Complaints advocacy
NHS complaints advocacy services
Every area of England has an independent NHS complaints advocacy service funded by the local authority. They can help you make a complaint about the NHS and have replaced the ICAS service. This service is open to everybody and is free of charge. Advocacy providers can help you with writing letters and preparing for meetings. They can also arrange for an advocate to attend a meeting with you. An advocate will not try to persuade you to take any particular course of action and will always respect your decisions. If you have a severe learning disability or a mental health condition, you may find it useful to have an independent advocate speak on your behalf.
The service is provided by POhWER in West Northamptonshire.
POhWER - NHS Complaints Advocacy Service
Tel: 0300 456 2370
PO Box 17943, Birmingham, B9 9PB
Or fill out a self-referral online
Other advocacy
POhWER also provides the following independent advocacy services for people in West Northamptonshire:
Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA)
They support people who have been detained under certain sections of the Mental Health Act, or are on a Community Treatment Order. We help them understand their rights and support them to challenge their treatment if they feel it is not appropriate for them.
Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA)
An IMCA can support anyone who is over 16 years old and who has been assessed as ‘lacking capacity’. This means they are not able to make or understand a particular decision about their life because the way their mind or brain works has been affected by an illness, an injury or a disability.
Care Act advocacy
An advocate will support you to be involved as much as possible in decisions about your care. Your advocate can help you to think about your choices and what is best for you. If you want to challenge the council’s decision your advocate can help you do this too.
If you have further questions, please contact:
All services operate Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm
Tel: 0300 456 2370
They welcome calls via Relay UK (the national speech to text telephone relay service for people who are deaf, have hearing loss or speech impairment).
Email: pohwer@pohwer.net
Website: West Northamptonshire | Home | POhWER
Text: send the word ’pohwer’ with your name and number to 81025
