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Navigating services · UK

When mental-health services say no

You asked for help, but the person was not assessed, admitted or accepted by the service.

Short answerAsk what was decided, why, and what should happen next. Put any new or worsening information in writing. A complaint can challenge poor handling, but it is not an emergency route. Keep using the urgent route if the risk changes.
If the situation has become urgent: call 999 where there is danger to life. Otherwise use the urgent mental-health route for your UK nation. You can call about someone else.

Do this next

  1. Ask for the decision and next step. Ask which service made the decision, why it was made, and what support or alternative route is being offered.
  2. Send facts, not a general plea. Give dates and specific changes: sleep, eating or drinking, self-harm, threats, confusion, missed medication, risky behaviour and what may happen without help.
  3. Say what is new. If the risk has changed since the decision, make that clear. Do not rely on an earlier call to describe a situation that is now worse.
Why we say this
Rethink Mental Illness explains rights to NHS treatment. Its Mental Health Act guidance also lists the concrete risk information professionals may ask about.

Words you can use

Ask for a clear decision“Please tell me what decision has been made, who made it, why this service is not being offered, and what we should do next.”
When something has changed“The situation has changed since the last assessment. The new information is: [say exactly what has happened and when]. Please record this and reconsider the current risk.”

If confidentiality is used to shut down the call

Confidentiality may prevent staff from telling you about the person's care. It does not prevent them from listening to your concerns. Ask them to record the information, while recognising that they may need to tell the person where important information came from.

Sources: NHS England and GMC
NHS England says services should not use confidentiality as a reason not to listen to families and carers. GMC guidance confirms that listening is not a breach of confidentiality.
Ask whether the service uses the Triangle of Care

The Triangle of Care is a Carers Trust scheme for including and supporting unpaid carers in mental-health services. Ask whether the provider is a member, who its carers lead is and what its policy says about listening to carer information and supporting carers.

Carers Trust: Triangle of Care.

Raise a concern or complaint

Use the route for the nation where the service was provided. PALS is an England service and should not be used as the general UK route.

England
  1. Try PALS for a current problem. PALS can help resolve concerns and explain the local complaints process.
  2. Make a formal complaint. Complain to the service provider or the commissioner. State what happened, the effect it had and what you want reviewed or put right.
  3. After the final response. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman makes final decisions on unresolved NHS complaints in England.

NHS England: feedback and complaints and Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

Wales
  1. Raise the concern with the health board or trust. NHS Wales calls its complaints process Listening to People.
  2. Ask Llais for help. Llais provides independent complaints advocacy for health and social care in Wales, including when you are speaking on someone else's behalf.
  3. After the final response. The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales can consider unresolved complaints about NHS bodies in Wales.

Llais: Listening to People and complaints advocacy and Public Services Ombudsman for Wales: NHS complaints.

Scotland
  1. Complain to the NHS organisation. NHS Scotland has a two-stage complaints procedure: early resolution, followed by investigation where needed.
  2. Ask PASS for independent support. The Patient Advice and Support Service can help with letters, calls and meetings about an NHS complaint in Scotland.
  3. After the final response. The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman is the final stage for unresolved NHS complaints in Scotland.

NHS inform: making a complaint, PASS and Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.

Northern Ireland
  1. Complain to the HSC organisation. Contact the relevant Health and Social Care trust or service complaints team.
  2. Ask the Patient and Client Council for support. It provides free help and advice with Health and Social Care complaints.
  3. After the final response. The Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman can consider unresolved complaints after the organisation's complaints process has been completed.

nidirect: HSC complaints and contact details, Patient and Client Council support and Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman.

A complaint takes time. Keep using the urgent route if the person's condition or risk changes while it is being considered.

Why the routes are split by nation
The four UK health systems use different complaints procedures, advocacy services and ombudsmen. The official routes are linked inside each nation panel above.
In England, when does the CQC deal with a complaint?

The Care Quality Commission does not resolve most individual NHS complaints. In England, it has a specific complaints role for concerns about how Mental Health Act powers and duties have been used for someone detained in hospital, on a Community Treatment Order or under guardianship. It will usually ask for the service's own complaints route to be used first.

CQC: complain about use of the Mental Health Act.

What if the answer is still no?

Ask what the service recommends instead and what changes should trigger another referral or urgent call. Keep a short record of contacts and decisions. Continue passing on new information. If the person's safety changes, use the urgent route for your UK nation or 999 rather than waiting for the complaint.

If alcohol or drug use is part of the reason services are passing the person between teams, see mental health and substance use. If abuse or neglect may be involved, see safeguarding concerns.

You may also need support for yourself. Support for you and the community directory include places to talk to people who understand.

Related guides

What “they have capacity” meansMental health and substancesWrite to their GPPhoning for urgent help

Here for Someone is an independent information project. It is not a complaints service or legal adviser. This page organises public guidance from the organisations linked beside the relevant information. Complaints processes and time limits can change, so check the relevant official page before acting.

Sources checked: 27 August 2026

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