Guides and Articles
Short, sourced guides on patient complaints for private clinics and their patients.
Regulator guides
What CQC Regulation 16, receiving and acting on complaints, requires of private clinics, the 28 day rule, and why CQC recommends an independent review stage.
Scotland, HISHealthcare Improvement Scotland Complaints: Independent ClinicsHow complaints work for independent clinics regulated by Healthcare Improvement Scotland: Regulation 15, the 20 working day rule and when HIS steps in.
Wales, HIWHIW Complaints: Independent Healthcare in WalesComplaints duties for independent healthcare providers in Wales under Regulation 24, and why HIW cannot investigate an individual patient's complaint.
Northern Ireland, RQIARQIA Complaints: Independent Healthcare in Northern IrelandComplaints rules for independent healthcare providers in Northern Ireland: Regulation 23, the 28 day response, and why private patients cannot use the ombudsman.
CompareComplaint Schemes For Private Clinics ComparedHSCAMP, ISCAS, CHIAS, the Cosmetic Redress Scheme, Nockolds and the Dental Complaints Service compared: prices, settlement help, binding decisions and coverage.
For clinics
What CQC guidance, Mythbuster 103 and the Paterson Inquiry response say about independent review of complaints at private clinics.
For clinicsComplaints Policy for CQC Registered Clinics: What It Must ContainThe 8 things a private clinic's complaints policy must contain to meet CQC Regulation 16 and the rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
For clinicsEngland's Aesthetics Licensing Scheme: Where It StandsThe licensing scheme for non surgical cosmetic procedures in England: what the law allows, what the government has said, and what clinics should do now.
For clinicsScotland's Non-surgical Procedures Act 2026: What Clinics Must DoWhat the Non-surgical Procedures (Scotland) Act 2026 means for aesthetic clinics: under 18 ban, permitted premises and the timetable to September 2027.
For clinicsThe DMCC Act and ADR: What Clinics Must Tell PatientsNew UK rules on alternative dispute resolution under the DMCC Act 2024: accredited schemes, the January 2027 deadline and the patient signposting duty.
About HSCAMPWhy HSCAMP: Complaint Experts With Their Own Clinic TechnologyWhy private and aesthetic clinics choose HSCAMP: experienced people who resolve complaints, published prices, and our own software to help clinics run well.
TechnologyInside the HSCAMP Clinic Portal: Complaint Software for Private ClinicsWhat the HSCAMP Clinic Portal does: private complaint files, CQC ready records, booking system connections, insights, signed agreements and UK data hosting.
TechnologyHow HSCAMP AI Helps Private Clinics Prevent ComplaintsHow HSCAMP AI checks consent forms, adverts and review replies, answers questions about your clinic, and runs a phone and website agent, with staff in control.
For clinicsWhat Is Complaint Adjudication, and Is It Mandatory in the UK?What independent adjudication of patient complaints means, why it matters for clinics and patients, and whether CQC, HIS, HIW or RQIA require it.
For clinicsHow Resolving Complaints Early Reduces Legal Risk for ClinicsWhy unresolved complaints turn into no win no fee claims, how claims affect indemnity premiums, and how early resolution and independent review reduce the risk.
For patients
The 3 stage route for complaining about private or cosmetic treatment in the UK, the timescales, and where to go if the clinic will not resolve it.
For patientsBotched Filler or Botox? Your Complaint OptionsWhat to do when filler or Botox goes wrong: complaining to the clinic, independent adjudication, the JCCP and Save Face, and the professional regulators.
For patientsCan You Get a Refund for Bad Botox?Whether you can get a refund when anti wrinkle injections go wrong, what independent complaint schemes can and cannot order, and how to ask.
For patientsPrivate Patients and the Ombudsman GapWhy the health service ombudsmen cannot look at privately funded care, and what fills the gap for private patients in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.