What do you want to get out of making a complaint?

Outcomes that you may be able to get

• An explanation
• An apology
• Promises that lessons have been learnt and things will change so what happened won’t happen again in the future
• Treatment 

You can sometimes get treatment but, as complaints take time, it may be better to speak to your GP or PALS team first  to see if they can help (see ‘USEFUL CONTACTS’).

Outcomes that you won’t be able to get

Legal Action

If you are seeking financial compensation for damage to your health caused by medical negligence you will need to take legal action. Before starting legal action you may find it helpful to make an NHS complaint to find out more about what has happened as it could help you decide whether to go ahead with a clinical negligence case.

If you’re thinking about taking legal action about clinical negligence, you should contact a solicitor specialised in clinical negligence cases (see ‘USEFUL CONTACTS’).

Staff disciplined, sacked or prosecuted

You cannot get staff disciplined, sacked or prosecuted by making an NHS Complaint. If you think that an NHS practitioner has been guilty of professional misconduct, it may be possible to complain to the practitioner’s professional or regulatory body (see ‘USEFUL CONTACTS’).

Financial Compensation

If you are seeking a small amount of money for, perhaps, lost property, damaged items or loss of earnings, you can raise this as part of an NHS Complaint. For larger amounts relating to medical negligence, you will need to take legal action.

For further information please look at our flow chart, or read the NHS Self Advocacy Pack.