NHS Independent Complaints Advocacy

Your Voice Counts Advocacy Services

NHS Independent Complaints Advocacy (NHS ICA)

If you feel unhappy about an NHS service you have received and you want to make a complaint, you are legally entitled to help from an advocacy service like ours.

Who can we help?

We can help you if you live in Gateshead, Newcastle or South Tyneside and need support with an NHS complaint. If you live in a different area, you should contact your local council for advice.

On 1 September 2025, we became the provider of this service for people who live in South Tyneside. If you live in South Tyneside and are currently receiving complaints advocacy support, your case will be transferred to us automatically and you will continue to receive the help you need. We will get in touch with you to introduce ourselves soon. If you have any queries in the meantime, please contact us on 0191 478 6472 or mail@yvc.org.uk.

What can we help with?

The role of an advocate is to support you through the NHS complaints procedure. We can help you by:

giving you advice and information about the NHS complaints procedure
helping you to draft letters
preparing with you for complaints resolution meetings and attend these with you, if you find it difficult to say what you want to say
liaising with NHS complaints teams.

What don’t we do?

We can’t make a complaint on your behalf or give you legal or medical advice.
We can’t tell you what to do or try to persuade you to take a particular course of action.
We can’t get involved in getting an NHS employee disciplined.
We can’t provide support with complaints about private medical care.
If the complaint happened over 12 months ago, we may not be able to investigate it.

Self-help

Not everyone making a complaint about the NHS will need an advocate. sometimes, you may just need some information. If you decide you want to make a complaint yourself you may find our Self-Help Information Pack useful:

How to get help from our service

If you live in Newcastle, Gateshead or South Tyneside and wish to access NHS Independent Complaints Advocacy support or if you would like to find out more information please contact us on 0191 478 6472 or mail@yvc.org.uk or complete a referral form below.

You can also make a referral for someone else, but please get their permission first. If you need further information or support, call us on 0191 478 6472. Lines are open between 9 am and 5 pm Monday to Friday. An answerphone operates outside of these times.

Click here for a referral form

Useful resources

You can find out more information about your rights and what to expect in the NHS Constitution for England and the NHS complaints guidance here.
The NHS Choices website also has information about feedback and complaints on its website, find out more here.
If you have already made your complaint and received a response which you are unhappy with, you may wish to contact the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman who make final decisions on complaints that have not been resolved by the NHS in England. More information can be found here.
Your Voice Counts NHS Independent Complaints Advocacy leaflet (pdf)