Adult social care complaints and compliments
Other contacts and information
Local government and social care ombudsman
The Ombudsman is the final stage for complaints about councils, all adult social care providers (including care homes and home care agencies) and some other organisations providing local public services. They're a free service and investigate complaints in a fair and independent way (they don't take sides).
In the section documents to download, there's a publication called ‘quality matters’ which extols some of the values the Ombudsman supports and promotes.
T: 0300 061 0614
Website: www.lgo.org.uk
Hospitals and NHS
Patient Advice and Liaison Service
The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) offers confidential advice, support and information on health-related matters. They provide a point of contact for patients, their families and their carers. You can find officers from PALS in your local hospital. If you're not happy with an NHS service you should complain to the person or organisation providing the service first, such as the GP, dentist, hospital or pharmacist. Alternatively, you can complain to the commissioner of that service - either NHS England or the area clinical commissioning group (CCG).
Find your local PALS team.
Advocacy
VoiceAbility
VoiceAbility have been supporting people to have their say in decisions about their health, care and wellbeing for over 40 years. They are an independent charity and one of the UK’s largest providers of advocacy and involvement services.
In Southwark, VoiceAbility provides Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA), including Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), Relevant Person’s Paid Representative (RPPR), Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) and Independent Advocacy under the Care Act (ICAA) service.
In addition, VoiceAbility can provide Interpreters, translation services and BSL services. Voiceability’s website also offers read-aloud and translation functionality.
You can contact VoiceAbility in the following ways:
- phone: 0300 303 1660 (9am to 5pm weekdays, excluding bank holidays)
- email: mailto:helpline@voiceability.org
- webchat by selecting the Chat with an Advocate option on the website (9am to 5pm weekdays, excluding bank holidays)
- make a referral via the VoiceAbility website
POhWER
POhWER is a charity providing information and advocacy services via professionals and volunteers. Their independent, free services reach individuals struggling with particular challenges in their lives.
In Southwark, they provide the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy (IHCAS).
Download or print a copy of the POhWER leaflet (PDF, 503kb) (PDF, 503kb)
You can contact POhWER the following ways:
- phone: 0300 456 2370 (charged at local rate)
- email: pohwer@pohwer.net
- minicom: 0300 456 2364
- text: ‘pohwer’ with your name and number to 81025
- Skype: pohwer.advocacy (8am to 6pm Monday to Friday)
- fax: 0300 4546 2365
- post: PO Box 17943, Birmingham, B9 9PB
- website
Southwark Wellbeing Hub
The Southwark Wellbeing Hub is a service providing information and support to anyone living in Southwark who is worried about their wellbeing, or that of someone close to them.
T: 0203 751 9684
E: southwarkhub@together-uk.org
Text: ‘HUB1’ and your query to 82727
Page last updated: 10 October 2023
