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Useful links
Complaining about a doctor
For a round-up of advice provided on Patients’ Help, see A patient's guide to making a complaint about a doctor on our full website.
Foreign language versions
You also can access How to complain about a Doctor in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu from the Publications section.
If you are a health professional
We provide separate guidance for doctors, medical directors and clinical governance managers on referring a doctor to the GMC. View Referring doctors to the GMC - a guide for health professionals from the Publications section.
Other support groups
There are a number of advice agencies which can advise you about the different processes which may be appropriate to use to address your particular concerns. Some are able to offer support in using the different processes such as NHS or private complaints procedures, the GMC's or other health professional regulators' procedures.
Contact details for some of these organisations can be found below:
Action Against Medical Accident (AvMA)
Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) is an independent charity which promotes patient safety and justice. It provides a free, confidential helpline and written casework service to people who have been affected by a medical accident or malpractice. AvMA deals with serious private healthcare complaints as well as NHS cases, and can also provide specialist medico-legal advice and support including complaints to the GMC and taking legal action. Helpline (Monday-Friday 10-5): 0845 123 2352 Website: http://www.avma.org.uk
Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB)
Citizens Advice Bureaux provide free, confidential and independent advice from over 3,000 locations including in bureaux, GP surgeries, hospitals, colleges, prisons and courts.
Advice is available face-to-face and by telephone. Most bureaux offer home visits and some also provide email advice.
Their advice helps people resolve their debt, benefits, housing, legal, discrimination, employment, immigration, consumer and other problems and is available to everyone regardless of race, gender, sexuality, age, nationality, disability or religion.
Please go to the CAB public information website http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/.
Find your local CAB if you need advice: England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland.
The Patients Association
The Patients Association is a national voluntary organisation and registered charity, which gives a voice to patients using the UK healthcare systems. The organisation makes no distinction between NHS and private care, believing patients are entitled to use one or other or both.
They advocate for greater and equitable access to high quality, accurate and independent information for patients, for greater and equitable access to high quality safe care and for involvement in decision making as a right.
The Patients Association is independent and represents the interests of patients and the public.
Helpline : 0845 608 4455
Website: www.patients-association.com
WITNESS
WITNESS is a charity exclusively concerned with breaches of trust in professional relationships. They work with organisations to improve public protection and support people whose trust has been broken. WITNESS runs a helpline, support and advocacy services, provides professional boundaries training and undertakes research and policy work.
Frequently asked questions
Contact details for other regulators are amongst a range of frequently asked questions on the GMC website.