Making a Complaint to or about the NHS

Most of the time the NHS does a great job of taking care of us and our loved ones, but there also can be circumstances where we may feel that it has failed in some way. It may be some action or lack of action by health professionals working in the NHS who, in our opinion, have contributed to the death of our child. In these circumstances, we may wish to make a complaint.

The Compassionate Friends have produced a series of fact sheets providing a summary of the complaints procedure in England as of 2017 from the perspective of a bereaved parent.

• Part 1 gives a brief overview and some advice on reaching a decision on whether to complain or not.
• Part 2 offers information about starting the complaints process.
• Part 3 gives a description of the process and what you can expect.

It is hoped, in the future, to provide further information about the process in Scotland and Wales.