Make a Complaint

Anyone can make a complaint or raise a concern about a chiropractor. This includes patients, their families, members of the public and other healthcare professionals, including fellow chiropractors.

All chiropractors must have a complaints procedure in their practice and deal with complaints promptly and fairly. So it may be worth trying to solve the problem first with the chiropractor. If you are not satisfied with how the chiropractor deals with your complaint, they must tell you that you have the right to complain to us. We fully appreciate that you might prefer to contact us straight away, rather than complain first to the chiropractor. To do so, please continue reading this page to find out how.

We can consider complaints relating to:

• treatment, care or advice given by a chiropractor
• any aspect of the professional or personal behaviour of a chiropractor
• the physical or mental health of a chiropractor.

We are unable to investigate:

• complaints against clinics or companies - this is because we regulate individual chiropractors
• refund of fees/payment matters
• compensation requests.

Compensation or refund of fees

All chiropractors must have insurance to cover claims made against them and will provide details if you ask them. For more information about compensation or a refund of fees you could contact a solicitor, Citizens Advice or the chiropractor’s professional association.

Complaints that do not relate to fitness to practise

We will not usually investigate allegations of the following matters. This is because legally they are not complaints of unprofessional conduct or professional incompetence. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list.

• Complaints solely about business disputes
• Complaints solely about employment, contracts or business premises
• Complaints solely about fees or costs of treatment unless there are allegations of dishonesty or an intent to deceive or mislead
• Complaints brought solely to remedy a private grievance which does not raise issues of public protection, patients’ safety or the reputation of the profession
• Vexatious complaints (a complaint that is entirely without merit and is made with the intention of causing inconvenience, harassment or expense to the chiropractor)
• Complaints which solely relate to a registrant’s personal life unless the complaint: has the potential to bring the profession into disrepute; could potentially affect public confidence in the profession; relates to a conviction in the United Kingdom for a criminal offence; relates to a physical or mental condition which seriously impairs a registrant’s ability to practise as a chiropractor; or raises issues of public protection or patient safety
• Minor or single complaints about note taking or record keeping unless there is evidence of “incompetence or negligence to a high degree”
• Complaints which lie solely within the jurisdiction of another regulator and which should have been made to that regulator (as, for example, allegations relating to the treatment of animals), or
• Complaints which amount to a difference of professional opinion and do not raise issues of public protection or patient safety.