NHS Health & Wellbeing Guide

Supporting Health, Wellbeing & Positive Futures

Understanding the NHS

The NHS provides healthcare across the UK. Most services are free at the point of use, including GP care, emergency care, hospital treatment, mental health services, maternity care, children’s health services, and many community services. NHS England’s main public information site helps you find services, health conditions, medicines, appointments, and online support.

Your Rights as a Patient

Under the NHS Constitution, patients have rights around access to NHS services, safe and professional care, dignity and respect, informed consent, confidentiality, access to records, involvement in decisions, and the right to complain when care falls short. NHS bodies and organisations providing NHS-funded care must take account of the Constitution.

You can ask for:

• Clear explanations about diagnosis, treatment, risks, benefits, and alternatives.
• A second opinion, although this is not an automatic legal right.
• Access to your medical records through the organisation that holds them, such as your GP surgery, dentist, optician, or hospital trust. 
• Privacy and confidentiality.
• Reasonable adjustments if you are disabled or have communication, sensory, learning, mental health, neurodivergent, or accessibility needs. 

Finding NHS Services

Use NHS.uk to find:

• GP surgeries
• Pharmacies
• Dentists
• Hospitals
• Urgent treatment centres
• Mental health services
• Maternity services
• Sexual health services
• Children and young people’s services 

You can also use your NHS account/NHS App if you are aged 13 or over and registered with a GP surgery in England. It can help with repeat prescriptions, test results, NHS messages, and appointments.

Emergency Help

For life-threatening emergencies, call 999 or go to A&E.

Use NHS 111 online or by phone when you need urgent medical help but it is not life-threatening. NHS 111 can direct you to urgent treatment, out-of-hours GP help, pharmacy support, dental help, or mental health crisis support.

For mental health crisis support in England, NHS advice says to use NHS 111 online or call 111. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to A&E.

Accessible Healthcare

NHS and publicly funded adult social care services must follow the Accessible Information Standard. This means they should identify, record, share, and meet communication needs for disabled people, people with sensory loss, and people who need information in accessible formats.

You can ask for:

• Easy Read information
• Large print
• Braille
• Audio
• BSL interpreter
• Language interpreter
• Extra appointment time
• Quiet waiting area
• Step-free access
• Support for autism, ADHD, learning disability, anxiety, trauma, or sensory needs
• A reasonable adjustment flag on your NHS record where appropriate 

Children, Parents and Families

For children and young people’s mental health, NHS guidance explains what help is available and includes information for parents and carers.

Support routes may include:

• GP
• School nurse
• Health visitor
• Mental Health Support Team in school or college
• Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services
• Local authority early help or family support
• Safeguarding team if a child may be at risk

Schools and colleges are expected to support mental health and wellbeing and work with health, education, and social care services where needed.

If a child is at immediate risk of serious harm, call 999. NHS safeguarding guidance recognises the duty to protect children, young people, and adults at risk.

Evidence Standards and Accountability

Keep clear records when asking for help or raising concerns:

• Dates and times of appointments, calls, letters, and emails
• Names and roles of staff spoken to
• Symptoms, changes, risks, and impact on daily life
• Photos, reports, school evidence, care plans, discharge letters, referrals, prescriptions
• What you asked for and what response you received
• Copies of complaints and replies

For NHS concerns, start with the service itself or PALS. PALS gives confidential advice, support, and information for patients, families, and carers.

If the complaint is not resolved, you can escalate to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, which investigates NHS complaints in England independently and free of charge.

Legal Rights and Advice

For legal help, check whether you qualify for legal aid. GOV.UK explains that legal aid can help pay for legal advice, mediation, or representation, and you can check eligibility for free.

Other support:

• Citizens Advice
• Law Centres Network
• AdviceNow
• Healthwatch
• NHS Complaints Advocacy
• Disability Rights UK
• Equality Advisory Support Service

Health Support Directory

Useful official routes:

• NHS.uk — health information and NHS services
• NHS 111 — urgent non-emergency help
• 999/A&E — emergencies
• NHS App/NHS account — appointments, prescriptions, results
• PALS — local NHS advice and complaints support
• Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman — unresolved NHS complaints
• GOV.UK Legal Aid — check legal advice eligibility
• NHS Accessible Information Standard — accessible communication rights
• NHS reasonable adjustments — disability access support

Keep this as your core principle: ask early, record everything, request reasonable adjustments in writing, escalate politely but firmly, and use official NHS/GOV.UK routes wherever possible.