How to Complain About Private Healthcare
When you pay for private healthcare, you are entitled to a satisfactory service. If you receive substandard care, you may be entitled to claim against the healthcare body responsible.
Unlike the NHS, there isn’t a government body overseeing the practices in private healthcare, so your circumstances will dictate who will take care of your complaint.
Basic overview:
- Find the official complaints procedure
- Escalate the complaint
- Contact a solicitor
Medical malpractice and poor treatment can be distressing. If you think that your case may qualify for a medical negligence claim, First4Lawyers can help.
With expert medical solicitors potentially able to offer their services on a No Win No Fee basis, contact First4Lawyers for free, impartial and no-obligation advice.
Only pay a fee if you receive compensation
Our No Win No Fee solicitors will take a success fee from the compensation you are awarded for a successful claim in the form of a percentage of your damages. This could be up to 25% but it won't be more than that, except in cases of road traffic accidents. Changing laws mean our solicitors will now take a payment of 35% of the final compensation amount plus VAT for all road traffic accident claims.
First4Lawyers are an award-winning claims management company with a track record of delivering service that our clients love.
Find the healthcare body's complaints procedure
Whether it’s a hospital, dental practice, or other type of healthcare service, it is likely they will have their own complaints procedure, which would normally be found on their website.
To learn more about writing a formal letter of complaint, look at our guide to writing a letter of complaint about the NHS.
If you feel the response you’ve been given is inadequate, or you want to go to a higher body, you should contact the relevant organisation that oversees that area of the business.
A list can be found on the Citizen’s Advice website.
Escalate the complaint
If your aren't satisfied by the response you have received, you may be able to escalate the issue to the services that oversee certain areas of private healthcare.
For complaints about hospital treatment, you can contact the Care Quality Commission, or the Independent Healthcare Advisory Services.
If you have a complaint about dental care, the Dental Complaints Service should be able to help.
At this point, your next steps depend on what the complaint is. If you are complaining about a service or treatment, but not about medical negligence, this will often be your last point of call.
However, for medical negligence and malpractice, you may wish to escalate proceedings to a claim for compensation.
Contacting a solicitor
Like claiming for medical negligence against the NHS, claims must be started within three years of the negligence taking place, or from the point when you became aware of it.
You are not alone in your journey for compensation for medical negligence. No matter who carried out the mistreatment, First4Lawyers can provide you with the legal advice and recommendations you need to make a success of your claim.
You can find out more about medical negligence on our main page which is dedicated to the subject.
If you do need more help, contact us today, we will be more than happy to help.
Note: First4Lawyers offers this information as guidance, not advice. Before taking any action, you should seek professional assistance tailored to your personal circumstances and not rely on First4Lawyers’ online information alone.
