Complaining to the NHS

I've put complaining as the title here, but what I actually mean is advocating and raising awareness. It's important for me that my 'complaints' have an educational element to them. However you like to entitle your protests to the NHS regarding mental health provision, I would like to say never be frightened to speak up. Speaking up is so important because it means for me I have a voice. I speak up about every substandard interaction I have with the NHS. It might be that I've been prescribed a dosage which doesn't align with my needs, or I might disagree with the term 'service user' as I believe we are all people and the term 'service user' is reductionist. The trick to speaking up is to be respectful and polite. If you have had a good experience, also speak up; everyone loves to hear how they have helped someone, and there are lots of good things the NHS is doing. When speaking up, one avenue you can use is PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service). You may find this process makes you feel like your complaint has just been reduced and reduced until it doesn't exist anymore; however, it's important to have your complaint noted. You can also contact CQC (Care Quality Commission) or the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. If you have a little trouble making your complaint, you can get an advocate to help you. IMHA (Independent Mental Health Advocates) are particularly helpful while in hospital. When out of hospital, you can approach a mental health charity for your advocacy needs or give me a shout, and I will point you in the right direction. This is not about victimizing the NHS; it's about having a voice which resonates not only for yourself but for everyone who has had a mental health experience.