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What does an Advocate do?

  • Provide information about how to complain and who to complain to

  • Explain the complaints process generally

  • Explain what options are available to you at each stage

  • Help you write your letter yourself, or under your instruction, writ this for you

  • Support you in preparing for any meetings that may arise out of your complaint

  • (Given notice) support you at these meetings if you require it

  • If you remain unhappy with their response, support you to send this to the Health Service Ombudsman

  • Signpost you to other organisations that can support you if we cannot

What does an Advocate not do?

  • Investigate your complaint

  • Help you complain about something that happened to you more than 12 months ago, unless you have only just found out that problems you are experiencing were because of something that went wrong as a consequence of a service received more ethan 12 months ago, or you can show a good reason why you could not complain sooner (This is because the NHS regulations around complaints state that it has to have occurred within the last 12 months)

  • Support you to complain about private healthcare (unless this was funded partly or fully by the NHS)

  • Support you to complain about a specific medical professional’s fitness to practice (do their job)

  • Provide specialist legal advice

  • Provide medical advice

  • Support with compensation claims (you will need to instruct a solicitor to do this)

  • Promise or guarantee a particular outcome as a result of your complaint

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