsible for complaints. Ask for the name of the person who deals with complaints. You can usually complain in person, over the phone or in writing. Make it clear that you are making a formal complaint and ask for a written acknowledgement (although you should get one anyway). If you complain in person or over the phone it is a good idea to follow this up in writing. Once your complaint has been received you should get an outcome letter (or progress report) within 25 working days. Most complaints are resolved at this stage. Stage two – independent review If you are not happy with the outcome of your complaint you can ask for an independent review (in England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland). You can also ask for a review if the local resolution stage has taken six months or longer and your complaint still hasn’t been resolved. You usually need to ask for an independent review within 28 days of getting the outcome letter from your initial complaint (or within two months in England). Your outcome letter will give details of whom to contact for an independent review. * In England, the Healthcare Commission deals with independent reviews. * In Northern Ireland independent reviews are carried out by your local health board. * In Wales you can ask the Independent Review Secretariat for an independent review of your complaint. * In Scotland you can ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman for an independent review. You need to do this within one year of the event that you are complaining about. See section 8, ‘Useful contacts’ for their contact details. Stage 3 – referral to the ombudsman You can refer your complaint to your health service ombudsman as a last resort. Before doing so you must have given the NHS a chance to investigate the matter, and completed the independent review stage. The ombudsman will look at complaints concerning things such as faulty services or administration, or a long wait for treatment. The ombudsman can also investigate complaints about matters involving a doctor's clinical judgement. Contact the ombudsman’s office for advice on making your complaint. It can advise you on whether the ombudsman will be able to look at your complaint, and on what information you need to provide. Contact details are in section 8, ‘Useful contacts’. If he or she feels it is appropriate, the ombudsman can conduct an investigation into the complaint, and will write a report, a copy of which will be sent to the relevant authority. This service is free. The ombudsman can’t enforce his or her recommendations, but they are usually accepted. Can I get financial compensation? You can’t generally get financial compensation through the NHS complaints procedure. The Health Service Ombudsman is able to recommend compensation, but almost never does so, except in NHS continuing healthcare cases (see section 6). Otherwise, to achieve compensation you would need to take legal action against the NHS. This can be costly and complicated but you may be able to get public funding through legal aid or find a solicitor who will take the case on a nowin, nofee basis. You may be able to get free legal aid if you are on a low income. See our free information sheet, no. 29, Entitlements for the Over-60s. If you are thinking about taking legal action it is a good idea to seek advice first from an organisation with expertise in this area, such as Action for the Victims of Medical Accidents, a specialist lawyer or an independent advice centre. Getting help with making a complaint There are different independent bodies in each UK country that act to represent the interests of NHS patients. Contact the appropriate organisation for information and advice on making a complaint. See section 8, ‘Useful contacts’ for contact details. * If you are in England, contact your local Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). PALS may put you in touch with the local Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS), which can advise and support you in taking your complaint further. * If you are in Wales, contact your local community health council. * If you are in Northern Ireland, contact your local health and social services council. * In Scotland, your local health board may be able to help you, or you could contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau to help you make a complaint. Another organisation which can provide advice on patients’ rights and making a complaint is the Patients Association. It can also give you information about other useful organisations. You can call the helpline on 0845 608 4455. You can also ask your local Citizens Advice Bureau for advice on how to make a formal complaint – look in your phone book for contact details. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 5. Dual complaints If your complaint involves the NHS and your local council you can complain to either body, or both. If you complain to the council, but your complaint includes elements that are the responsibility of the NHS, the council must ask if you wish your complaint to be forwarded to the NHS within 10 working days of receiving your complaint. If your complaint to the NHS includes elements that are the responsibility of the council, the NHS must ask if you wish your complaint to be forwarded to the council within 10 working days of receiving your complaint. Your complaint should then be forwarded as soon as possible. The Local Authority Social Services Complaints (England) Regulations 2006 state that the council and the NHS should cooperate with one another when dealing with a complaint. They must provide each other with relevant information and both bodies should attend meetings about the complaint and agree which of them should deal with the complaint. These regulations also give guidance about who should be part of a review panel and about timescales for hearing complaints. Once the review panel has met, you should be told about their recommendations and their reasons within five working days. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 6. Challenging NHS Continuing Healthcare decisions (in England and Wales) If you have been assessed for NHS continuing healthcare and refused it, you can challenge this decision. The NHS must give you written reasons explaining why they have decided that you are not eligible for NHS continuing care, and should also explain that you have a right to request a review of that decision. Stage one The first stage is to ask your local primary care trust (PCT) in England, or local health board in Wales, to review the decision. This is the informal or local resolution stage. The PCT or local health board may ask a nursing assessor to review the decision or they may set up a panel to look at it. Some PCTs involve a neighbouring PCT in carrying out a local review. Sometimes this process can take a very long time. If you think that there has been undue delay in carrying out the informal resolution stage, then you can ask for a formal review. Stage two You can ask for a formal review if you disagree with the procedure that has been followed or if you think that the eligibility criteria have not been applied properly or fairly. You need to apply to your local strategic health authority in England and local health boards in Wales for an independent review panel (IRP). If you disagree about the treatment you have received and where the NHS healthcare was offered, you must use the NHS complaints procedure (see section 4), rather than this using the procedure for challenging NHS continuing healthcare. There is no automatic entitlement to a formal panel review by your strategic health authority (in England) or the local health board (in Wales). However, if you request a formal review, it should only be refused if your needs are very clearly social care rather than health care needs. An independent review panel should meet as soon as possible. You can attend the panel hearing or provide written representations. Representatives can attend to support you and speak for you if that is what you want. The rules do not specify whether or not you can bring a solicitor to represent you. Some strategic health authorities and local health authorities have a policy of allowing legal representatives and some do not. Stage three If you are unhappy with the decision of the panel, then you can ask the Healthcare Commission in England and the Independent Review Secretariat in Wales to investigate the panel’s decision. These bodies can recommend either a reversal of the decision or a re-consideration by the panel. Stage four This is the last stage and only applies if the Health Service Commission or the Independent Review Secretariat does not uphold your complaint. You can then complain to the Health Service Ombudsman in England or the Public Service Ombudsman in Wales. The Ombudsman will decide whether or not the decision at stage three of the complaints procedure was made properly and fairly. If they think that the decision was not made properly and fairly, then they can either decide to carry out their own investigation of your case or they can refer your case back with an explanation of what they think has gone wrong. Compensation If you have been paying for some or all of your own care, when you should have been receiving it free from the NHS, then you will be able to get your money back, with an appropriate amount of interest. This can happen at any of the stages in the review/complaints procedure. If you want more information about financial compensation, then you may find it useful to look at the recommendations of the Department of Health in England in NHS Continuing Healthcare: Continuing Care Redress published in March 2007. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 7 Judicial review A judicial review is a request to the High Court to consider whether a decision of your local council or NHS organisation is lawful. Lawful means that the decision is legal, fair and reasonable. You must apply for judicial review without delay; and in any event you must apply within three months of the decision you want to challenge (and in some cases sooner). Depending on the circumstances you may not have to go through the local council or NHS complaints procedure before you apply for judicial review. In an emergency, you can sometimes get an injunction very quickly in a judicial review case: for example, to stop the council unlawfully withdrawing your services. If you are considering judicial review you will need specialist legal advice. The Legal Services Commission can tell you which solicitors’ firms specialise in community care or public law. See section 8, ‘Useful contacts’, for its contact details. Bear in mind that judicial review isn’t the best option for everyone and does not guarantee that the decision will change, even if it was made unlawfully. It is very expensive. If you are financially eligible for public funding, you will either pay nothing or an agreed fixed contribution to your costs. If you are considering a judicial review you should let the local council or NHS organisation know – this may prompt them to resolve your case quickly! Note: Certain successful judicial reviews have forced all local councils to reconsider their policies. For example, in 1997 Help the Aged, on behalf of older people, took Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council to judicial review over its decision to ignore the set capital limits and force people to use their savings to pay for residential care. Help the Aged was successful, and as a result new legislation and guidance has been created to protect the savings of people entering care homes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Section 8. Useful contacts Citizens Advice Bureaux Check your phone book to find your local group. The Healthcare Commission (for England) Freepost NAT 18958 Complaints Investigation Team Manchester M1 9XZ Tel: 0845 601 3012 Web: www.healthcarecommission.org.uk Deals with NHS independent reviews in England. Independent Review Secretariat (for Wales) Mid and West Wales PO Box 2 Brecon Powys LD3 0XR. Tel: 01874 712748 South Wales PO Box 21 Cardiff CF10 2ZR. Tel: 029 2037 6825 North Wales PO Box 125 Mold CH7 1PZ. Tel: 01352 700227 Deals with NHS independent reviews in Wales. Care Commissions Commission for Social Care Inspection St.Nicholas Building St. Nicholas Street Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1NB Tel: 0845 015 0120 Web: www.csci.org.uk Email: web.enquiries@carecommission.com The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) inspects and reports on care services and councils in England to improve social care. Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care Compass House 11 Riverside Drive Dundee DD1 4NY Tel: 0845 603 0890 Web: www.carecommission.com Email: web.enquiries@carecommission.com The Care Commission inspects care services in Scotland. Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales 4?5 Charnwood Court Heol Billingsley Parc Nantgarw Nantgarw CF15 7QZ Tel: 01443 848529 Web: www.cssiw.org.uk Email: cssiw.mid&south@wales.gsi.gov.uk The Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales makes sure that care services meet the standards that people in Wales have a right to expect. The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority 9th Floor, Riverside Tower 5 Lanyon Place Belfast BT1 3BT Tel: 028 9051 7500 Web: www.rqia.org.uk Email: info@rqia.org.uk The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority is an independent body that is responsible for inspecting social care services in Northern Ireland. Legal Help Legal Services Commission 4 Abbey Orchard Street London SW1P 2BS Advice line: 0845 345 4345 Web: www.legalservices.gov.uk Community Legal Services Direct Tel: 0845 345 4345 Web: www.clsdirect.org.uk The Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission 2nd Floor, Waterfront Plaza 8 Laganbank Road Mays Meadow Belfast BT1 3BN Tel: 028 9040 8888 Web: www.nilsc.org.uk Email: accesstojustice@nilsc.org.uk The Scottish Legal Aid Board 44 Drumsheugh Gardens Edinburgh EH3 7SW Helpline: 0845 122 8686 Web: www.slab.org.uk Ombudsmen Local Government Ombudsman (England) PO Box 4771 Coventry CV4 0EH Tel: 0845 602 1983 Web: www.lgo.org.uk Email: advice@lgo.org.uk Deals with complaints about local councils in England. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (England) Millbank Tower Millbank London SW1P 4QP Helpline: 0845 015 4033 Web: www.ombudsman.org.uk Email: PMSO.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk Deals with complaints about NHS organisations in England. The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales 1 Ffordd yr Hen Gae Pencoed CF35 5LJ Tel: 01656 641150 Web: www.ombudsman-wales.org.uk Email: ask@ombudsman-wales.org.uk Deals with complaints about all public bodies in Wales including local councils and the NHS. Scottish Public Services Ombudsman 4 Melville Street Edinburgh EH3 7NS Helpline: 0800 377 7330 Web: www.spso.org.uk Email: ask@spsoi.org.uk Deals with complaints about all public bodies in Scotland including local councils and the NHS. The Northern Ireland Ombudsman Freepost BEL 1478 Belfast BT1 6BR Tel: 0800 34 34 24 Web: www.ni-ombudsman.org.uk Email: ombudsman@ni-ombudsman.org.uk Deals with complaints about all public bodies in Northern Ireland including local councils and the NHS. NHS: information and advice about your rights and making a complaint England: Independent Complaints Advocacy Services (ICAS) London:0845 120 3784 South East: 0845 600 8616 Eastern (Beds; Herts): 0845 456 1082 Eastern (Cambs; Norfolk; Suffolk): 0845 456 1084 Eastern (Essex): 0845 456 1083 South West: 0845 120 3782 West Midlands (Birmingham; the Black Country):0845 120 3748 West Midlands (Shropshire; Staffordshire) 0845 337 3054 West Midlands (Coventry; Warwickshire; Worcestershire; Herefordshire): 0845 337 3056 East Midlands: 0845 650 0088 North East: 0845 120 3732 North West: 0845 120 3735 Yorkshire/Humberside: 0845 120 3734 Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) In England PALS can give general advice on making formal complaints and help to resolve less serious complaints through informal negotiation. Call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 to get the details of your local PALS or ask your local primary care trust (its details should be in your phone book). Wales: Board of Community Health Councils in Wales 2nd Floor, 33–35 Cathedral Road Cardiff CF11 9HB Greyfriars Road Cardiff CF10 3AF Tel: 0845 644 7814 Web: www.patienthelp.wales.nhs.uk Email: enquiries@waleschc.org.uk Scotland: NHS boards in Scotland NHS Ayrshire and Arran:01292 513621 NHS Borders: 01896 825500 NHS Dumfries and Galloway: 01387 246246 NHS Fife: 01592 643355 NHS Forth Valley: 01786 463031 NHS Grampian: 0845 456 6000 NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde: 0141 201 4444 NHS Highland: 01463 717123 NHS Lanarkshire: 01698 281313 NHS Lothian: 0131 537 9522 NHS Orkney: 01856 888000 NHS Shetland: 01595 743060 NHS Tayside: 01382 818479 NHS Western Isles: 01851 702997 Northern Ireland: Health and social services councils Call freephone 0800 917 0222 to be put through to your local health and social services council. For further information contact: Information Resources Team Help the Aged 207–221 Pentonville Road London N1 9UZ Tel: 020 7278 1114 If you have access to the internet you can download our advice leaflets and information sheets by logging on to www.helptheaged.org.uk SeniorLine is the free welfare rights advice and information service run by Help the Aged for older people and their carers. Trained advice workers offer free, confidential and impartial advice about: * welfare and disability benefits * care at home * residential care * housing options and adaptations * access to health and community services. Freephone: 0808 800 6565 Textphone: 0800 26 96 26 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday If you are in Northern Ireland, contact SeniorLine on 0808 808 7575. IS (NO) 27 Last revised: October 2008 (GP) Next update due: March 2008 Help the Aged is a registered charity No. 272786, registered in England at the above address.