We all have the right to good health care. If you’re unhappy with your GP or doctor's surgery, you can complain directly or to the NHS in your region.
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You have the right to complain about a GP practice if you don’t think you received the care or treatment you needed, or if you’re unhappy with the service that was offered to you.
In most cases, issues can be resolved by talking to the practice. If they're not, or you would prefer to talk to someone who isn't directly involved in your health care, you do have some further options.
Here we explain how to complain about a GP practice, and what you can do if you believe that you're not being treated fairly.
If you are unhappy with your GP surgery or doctor, you can make a complaint.
It might be possible to deal with the issue straight away, if you’re comfortable raising it informally with staff. Each surgery will have a practice manager who will be in charge of handling complaints. Alternatively, you could speak to your GP.
If you want to make a formal complaint, ask for a copy of the surgery’s complaints procedure - all NHS services are required to have one. This may be available in the surgery waiting room or be published on its website.
Keep a record of who you speak or write to, and any communication that takes place. If you raise your complaint verbally, make sure you write down everything you discuss.
When making a formal complaint you should include the following:
states that you have a right to have your complaint properly investigated. Your complaint should be acknowledged within three working days, and you should also be informed about the outcome of the investigation.
If you’ve been harmed by negligent treatment, you have a right to compensation.
For your complaint to be investigated, you usually need to register it within 12 months of the event happening, or as soon as you first become aware of the issue. The time limit can be extended in special circumstances.
If you’re not comfortable complaining to your GP surgery, you can raise a complaint with the commissioner of the services - the body that pays for the NHS services you use.
Depending on where you live in the UK, the process may be slightly different:
If you require help making a complaint, there are some services available.
can give you free, confidential and independent support with making your complaint.
The service is provided by your local authority. Contact the council's social care service and ask about advocacy services.
There are also charities that may be able to assist, including:
can also signpost you to organisations that can help with your complaint.
If you're unhappy with the final response from your GP practice, you can take your complaint to the Health Service Ombudsman.
The ombudsman is independent of the NHS and is free to use. It can help resolve your complaint and tell the NHS how to put things right if it has got them wrong.
It only has legal powers to investigate certain complaints. You must have received a final response from your GP practice before the ombudsman can look at your complaint.
The ombudsman will generally only look into your complaint if it happened less than 12 months ago, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
We advise making a complaint in writing using designated forms provided by the ombudsman. However, you may also be able to email or phone the ombudsman.
