NHS Services

NHS Choices
Web: www.nhs.uk
Advice on all aspects of NHS services including carers benefits and changing your GP.

NHS 111 (England)
Web: nhs urgent care enquiries
24 hour health advice.

NHS Direct (Wales)
Web: www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk
24 hour health advice.

NHS 24 (Scotland)
Web: www.nhs24.com
24 hour health advice.

NI Direct (Northern Ireland)
Web: www.nidirect.gov.uk
24 hour health advice.

National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE)
Web: www.nice.org.uk
NICE is the NHS body responsible for producing national guidance on health technologies and treatments. NICE assesses technologies for their clinical and cost-effectiveness. Once it has recommended a medicine, the NHS is obliged to make it available for patients.

Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC)
Web: www.scottishmedicines.org.uk
SMC are the national source of advice on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of all new medicines for NHS Scotland. Their aim is to ensure that people in Scotland have timely access to medicines that provide most benefit based on best available evidence.

Complaints regarding NHS services

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) England and Wales
Web: www.nhs.uk
Available in all NHS trust hospitals to provide patients with information about the NHS; resolve concerns or problems when using the NHS; provide information about the NHS complaints procedure and how to get independent help if you decide you may want to make a complaint; provide information and help introduce you to agencies and support groups outside the NHS.

Patient Advice and Support Service Scotland
Web: https://www.cas.org.uk
Free, confidential, & independent advice & support for patients of the NHS in Scotland. Run through Citizens Advice in Scotland.

NHS Complaints Service - Wales
Web: http://www.wales.nhs.uk
'Putting Things Rght' is the complaints service in Wales if someone would like to pursue a complaint about NHS Wales. Please see: for the procedure to pursue complaints.

Patient and Client Council Northern Ireland
Web: www.patientclientcouncil.hscni.net
The Patient and Client Council will assist in making complaints about any part of health and social care in Northern Ireland.

NHS Complaints Service - England
Web: www.nhs.uk/nhsengland/complaints-and-feedback
Provides advice to patients and their carers wishing to pursue a complaint about their NHS treatment or care.

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Web: www.ombudsman.org.uk
If a patient is not happy with how an NHS trust responds to their complaint, they can ask the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to look into their case.

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
Web: www.spso.org.uk
The SPSO is the final stage for complaints about organisations providing public services in Scotland.

Northern Ireland Ombudsman
Web: https://nipso.org.uk
The Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman investigates complaints about possible maladministration in the delivery of public services. It is the final stage for comlaints not previously resolved with the individual's Health Board

The Local Government Ombudsman
Web: w ww.lgo.org.uk
If you have made a complaint about social care and are not happy with the response from your local care service, you can ask the Local Government Ombudsman to look at the complaint.