Complaints about your doctor or treatment

The Royal College of Anaesthetists is an academic institution and we regret that we cannot give advice to individuals regarding their personal treatment. However, if you feel unhappy with the treatment and care you have received from your hospital and would like to make a complaint, you have several options:

NHS complaints

You can download the NHS Complaints guidance here.

You can contact the hospital involved directly. This can be done via the hospital’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) or directly with the hospital’s complaints department. PALS should be able to give you help and advice and will speak to the anaesthetist involved on your behalf, if necessary.

If, after making a complaint at the hospital, you feel the outcome was unsatisfactory and you feel further action needs to be taken, then you may like to refer your complaint to the Trust Headquarters or your local clinical commissioning group.

If you remain unhappy with how your Trust has dealt with your complaint, you can contact the Health Service Ombudsman.

As each country in the UK has delegated powers in relation to the services delivered by the NHS, it will be necessary to follow the procedures established for each.  Links to the complaints websites for each are given below:

• Scotland
• Wales
• Northern Ireland

Individual doctors 

If your complaint refers specifically to an individual doctor, you may consider contacting the General Medical Council (GMC).

Private hospitals

If you want to complain about treatment received in a private hospital, you can find guidance and helpful resources on The Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS) website.

Care Quality Commission (CQC)

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England, with responsibility for monitoring and inspecting services. The Commission does not handle complaints, but welcomes patients sharing experiences, good or bad, through their dedicated portal which can be accessed here.

You can also find information on inspections and ratings of service providers on the CQC website here.