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Guides › Health, Legal and Personal Services › Health and Private Care

Health and Private Care

Each part of health and care has its own complaints route. NHS complaints in England end with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Private hospitals and clinics may subscribe to independent adjudication, private dental treatment has the Dental Complaints Service, opticians have a free mediation service, and adult social care goes to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

Last checked 13 October 2026 General information, not legal advice
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At a Glance

12 monthsusual time to complain about the NHS
£5,000maximum ISCAS goodwill payment for private healthcare
8 weeksfor an optician to resolve a complaint
Freeombudsman and adjudication services

Your Rights

What the rules say, with a link to the official source for each.

NHS

  • NHS Complaints

    Complain to the NHS service you are unhappy with first, normally within 12 months of the event or of when you found out. Say what happened, who was involved, when, how it affected you and what you want. A local advocacy provider can help. source

  • The Health Ombudsman

    You can go to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman at the end of the NHS complaints process, or if your complaint has not been dealt with after six months. It does not look at private healthcare unless the NHS paid for it. source

Private Treatment

  • Private Hospitals and Clinics

    Private healthcare complaints usually have three stages: the provider, a senior review (written response within 20 working days), then independent adjudication through ISCAS if the provider subscribes. It is free for patients. Adjudicators can award goodwill payments of up to £5,000 but not compensation. source

  • Private Dentists

    For private dental treatment, complain to the practice first. If that does not work, the Dental Complaints Service can help resolve it and may support a refund or remedial treatment. NHS dental complaints go through the NHS. source

  • Opticians

    For problems with an optician, glasses or contact lenses, complain to the practice in writing; it should resolve complaints within 8 weeks. The Optical Consumer Complaints Service is free, mediates, and aims to reach a solution within 45 days. source

Care

  • Care Homes and Home Care

    The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman looks at all adult social care complaints, including care homes and home care agencies, even if you pay privately. It is free and usually cannot look at problems you knew about more than 12 months ago. source

Time Limits to Know

Miss a deadline and you can lose a right. Check the dates on your own paperwork.

  • 12 months
    Complain to the NHSNormally within 12 months
  • 6 months
    Health Ombudsman if the NHS has not dealt with itAfter six months
  • 6 months
    Private healthcare: escalate each stageWithin 6 months of the previous response
  • 8 weeks
    Optician resolves your complaintWithin 8 weeks
  • 12 months
    Care complaints to the OmbudsmanUsually within 12 months

Where to Go If It Is Not Put Right

Free routes to escalate, and when each one applies.

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

NHS in England, after the NHS process or after six months.

ISCAS

Private hospitals and clinics that subscribe, after their two internal stages.

Dental Complaints Service

Private dental treatment, after the practice.

Optical Consumer Complaints Service

Opticians, glasses and contact lenses, after the practice.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

Care homes and home care, after the provider.

Steps to Take

Step 1 of 5

Write down what happened, with dates, names and how it affected you.

Step 2 of 5

Complain to the service or practice in writing and say what you want.

Step 3 of 5

Ask for the next stage if you are unhappy with the reply.

Step 4 of 5

Go to the right independent service: Health Ombudsman (NHS), ISCAS (private hospitals), Dental Complaints Service, Optical Consumer Complaints Service, or the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (care).

Step 5 of 5

If someone is at risk now, contact the council's safeguarding team or emergency services.

(Tap the numbers to reveal steps)

Evidence and Your Letter

Gather your evidence, then build a letter you can send in minutes.

Evidence Checklist

0 of 5 gathered

Tap each one when you have it.

CPUK

Letter Generator

How This Works

  1. 1

    Tick off the evidence you already have, and see what is still missing.

  2. 2

    Answer the letter questions. Your answers fill in the wording for you.

  3. 3

    Copy or download the letter, check every detail, and send it yourself.

A template, not legal advice.

Watch Out For

Common traps and scams to avoid.

Raising a new issue at the last stage: private healthcare adjudication will not consider issues not raised with the provider.

Waiting too long: NHS and care complaints usually have a 12-month limit.

Assuming private care goes to the Health Ombudsman: it usually does not unless the NHS paid.

Recent or changing rules: tap to read

Checked 13 October 2026. Covers England; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own health complaints services.

Common Problems

Step-by-step help for a specific problem covered by this guide.

Bad Haircut or Beauty Treatment: Your RightsNHS Prescription or Dental Penalty Charge NoticeNHS Low Income Scheme: Help With Health CostsGlasses or Contact Lenses Problem: Optical ComplaintsPrivate Dentist ComplaintPrivate Hospital or Cosmetic Surgery ComplaintHome Care or Care Home ComplaintHow to Complain About the NHS

See all common problems →

Want Help?

If you would like one of our team to look at your problem, our initial case review is free. We cannot guarantee any outcome and we do not give legal advice.

Not sure where you stand? Try our action plan tool or the free letter templates.

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Sources and official links
Luke Marley

Lead reviewer

Luke Marley

Founder and Lead Reviewer

Luke founded CPUK in 2026 after seeing how hard it is for ordinary people to get problems with companies put right. He oversees our guides and checks them against official sources.

Research by Katie Burt, Co-founder and Operations Lead (17 years in the care sector, including managing services for vulnerable adults), and the CPUK Research Team. Researched with AI-assisted research tools, then checked and corrected by our team.

Last checked: 13 October 2026. We are not paid by the companies we write about. Adverts never affect our guidance. Read our editorial policy.

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