Rights & Advocacy Guide
Patient rights, complaints, advocacy supports, and where to go when something feels wrong.
Basic patient rights
Patient rights can vary depending on the country, service, setting, and complaint route, but the basic principles are usually similar. You should be treated with dignity and respect, have information explained in a way you can understand, and be involved in decisions about your care.
You should be asked for informed consent before treatment where required. Your privacy and personal information should be respected. You should also be able to ask questions, request clarification, seek another opinion, and raise concerns without being punished for doing so.
First steps when something feels wrong
Start by writing down what happened as clearly as possible. Include dates, names, places, appointment details, and what was said. Keep copies of letters, referrals, prescriptions, discharge notes, screenshots, emails, and anything else connected to the issue.
It also helps to write down the impact, not just the event. For example: delayed care, worsening symptoms, distress, extra costs, missed work, or loss of trust. If you are too unwell to organise the timeline yourself, ask someone you trust to help.
BEDHEAD note: the point is not to write a perfect legal document. It is to make the situation easier to explain later, especially if fatigue, pain, stress, or brain fog make details harder to hold onto.
Before making a complaint
It can help to separate the problem from the outcome you want. A complaint asking for an apology, an explanation, a corrected record, a referral, a review, or a change in practice may need a different route.
A useful structure is:
- What happened: keep this factual and dated.
- Why it matters: explain the effect on your care, safety, trust, access, or wellbeing.
- What you want now: be clear about the outcome you are asking for.
- Who is responsible: different services may have different complaint routes.
Common routes in Ireland
If the issue relates to a public hospital or HSE service, the hospital or HSE complaints process is usually the starting point. The Patient Advocacy Service may be able to support complaints about public acute hospitals, nursing homes, and patient safety incidents.
If the concern relates to a doctor’s professional conduct, performance, or fitness to practise, the Medical Council may be relevant. If the issue relates to a public service and the local complaints route has not resolved it, the Office of the Ombudsman may be relevant.
For nursing home concerns, HIQA may be relevant for regulation and standards. For help being heard, independent advocacy services such as Sage Advocacy or the Irish Patients’ Association may be useful.
Escalating to a TD
If a public service issue has become stuck, delayed, ignored, or circular, contacting a TD can sometimes help move the matter along. This is usually most relevant where you are dealing with a public body, a repeated access issue, a delayed response, or a wider system problem.
A TD will not replace a formal complaint route, professional regulator, solicitor, or advocate. The point is to ask for political representation, visibility, or help getting a response where the normal route is not working.
Keep the message short and factual. Include dates, reference numbers, and previous complaint attempts where relevant. State clearly what you are asking them to do, and avoid unnecessary medical detail unless it directly explains urgency or harm.
Template
Subject: Request for assistance with healthcare access or complaint escalation
Dear [TD Name],
I am writing to ask for your assistance regarding an unresolved healthcare issue involving [service/body/hospital/clinic].
The issue is: [brief explanation of what happened, when it started, and why it matters].
I have already tried to resolve this by [steps taken]. As of today, the matter remains unresolved.
The outcome I am seeking is [clear request: response, review, appointment, explanation, referral, correction, or escalation].
I would be grateful if your office could make representations or advise on the appropriate next step.
Kind regards,
[Your name]
Energy cost matters
Advocacy can be important, but it can also be draining. Before escalating, it may help to ask what outcome you want, whether there is a shorter route, and whether someone else can help draft, organise, or send the message.
There is a difference between needing support now and trying to make a wider point. Both are valid, but they may take different amounts of energy. If the issue is not urgent, it may be worth pacing the process rather than trying to do everything at once.
BEDHEAD note: personal resolution and wider accountability both matter. The key is knowing which one you are pursuing before you spend energy you may not have.
Useful rights and advocacy links
- MedlinePlus: Patient Rights A plain English overview of patient rights, privacy, informed consent, and medical records. Some details are US focused, but the basic concepts are still useful.
- Patient.info: Understanding Your Right to Choose A UK focused explainer on patient choice and healthcare decisions.
- Patient Advocacy Service Free and confidential support for complaints about public acute hospitals, nursing homes, and patient safety incidents in Ireland.
- Irish Patients’ Association A national patient advocacy organisation offering information, support, and advocacy.
- Sage Advocacy Independent advocacy, especially around healthcare, nursing home care, safeguarding, housing, legal, and financial questions.
- Citizens Information: Patient Advocacy Service Plain English information on advocacy and complaints routes in Ireland.
- HSE Complaints and Feedback The HSE route for feedback, complaints, and Your Service Your Say.
- Medical Council Regulates doctors in Ireland and handles complaints about professional conduct and fitness to practise.
- HIQA Regulates and monitors health and social care services.
- Office of the Ombudsman Handles complaints about public services where local complaints routes have not resolved the issue.
- Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Information on equality, discrimination, and human rights in Ireland.
Checking doctor or clinic reviews
Before or after an appointment, you may want to check how others have experienced a service. Reviews are not definitive, but they can highlight patterns such as communication issues, long wait times, accessibility problems, or positive experiences.
- Trustpilot A general review platform where some clinics and healthcare services are listed.
- Doclify A doctor and clinic review platform focused on healthcare experiences.
Use reviews as a rough signal, not a final judgement. A few strong opinions do not always reflect the full picture, but consistent patterns can be useful.
From individual advocacy to patient involvement
Sometimes advocacy is about solving your own issue. Sometimes it becomes something bigger: helping services understand what patients are actually experiencing.
If you are interested in shaping research, services, policy, or patient-facing resources, Public and Patient Involvement may be the next step. It is one way patients and carers can bring lived experience into decision-making spaces, not just complaint processes.
- BEDHEAD: Public and Patient Involvement Guide A guide to getting involved in research, service design, policy, and patient-facing resource development.