Concerns and Complaints
Signposting complaints and concerns
How to find the appropriate contact for complaints or concerns about health or social care in the UK.
Finding the right contact if you have a complaint or concern
We oversee the 10 health and social care professional regulators and you can read about them here. We also accredit registers of practitioners who are not regulated by law and you can find out more about the registers we have accredited.
Please note, we do not register or regulate people ourselves. Because of this, we are unable to help with complaints about individual healthcare professionals or practitioners ourselves.
Navigating the UK's health and social care regulatory system can be complex. There are different organisations responsible for regulating practitioners, places, and products, and these vary across the four UK countries and depending on whether the individual is required by law to be registered, or not.
Making a complaint can be stressful and distressing. The following organisations can offer confidential, emotional support: [insert – Corporate Services has a list, need to make sure it’s UK wide]
Complaints and concerns about Accredited Register practitioners
If you have a complaint about a practitioner, check through our list of Accredited Register to find which Register can help with your complaint. If the practitioner is neither regulated or on an Accredited Register, they will probably not be able to help and you may need to talk to their employer or contact the Citizens Advice Bureau – see our ‘additional information’ section below.
Complaints about people who are regulated by law
The information below will guide you to the right contact for health and social care professionals regulated by law. It includes tips about who to contact if you have any concerns or want to complain about regulated health/social care professionals, including:
- Chiropractors
- Dentists and the dental team
- Doctors, Surgeons and Psychiatrists [ do we need to add AAs and PAs here?]
- Health and care professionals including Psychologists, Paramedics, Radiologists and Occupational Therapists
- Nurses, Midwives (and Nursing Associates in England only)
- Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians
- Osteopaths
- Pharmacists
- Social Workers
Chiropractors
Contact the General Chiropractic Council who regulate chiropractors in the United Kingdom. You can find their contact details using this link: https://www.gcc-uk.org/contact-us
Dentists and the dental team
If you cannot complain to the clinic or employer, get in touch with the General Dental Council (GDC) who regulate dentists and dental care professionals in the UK. You can find their contact details on https://www.gdc-uk.org/contact-us.
Doctors, Psychiatrists and Surgeons
You may need to complain to the hospital or trust where you received treatment initially, but you can also contact the General Medical Council (GMC) https://www.gmc-uk.org/contact-us.
Health and Care Professions
Contact the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). The HCPC regulates a number of different health/care professionals, including practitioner psychologists, paramedics, occupational therapists. Information about how to contact them is here: https://www.hcpc-uk.org/contact-us/
Nurses, Midwives and Nursing Associates
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) regulates nurses and midwives in the UK, (and nursing associates in England). You can find their contact details using the following link: https://www.nmc.org.uk/contact-us/
Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians
The General Optical Council (GOC) is the statutory body responsible for the professional regulation of optometrists and dispensing opticians in the UK. You can contact them here: https://www.optical.org/en/utilities/contact_us.cfm
Osteopaths
The General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) regulates osteopaths in the UK. Find out how to contact them here: https://www.osteopathy.org.uk/contact-us-cysylltu-ni/
Pharmacists and the Pharmacy Team
For UK pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and premises, contact the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). You can find out how to do that here: https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/contact-us.
Please note: if the pharmacist, pharmacy or pharmacy owner is based in Northern Ireland contact the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI) who are the regulator for pharmacists and pharmacies in Northern Ireland: https://www.psni.org.uk/psni/about/complaints-2/
Social Workers
Socials workers are regulated by different organisations in the four UK countries. We only oversee the regulator for social workers in England – Social Work England. Their contact details can be found at https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/about/contact-us/
Additional information
The contacts below may be able to help if your complaint is about someone on a statutory regulator, a practitioner on an Accredited Register, or someone who is not registered with either.
Local Councils (Authorities)
To find out how to raise complaints and concerns about your local council in England and Wales (local authority) use the following link https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-your-council
NHS
As the NHS is devolved, who you need to contact will depend on where you are in the UK (or where you accessed the service). Contact details for the four UK nations:
- England - One Stop Guide for Complaints about Healthcare in England Getting help with your complaint
- Northern Ireland - One Stop Guide for Complaints about Healthcare in Northern Ireland - Getting help with your complaint
- Scotland - One Stop Guide for Complaints about Healthcare in Scotland - Getting help with your complaint
- Wales - One Stop Guide for Complaints about Healthcare in Wales - Getting help with your complaint
To find out more about who to complain or report a concern about an Accredited Register to, read through the full list of Accredited Registers.
Professional standards for the Police
We are sometimes confused with the police standards organisation. As our remit is health and social care, we cannot deal with any complaints about the police. If you do want to complain about police officers contact the Independent Office for Police Conduct on 0300 020 0096 or visit their website https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/