Raising a concern with an NHS service – What do you do?

Advice and Information - 27 May 2025

We understand that making a complaint about NHS services can feel daunting. Check out our top tips and guidance to help you through the process.
Two women sitting on a bench outside hospital talking

In this article:

  • How Healthwatch Lambeth can help
  • How to raise a concern informally and how to make a formal complaint
  • What to expect during the complaints process
  • Where to go for further guidance on complaints, advocacy, and emotional support during the complaints process

Easy Read

For an Easy Read guide on how to complain about your healthcare, click here:

EASY READ: Making a complaint

Contacting us

Healthwatch Lambeth can help by: 

  • Providing information on the complaints process and the options available to you
  • Providing contact details on where to raise a complaint
  • Sharing your feedback or initial concerns with PALS or with the Service Manager
  • Asking service providers to clarify if there are aspects of the complaint process which are not clear
  • Signposting you to external advocacy support 

Healthwatch Lambeth cannot:

  • Investigate your complaint
  • Advocate, e.g. fill out forms, help understand letters, attend meetings
  • Provide specialist advice, e.g. medical, financial and legal advice 

However, we may be able to signpost you to an organisation that can support with the above.  

Contact Us

How to complain about NHS services

Raising a concern informally 

If you are concerned about the care/treatment that you or someone you know is receiving, the quickest way to get a response is to speak to the service about your concern informally. 

  • For Primary Care services (GPs, dentists, pharmacies, optometrists), you can talk to the service’s manager in person, by telephone, or by email.
  • For NHS Trusts (Hospitals, community health, ambulance and mental health services), you can speak to the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). PALS provide information, advice and support to patients, families and carers, and may be able to answer your questions quickly. 

Making a formal complaint 

If your issue is not resolved by raising it informally, you may wish to file a formal complaint. 

Anybody receiving care/treatment from an NHS service can complain. You can also complain on behalf of someone else, if you have their permission.

  • Complaints should be made directly to the service that provided the care, preferably in writing (email or letter). However, you may also be able to make your complaint via telephone or in person.
  • All NHS services have their own complaint procedure. It should be available in waiting rooms or reception, on the service provider’s website, or by asking a staff member. This procedure will outline how you should place your complaint, who you should speak to, and what timescales you can expect.
  • For complaints about GPs, dentists, pharmacists or opticians, you can complain to the commissioner of the service instead - in other words, the NHS body responsible for paying for the service. In Lambeth, this is the South East London Integrated Care Board (ICB).
  • However, you cannot complain to both the service provider and the commissioner at the same time.

You should make your complaint as soon as possible, preferably within 12 months of when the incident you are complaining about took place, or of when you became aware of the incident.

Where should I raise my concern?

GP, Pharmacy, Dentist, Optometrist:

Contact the service to ask where you should send your complaint letter. Some services have a complaints page on their website with more detail. 

Hospital, community health, ambulance, and mental health services

Below are the PALS details and complaints procedures for the NHS hospitals in Lambeth.

NHS 111 and 999

In Lambeth, NHS 111 is managed by the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

You can raise a concern informally with their Patient Experience Team or make a formal complaint using their Complaints procedure.

Complaints process 

Although all NHS services have their own complaints procedure, you can generally expect the following: 

After placing your complaint with the service provider:

  • The service provider will let you know that they have received your complaint and should advise you on a timescale.
  • While every trust is different, you can usually expect a reply in the following timescales:
    • Hospitals and GPs: 25 to 28 working days
    • The Integrated Care Board (ICB): 40 working days
  • Extensions can be applied if the complaints team needs more time; however, you should be informed of this by the provider.
  • An investigation will be carried out, and you may be contacted for further details.
  • You will then receive a response from the service on how your concerns have been investigated and any actions taken. 

If you are not satisfied with the response:

  • You can contact the service provider and explain what you think they’ve missed. In response, further investigation into your complaint may be carried out.
  • Once the service provider feels that they have done everything they can to answer your complaint, the service provider will give you a final response. This concludes the local stage of the complaints process. 

If you still feel that your complaint has not been resolved, you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) for a final review.

  • The Ombudsman is independent from both the NHS and the government and can decide if your complaint should be investigated further.
  • The Ombudsman can only review your case after you’ve concluded the local complaints process and received a final response from the provider.
  • Complaints to the Ombudsman must be made within 12 months of when the original complaint was submitted.

After the Ombudsman makes their decision, the complaints process is officially over.

  • If you wish to take your complaint further, you will need to take legal advice. 

Here is a diagram showing the complaints process more clearly:

Flowchart describing the complaints' process as outlined in the paragraphs above.

Advocacy support

If you need independent help or support with an NHS complaint, you can access free and confidential Independent Health Complaints Advocacy via your local advocacy service.

In Lambeth, as of July 1 2025, this is provided by VoiceAbility. You can contact them at:

Further guidance

Complaints

Emotional support

For emotional support while you wait, you can contact:

For signposting specific to your situation, please contact us. 

Sharing with the Care Quality Commission (CQC)

You can also raise concerns or report poor care to the Care Quality Commission (CQC). While they cannot investigate your complaint, your feedback will help them understand the quality of care being given by services. For more information and to share feedback, click here.

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