If you are unhappy with any part of your mental health care, you have the right to speak up and make a complaint. In many places there are independent organisations whose role is to help you do this.
Who can make a complaint#
Anyone who is genuinely concerned about a person’s experience with a mental health service can make a complaint. This includes people receiving care, as well as their families, carers, advocates, friends and mental health workers.
It is a good idea to make your complaint as soon as possible after the issue arises.
Complaints about public mental health services#
To raise a concern about a public mental health service, you can:
- Talk directly with the service. Public mental health services should have a process to help you raise concerns and try to resolve them.
- Contact an independent complaints body for mental health services, if one operates in your area. An independent body can listen to your concern, work with you and the service to help resolve it, and discuss other options if it is not able to help.
An independent complaints body can usually receive complaints about any aspect of the treatment or care delivered by a public mental health service.
Complaints about private mental health services#
For a private mental health service, your first step is usually to contact the person or organisation involved and try to resolve the issue with them directly.
If you find this difficult, or you are still unhappy, you can contact an independent health complaints body if one is available where you live. Such a body is independent of the service, can work with you and the service to help resolve your concern, and can discuss other options if it cannot help. It can generally receive complaints about any aspect of the treatment or care provided, including the privacy of, and your access to, health information about you.
Getting help to make a complaint#
If you are unsure what to do, contact the relevant complaints body in your area for more information.
Many complaints bodies can receive and respond to complaints in any language through interpreters, and can arrange an interpreter at no cost to you when needed. If you are Deaf, or have hearing or speech support needs, ask about accessible ways to get in touch, such as a relay service or email.
Sources & further reading
For evidence-based global guidance on this topic, consult authoritative public-health bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), CDC, NHS, and ECDC.