Getting help if you are unhappy with your care or treatment in the UK

• NHS Direct (England)
• NHS 24 (Scotland)
• NHS Direct Wales (Galw Iechyd Cymru)
• Patient and Client Council (Northern Ireland)
• Patient Advice and Liaison Service (England)
• If you are unhappy with care or treatment from your GP
• If you are unhappy with care or treatment from your hospital

NHS Direct (England)

NHS Direct is a 24 hour telephone health advice and information service for people in England. They also provide advice and information through their website.

NHS 24 (Scotland)

NHS 24 is a 24 hour telephone health advice and information service for people in Scotland. They also provide advice and information through their website.

NHS Direct Wales - Galw Iechyd Cymru

This is the NHS Direct service for people in Wales. It provides information in English and Welsh. They also provide advice and information through their website.

Patient and Client Council (Northern Ireland)

The Patient and Client Council (PCC) provides an independent voice for patients, clients, carers, and communities on health and social care issues in Northern Ireland. They help people make complaints and provide advice and information about health and social care services. They have local offices throughout Northern Ireland.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service – PALS (England)

If you are unhappy with your medical care and treatment from the NHS, the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) can help you. PALS exist to make sure that the NHS listens to patients, their families, carers and friends. They can provide you with information about the NHS and help you with any other health-related enquiry. PALS also help to resolve complaints about healthcare. PALS is currently available in England.

If you are unhappy with care or treatment from your GP (family doctor) in the UK

If you are unhappy with the care or treatment from your GP, talk to your GP or the practice manager. You could also consider seeing a different GP, or changing to another practice. NHS Direct, NHS 24 and NHS Direct Wales can tell you how to do this.

If you want to make a complaint, PALS, Patient and Client Council, NHS Direct, NHS 24 or NHS Direct Wales can give you advice.

If you are unhappy with care or treatment from your hospital in the UK

If you are unhappy with your care or treatment from your hospital, it would be a good idea to talk to somebody there. This could be your epilepsy specialist or epilepsy nurse. They may be able to reassure you, or make sure that the problem doesn’t happen again.

If you are still unhappy, talk to your GP (family doctor) about your concerns and ask about other options for your treatment. This may include getting an opinion from a different epilepsy specialist. As a patient, you have the right to ask for another opinion. Your GP can arrange this if they feel it is in your best interest.

If you wish to make a complaint about your care and treatment from your hospital, contact PALS or the NHS Trust responsible for that hospital. NHS Direct, NHS 24, NHS Direct Wales and Patient and Client Council can give you more advice about making a complaint.