Hearing every voice

Between April 2025 and April 2026, 85 people contacted Healthwatch Surrey about requesting reasonable adjustments or accessible information from an NHS service. While the specific topics covered in people’s experiences varied between the individuals concerned, one theme was consistent; they had all experienced challenges when trying to raise a concern, share feedback or submit a complaint with the NHS. 

Taken together, these factors prompted Healthwatch to review how accessible the NHS complaints and feedback mechanisms are in Surrey and if there is anything that can reduce barriers for people who have additional needs in being able to have their voices heard by NHS providers In addition to reviewing the enquiries they have received via our Helpdesk, they reviewed experiences shared with us during community engagement. Healthwatch Surrey volunteers also supported this review with research into the complaint’s pages of the websites of some primary and secondary care providers. This provided a perspective on the accessibility of the information available to the public.

The main challenges faced by people with additional needs when giving feedback or making a complaint are: 1

• Navigating the system of feedback, complaints and queries about care. Knowing how to complain, understanding the outcome of a complaint, and how to escalate it to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) were particular challenges. Navigating digital platforms to give feedback, submit a complaint or access information and advice was another. We also found that in order to get the appropriate care they need, many people with additional needs feel they need to raise a complaint in order to get appropriate medical care. 
• Complaining directly to the provider. This is a particular challenge for people wanting to complain about their GP practice. However, Healthwatch also found that people faced challenges in understanding the role of the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) and had concerns about raising a complaint or feeding back directly to other providers.