Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service
The NHS offers free healthcare to UK residents and most of us use the service at some point in our lives. Whilst the NHS works hard to make sure that people are satisfied with their care and treatment, sometimes things do go wrong.
Our team of advocates provide free, confidential and independent support to help you to make a complaint about an NHS service if you live in Surrey and are unhappy with the treatment you have received. We follow the NHS Complaints Procedure which is intended to ensure that issues are resolved at a local level.
This SILC service is commissioned by Luminus Insight CIC alongside the Healthwatch Surrey service, to ensure people have their voices heard.
What does an advocate do?
As advocates, we help you represent your own interests and support you as you go through the NHS complaints process. Your advocate will explain what options are open to you and will help you to take whatever action you choose. You will be in full control of your complaint and make all the decisions yourself. Our advocates will only do what you ask them to and will not try to tell you what to do.
Throughout the process we want to ensure that:
- You are in control of decisions which are made about you
- Your experiences, views, wishes and feelings are heard
- You can contribute to improving the health and care services you use
We can:
- Answer your questions to help you make decisions
- Send you an information pack that explains the full process
- Help you write letters to the right people
- Provide you with one to one support and explain your options
- Prepare you for meetings and attend with you
- Monitor the progress of your complaint and help you to get the best possible resolution
Please note that we cannot:
- Give you legal or medical advice
- Provide counselling
- Help you complain about a private healthcare provider
- Get an NHS employee disciplined
- Provide a secretarial service
If you would like to take legal action, you can contact either the charity Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA) or The Legal Aid Agency.
How do I get an advocate?
If you would like our help (or to refer someone else) then please download a copy of our referral, engagement and ethnicity forms, complete them (including a hand-written signature) and send them to us by post or email.
Alternatively, you can contact us by telephone or email to find out more about the service and how we can help you.
I live outside Surrey, how can I find an advocate?
The organisations that provide Independent Health Complaints Advocacy in other counties are listed here.
I live in Surrey, but need other advocacy services?
In Surrey, POhWER provides a range of advocacy services:
- Instructed Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA)
- Instructed Care Act Advocacy
- Instructed Non-Statutory Discretionary Advocacy for people living in Surrey with acute or long-term health conditions who will benefit from advocacy support to access NHS services. This includes general support to contact and liaise with NHS providers, liaison with mental health services and support around substance misuse programmes.
For any non-instructed IMHA or Care Act cases, or any IMCA referrals, please contact Matrix who are the providers of these services for Surrey.
For Children and Young People's Advocacy please contact Reconstruct who is the provider of this service for Surrey.
Respectful Behaviour Statement
SILC staff work positively to support customers and resolve issues. Our staff will not tolerate verbal or physical abuse, threatening behaviour, persistent rudeness, or discrimination of any kind. We reserve the right to withdraw any of our services from customers who fail to respond to guidance around this statement and continue to behave in an unacceptable manner.
Downloadable Information Sheets
