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Factsheet 59  August 2010
How to resolve problems and make a complaint
about the local authority
About this factsheet
This factsheet provides information on the joint health and social care
complaints procedure. It also outlines other ways of resolving problems and
making a complaint, and provides information on service users‟ general rights
in this area. It should be read in conjunction with Age UK‟s other factsheets
on social care provision, for example Factsheet 41, Local authority
assessment for community care services.
The information in this factsheet is correct for the period August 2010 – July
2011. However, rules and guidance sometimes change during the year.
This factsheet describes the situation in England. There are differences in the
rules in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Readers in these nations
should contact their respective national offices for information specific to
where they live – see section 10 for details.
For details of how to order other Age UK factsheets and information materials
mentioned inside go to section 10.
Note: Many local Age Concerns are changing their name to Age UK.
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Inside this factsheet
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Recent developments
Your right to complain about the local authority or to resolve
problems
The joint health and social care complaints system
3.1 What to expect when making a complaint
3.2 Who can make a complaint and about what?
3.3 The duty to co-operate
3.4 Time limits
3.5 Communicating and acknowledging a complaint
3.6 The duty to discuss the complaint
3.7 The duty to investigate and keep the complainant informed
3.8 Support with making a complaint
The Care Quality Commission
The Local Government Ombudsman
Human rights and equality
The Local Government Monitoring Officer
Other avenues of complaint
8.1 Appeal to the Secretary of State for Health
8.2 Write to your local counsellor or MP
8.3 Appeal through the courts
8.4 Further information about the new complaints procedure
8.5 Safeguarding from abuse
Useful organisations
Further information from Age UK
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1 Recent developments
 The new Coalition Government has set up a Commission to look into long-
term funding of adult social care. Plans for this were contained in a White
Paper entitled Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS published in July
2010. The Commission plans to report within one year and is due to produce
recommendations for legislation in the next few months. This document also
sets out plans for major changes to the role of PCTs in the provision of health
care, transferring much of the commissioning responsibilities to GPs.
2 Your right to complain about the local authority or
to resolve problems
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the body responsible for regulating
and maintaining standards in health and adult social care in England. It was
set up under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the 2008 Act).
Under Part 1 of the 2008 Act, the re-registration of all health and adult social
care service providers with the CQC is required, and it commenced in April
2010. In a staged process, adult social care services will be required to
register on 1 October 2010. This means that the present registration under
the Care Standards Act 2000 (the 2000 Act) continues until 30 September
2010. The policy objective behind this change is to integrate health and social
care regulation across all types of providers – public, private or third sector.
This reflects the fact that individual service users often rely on both local
health and social care services and would benefit from being able to expect
common standards in both of them.
Regulations setting out required service standards under the 2000 Act include
the National Minimum Standards, Care Home Regulations 3rd ed. 2003, and
the Domiciliary Care, National Minimum Standards Regulations,2003.
Service providers will have to comply with new Regulations based on section
20 of the 2008 Act. These are the Health and Social Care Act 2008
(Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 (the 2010 Regulations), and the Care
Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009. They describe the
essential standards of quality and safety that people who use health and
social care have a right to expect.
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In March 2010, the CQC published Guidance about compliance, Essential
standards of quality and safety. This replaces the two National Minimum
Standards mentioned above and broadens the scope to all of health and
social care. It relates to those who carry out “regulated activities”, which are
defined in the 2010 Regulations, and which require registration to be legal
carried out. The CQC has also produced Guidance about compliance,
Judgement Framework for use by their standards assessors. The two
documents provide a basis for decisions about whether a service provider
should be registered by the CQC, when the CQC should use their
enforcement powers to bring about improvements to poor services, and
whether a service provider should be prevented from carrying out “regulated
activities”.
In the Essential standards, at page 6, it is stated that:
The new system is focused on outcomes rather than systems and
processes, and places the views and experiences of people who use
services at its centre.
And, at page 7:
Our guidance is based on the outcomes that we expect people using a
service will experience when the provider is meeting the essential
standards.
Also:
The Act, the regulations and guidance are part of a wider regulatory
framework that includes regulation of professionals such as nurses,
doctors and social workers.
Part 2 of the Essential Standards Guidance sets out the standards in detail
for the broad range of health and social care services, with a list of codes
directing readers to the different services areas. They are grouped into six
key areas:
Involvement and information
Personalised care, treatment and support
Safeguarding and safety
Suitability of staffing
Quality and management
Suitability of management
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If you are not satisfied with any aspect of the service you receive from a body
registered with the CQC, you can make a complaint to it. The CQC must
then decide the level and type of response to take. They must respond to you
within 20 days of receiving the complaint details to let you know what action
they will take. They have a range of powers to investigate and enforce
changes on the service provider and then to carry out subsequent reviews.
This could include, for example, making a complaint about poor standards of
care in a care home. This complaint can be made in conjunction with informal
discussions with the managers of the service provider or while making a
complaint to the local authority if they are involved with the provision of the
service. However, if you feel it is not in your interests to liaise directly with the
management of the organisation you can still complain to the CQC and the
local authority.
Note: The Care Quality Commission website holds a great deal of information
on the standards to expect of services and individual service providers, such
as care homes, and how to make complaints.
Terminology
The terms „community care‟ and „social care‟ can be used interchangeably to
describe the broad range of services provided by local authority social
services departments. When we use the words „local authority‟ or „Council‟ in
this factsheet we mean whichever of the following applies to you:
 the County (such as Shropshire or Devon)
 the Metropolitan Borough (or District) (such as Sandwell or Tameside)
 a London Borough (such as Haringey or Sutton)
 the City of London
 the Unitary Authorities (which have taken the place of some counties such
as North West Somerset – formerly part of Avon County Council; or
Hartlepool –formerly part of Cleveland County Council).
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A local authority is a public body; it exists to serve the needs of the local
population and has to act within the limits set by Government legislation and
guidance. It provides a wide range of services, including social care services
such as arranging care and support in people‟s homes and care home
provision.
Your local authority should be constantly seeking the opinion of the people
who live in the area it serves to ensure that it meets their needs in the most
effective and non-discriminatory way. Having a properly working complaints
procedure is an important part of achieving this aim. Complaints received by
a local authority should be valued and seen as potential ways to improve
service provision.
Examples of complaints could be:
 the local authority has assessed you as not needing a service but you believe
you need it
 there have been delays or errors in dealing with your case
 the services arranged for you are not satisfactory.
If your care is provided by an independent agency on behalf of the local
authority, you can still complain to the local authority about any difficulties, as
they remain responsible for ensuring that you receive suitable care and
support.
You can sort out most issues, problems and complaints informally through
discussion with the relevant professional or their manager, although it may in
some cases require input from your local councillor or even the local MP.
Staff should aim to resolve problems informally and promptly to avoid the
necessity of a formal complaint.
The Department of Health guidance, Learning from complaints: social service
complaints procedures for adults, 2006, describes a complaint as:
an expression of dissatisfaction or disquiet about the actions, decisions
or apparent failings of a local authority’s adult social services provision
which requires a response.
Every local authority must have a formal complaints procedure and be able to
provide you with a copy on request. This is the main route by which you can
seek to resolve any dissatisfaction or disagreement with the local authority, so
make use of it.
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The Government has set out the legal framework for formal complaints, as
follows.
3 The joint health and social care complaints
system
In April 2009, a single, joint, complaints procedure for health and social care
was introduced. This is based on the Local Authority Social Services and
National Health Services Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 (called the
Complaints Regulations in this document). The Complaints Regulations can
be accessed via the following link:
www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2009/uksi_20090309_en_1#l1g3
The new system replaced the existing three-tier system in local authorities.
This factsheet focuses on and summarises the local authority part of the joint
complaints procedure. However, one of the reasons for linking health and
social care was to require joint working, where necessary, because a
complaint sometimes relates to both local organisations.
For further information about the NHS arrangements see Age UK‟s Factsheet
66, Resolving problems and making a complaint about NHS care.
The new, person-centred, approach is intended to focus the process on the
complainant, enabling organisations to tailor a flexible, prompt, response that
seeks to resolve their specific concerns. It is based on the principles of good
complaints handling published by the Parliamentary and Health Service
Ombudsman and endorsed by the Local Government Ombudsman:
 getting it right
 being customer focused
 being open and accountable
 acting fairly and proportionately
 putting things right
 seeking continuous improvement.
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3.1 What to expect when making a complaint
In Regulation 3(2) the Complaints Regulations for local authority service
users state that complaints should be:
 dealt with efficiently
 properly investigated
and people complaining (complainants) should:
 be treated with respect and courtesy
 receive, as far as is reasonably practical, assistance to enable them to
understand the procedure or advice on where they may obtain such
assistance
 receive a timely and appropriate response
 be told the outcome of the investigation of their complaint
and the local authority should ensure that they take action, if necessary, in the
light of the outcome of a complaint.
The local authority (called the „responsible body‟ in the Complaints
Regulations) must designate a person who is responsible for compliance with
the Complaints Regulations and a complaints manager who is responsible for
managing the complaints procedure. The person responsible for compliance
should be at chief executive level.
3.2 Who can make a complaint and about what?
A complaint can be made by someone who receives a service from the local
authority or someone who is affected, or likely to be affected, by the action,
omission or decision of the local authority that is the subject of the complaint.
A complaint can also be made by a representative of someone else. This may
be where the complainant has requested this, where they lack capacity as
defined in the Mental Capacity Act 2005, or where they have died. Under the
2005 Act, the representative with a Power of Attorney must act in the
individual‟s „best interests‟.
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For further information about the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and the duties of
those dealing with people who lack the mental capacity to make a particular
decision, can be obtained in Age UK‟s Factsheet 22, Arranging for others to
make decisions about your finances and welfare.
Note: There are certain complaints that the local authority does not have to
deal with. These include complaints that have been resolved to the
complainant‟s satisfaction by the next working day; have been resolved or
investigated under previous complaints regulations; and those that are
related to an alleged failure to respond under the Freedom of Information Act
2002.
3.3 The duty to co-operate
The local authority must co-operate with other responsible bodies (such as
the local Primary Care Trust) in handling complaints that affect both of them.
They have a duty to co-ordinate the handling of the complaint response to the
complainant. The duty to co-operate includes a duty to agree which body
should take the lead in handling the complaint and communicating with the
complainant. They must also provide relevant information to the other body to
assist in the consideration of the complaint. They must attend, or ensure they
are represented at, any relevant meeting in connection with the consideration
of the complaint.
There must also be a co-ordinated response between a local authority, a
body (such as a care home) registered under the Care Standards Act 2000
and any other social care provider regulated under Part 1 of the Health and
Social Care Act 2008. Consent is required here for the provision of
information between these bodies about the complainant. See the “Recent
developments” section regarding the new registration requirements for all
health and social care providers with the Care Quality Commission.
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3.4 Time limits
Generally, you need to make a complaint within 12 months of the date of the
subject of the complaint, or if later, the date on which the matter came to your
notice. Exceptions may be made if the complainant had good reason for not
making the complaint within the time limit or if it is still possible to investigate
the complaint effectively and fairly (see section 5 below on Local Government
Ombudsman complaint submission time limits).
There is a general time limit of six months for the response, beginning on the
day on which the complaint was received. A longer response time is allowed if
this is agreed by the complainant and the responsible body. If the six month
time limit is not met the responsible body must send an explanation of the
reason in writing and send the response as soon as possible.
3.5 Communicating and acknowledging a complaint
A complaint may be made orally, in writing or electronically. If it is oral a
written record must be made with a copy provided for the complainant.
The complaint must be acknowledged by the local authority within three
working days of its receipt. However, in 13(4) the Complaints Regulations
state that „Where a responsible body receives a complaint sent to it by
another responsible body … the complaint must be acknowledged by the
recipient body not later than three working days after the day on which it
receives the complaint.‟ The „three working days‟ acknowledgement to the
complainant can be made orally or in writing. This could be where a complaint
is sent to a local authority but it is felt that another body such as the local
Primary Care Trust should take the lead in responding to it.
3.6 The duty to discuss the complaint
The local authority must offer to discuss with you, at a time to be agreed with
you, the way in which the complaint should be handled, how long the
investigation is likely to take and what response you should expect. If you
don‟t wish to meet to discuss the complaint, the local authority must still
determine the response period and let you know in writing.
This means that you should be provided with an opportunity to explain what
you hope to achieve from the complaint and receive a response as to what is
realistically achievable by the local authority.
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3.7 The duty to investigate and keep the complainant informed
Regulation 14(1) requires the responsible body to:
 investigate the complaint as speedily and efficiently as possible
 keep the complainant informed, as far as reasonably practicable, about
progress.
It goes on to require 14(2) that „As soon as reasonably practicable‟ after
completing the investigation, the complainant should receive a response, in
writing, signed by the responsible person, which includes:
 an explanation of how the complaint has been considered
 the conclusions reached including any action proposed
 confirmation of whether the responsible body is satisfied that any action
needed has been taken or is proposed to be taken
 where the complaint relates wholly or in part to the functions of a local
authority, details of the complainant‟s right to take their complaint to a Local
Commissioner under the Local Government Act 1974
 except where the complaint relates only to the functions of a local authority,
details of the complainant‟s right to take their complaint to the Health Service
Commissioner.
Each local authority must keep appropriate records and produce an annual
complaints report. They have to include in their annual report:
 how many complaints they received
 how many they decided were well founded
 how many were referred on to the Ombudsman
 a summary of the subject matter of complaints and matters of importance
arising from the complaints or the way they were handled
 any action taken or to be taken as a result to improve services as a
consequence of investigations they have undertaken.
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3.8 Support with making a complaint
The Department of Health‟s publication, A guide to better customer care,
recommends the provision of advocacy support for complainants. It states:
„there are a number of voluntary, community and self-help groups who can
offer this kind of support‟ and encourages local authorities to promote this.
4 The Care Quality Commission
The Care Quality Commission is the body responsible for regulating and
maintaining standards in adult health and social care in England.
The re-registration of all adult health and social care service providers with
the Care Quality Commission commenced in April 2010. In a staged process,
adult social care services will be required to register on 1 October. This
means that the present registration under the Care Standards Act 2000
continues until 30 September 2010.
If you are not satisfied with any aspect of the service you receive from a body
registered with the Care Quality Commission, you can make a complaint to it.
The Care Quality Commission must then decide the level and type of
response to take. They must respond to you within 20 days of receiving the
complaint details to let you know what action they will take. They have a
range of powers to investigate and enforce changes on the service provider
and then to carry out subsequent reviews. This is presently based on the
standards set down in the Care Standards Act 2000 and related Regulations.
These include the National Minimum Standards, Care Home Regulations 3rd
ed. 2003, and the Domiciliary Care, National Minimum Standards
Regulations, 2003.
This could include, for example, making a complaint about poor standards of
care in a care home. This complaint can be made in conjunction with informal
discussions with the managers of the service provider or while making a
complaint to the local authority if they are involved with the provision of the
service. However, if you feel it is not in your interests to liaise directly with the
management of the organisation you can still complain to the Care Quality
Commission and the local authority.
Registered services include:
 care homes
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 domiciliary care (home care) agencies
 nurses‟ agencies
 adult placement schemes.
Note: The Care Quality Commission website holds a great deal of
information on the standards to expect of services and individual service
providers, such as care homes, and how to make complaints (see section 9).
5 The Local Government Ombudsman
The Local Government Ombudsman‟s role has changed with the introduction
of the new complaints system. It now sits above a single local authority (and
possibly joint health) process.
If a complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction within the council‟s
complaints procedure you can approach the Ombudsman if you feel there
has been „maladministration‟ by the council. Maladministration covers faults in
the way something has been done. It could include neglect, unjustified delay,
unfair discrimination, failure to abide by agreed procedures or failure to have
proper procedures.
In some circumstances the Ombudsman may be willing to take up a case
before you have been through the local authority procedure.
The Ombudsman is an independent, impartial and free service. They can
investigate complaints about how a local authority has acted but they cannot
question what a local authority has done simply because someone does not
agree with it. The ‟12-month rule‟ for making a complaint is not hard and fast.
One of the reasons it exists is because the longer the delay, the harder it is to
gather evidence. See section 3.4 Time limits above.
The Ombudsman may exercise discretion to investigate complaints about
events that occurred more than 12 months ago. Someone may have been
prevented from complaining due to a period of ill health, an inability to read or
write English, or the mistaken belief that action had already been taken to
resolve their complaint. They will also take into account the seriousness of
the alleged adverse effect in deciding whether to investigate such a
complaint.
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Even if the Ombudsman decides to investigate the complaint, their
recommendations are not binding and the local authority can choose to
ignore them. However, the report is made public. Your local authority should
give you the address of the relevant Ombudsman, or you can get it from a
library or Citizens Advice Bureau.
From October 2010, adults who fund their own residential or nonresidential social care will have access to an independent complaints
review service provided by the Local Government Ombudsman. This
right is included in the Health Act 2009, which came into law in
November 2009.
Note: A free leaflet explaining the Ombudsman‟s role is available from the
Commission for Local Administration in England, Millbank Tower, Millbank,
London SW1P 4QP, tel: 0845 602 1983 or via The Ombudsman website:
www.lgo.org.uk.
6 Human rights and equality
Legislation on equality and the Disability Discrimination Acts of 1995 and
2005 have reinforced the rights of individuals using public services to equal
treatment.
The incorporation into UK law of the European Convention on Human Rights,
in the form of the Human Rights Act 1998, has given public service users the
right to directly assert their human rights in national courts. It is unlawful for a
public service to act in a way that is incompatible with a Convention right.
The most commonly used articles in relation to social care include:
 Article 3 – the prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment
 Article 8 – the right to respect for private and family life
 Article 14 – prohibition on discrimination.
These rights can also be included as part of general complaints to the local
authority or other public bodies such as the NHS. It is important to remember
that they can relate to everyday issues such as:
 poor domiciliary (home) care treatment
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 where your care home is located with regard to your social and psychological
needs.
The Equalities Act 2010 has consolidated equalities legislation. Age
discrimination in health and social care is intended to be outlawed in the near
future, following a consultation on how to implement the change. Service
providers are now required to actively advance equality principles under a
single equality duty, and carry out equality impact assessments. An example
of this could be where public services must actively take into account the
needs of black and minority ethnic (BME) communities in the design and
funding of their services, for example providing adequate translation services,
information in different languages and utilising ethnic community support
groups. This kind of proactive approach should be taken for all the groups
listed in the equalities legislation, particularly where they are hard to reach
and under-represented. Other equalities legislation within the 2010 Act covers
disability, race, culture, religion, sexuality and Lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and
transgender.
Note: The Health and Social Care Act 2008 contains a clause ensuring that
any independent-sector care home contracted by the local authority to
provide accommodation is subject to the Human Rights Act 1998 in line with
other local-authority provided services.
7 The Local Government Monitoring Officer
Local authorities must, under section 5 of the Local Government and Housing
Act 1989, appoint someone to act as a monitoring officer. Often, the chief
executive or head of legal services at the council is also the monitoring
officer.
The monitoring officer has a duty to report any of the council‟s proposals or
decisions which are, or could be, in contravention of existing law and
therefore illegal.
The monitoring officer must also report if any proposal or decision is, or could
be, a matter of maladministration or injustice, which the Ombudsman would
investigate. In preparing the report, the monitoring officer must consult, as far
as is possible, the council‟s chief executive (except where the chief executive
is also the monitoring officer) and the council‟s chief finance officer.
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Once prepared, the report must be sent to all the council members (the
elected councillors) who have responsibility for the decision or proposal. For
social care matters, for example, this might include all the councillors who sit
on the council‟s Social Services Committee.
Once the monitoring officer has reported, council members must call a
meeting to consider the report within 21 days. In the meantime, before the
monitoring officer‟s report has been considered by council members, the
council must not proceed with the proposal or decision in question.
If you think that any decision or proposal by your local authority is, or could
be, illegal, or a matter of maladministration or injustice, you can contact the
monitoring officer and ask them to set out their view. It is not necessary to
use a solicitor to do this, although some people find it helpful.
The council‟s legal department or unit should be able to tell you how to
contact the monitoring officer. Contact can be made by a telephone call, or by
letter, fax or other recorded form.
8 Other avenues of complaint
8.1 Appeal to the Secretary of State for Health
If you think the council has a duty to provide you with a service and it refuses
to do so, or that it unfairly withdrew that service, you or someone acting on
your behalf, can report the council to the Secretary of State for Health (Local
Authority Social Services Act 1970 as amended by section 50 of the National
Health Service and Community Care Act 1990).
You should not do this until after going through the local authority‟s own
complaints procedure and you may wish to consult a solicitor before doing so.
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Legislation
If the Secretary of State is satisfied that any local authority has failed, without
reasonable excuse, to comply with any of their duties which are social
services functions, he may make an order declaring that authority to be in
default in respect of their duty in question. NHS and Community Care Act
1990 section 50 7D (1)
Decisions by the Secretary of State do not have to be made public but the
council and the complainant will be informed.
8.2 Write to your local counsellor or MP
As mentioned above, it may be helpful to enlist the support of your local
counsellor or MP in dealing with an issue. This can sometimes be a useful
method of solving issues informally so that an official complaint is not
required.
8.3 Appeal through the courts
Another route could be to proceed through the courts. For this you would
need to consult a solicitor. If your income is low it may be possible to get legal
aid. You can sue the local authority for a breach of its statutory duty, but this
can be difficult to prove. It involves you showing:
 a specific need for which you think services should be provided
 what service(s) is/are required to satisfy the need
 that you have expressed a request for the service
 that the council has failed to satisfy the need.
You can also seek judicial review of the council‟s actions in the High Court. In
this case the court can be asked to examine whether the council‟s action has
been legal, rational and reasonable. The main grounds of challenge are:
 illegality – the authority got the law wrong
 irrationality – it acted unreasonably in making the decision
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 procedural impropriety – it failed to follow correct procedures and take into
account all relevant considerations including representation from the affected
person.
Since the implementation of the Human Rights Act 1998, rights under the Act
have sometimes been raised in judicial review cases, including the right to
life, the right to respect for home and family life and the right to a fair hearing
by a fair and impartial tribunal.
The court cannot substitute its own views for those of the decision-making
authority. It has the power to set aside a decision on the grounds that the
council acted improperly in reaching a decision. The matter is then referred
back to the council to make a fresh decision.
The procedure is in two stages: application is made for leave (or permission)
to apply for judicial review and if this is granted, the case will be heard. There
is evidence that local authorities have reversed decisions on threat of legal
action, particularly after leave to apply has been granted.
For information on Care home closures see Age UK‟s Factsheet 29, Finding
care home accommodation.
8.4 Further information about the new complaints procedure
There are some useful Department of Health materials to help staff working to
resolve complaints using the new approach at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/managingyourorganisation/legalandcontractual/complaints
policy/makingexperiencescount/index.htm
8.5 Safeguarding from abuse
Safeguarding issues may be part of a situation ending up with a complaint to
the local authority. For further information see Age UK‟s Factsheet 78,
Safeguarding older people from abuse.
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9 Useful organisations
Care Quality Commission
The independent regulator of adult health and social care services in
England, whether provided by the NHS, local authorities, private companies
or voluntary organisations. Also protects the rights of people detained under
the Mental Health Act.
Tel: 0300 0616 161 (free call)
Website: www.cqc.org.uk/
Citizens Advice Bureau
National network of free advice centres. Depending on available resources
may offer benefits check and help filling forms.
Tel: 020 7833 2181 (for local contact details only – not telephone advice)
Website: www.adviceguide.org.uk
Carers UK
Offers general help and advice for all carers.
Tel: 0808 808 7777 (free call)
Website: www.carersonline.org.uk
Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)
The EHRC Disability Helpline provides information and advice about all
aspects of the Disability Discrimination Act.
Tel: 08457 622 633, textphone: 08457 622 644
Website: www.equalityhumanrights.com
MIND (National Association for Mental Health)
Offers support for people in mental distress and their families. Provides
details of local associations that provide services such as counselling
projects, self-help support groups, drop in centres and other services. Legal
advice is also available – contact main number for more information.
Advice line tel: 020 8519 2122, Mindinfo line: 0845 766 0163
Website: www.mind.org.uk
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Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation (RADAR)
Offers advice and information on access, housing, holidays, mobility,
education, employment benefits and social service provision.
Tel: 020 7250 3222, textphone: 020 7250 4119
Website: www.radar.org.uk.
10 Further information from Age UK
Visit the Age UK website, www.ageuk.org.uk, or call Age UK Advice free on
0800 169 65 65 if you would like:
 to order copies of any of our information materials mentioned in this factsheet
 to request information in large print and audio
 further information about our full range of information products
 contact details for your nearest local Age UK/Age Concern.
Books from Age UK
We publish a wide range of books for older people and those who care for
and work with them. The following title may be of particular interest:
Your rights to money benefits 2010–2011
All you need to know about the full range of benefits available in retirement.
£5.99
To order this book visit www.ageuk.org.uk/bookshop or to request a free
books catalogue please call our book order line 0870 44 22 120 (lo-call rate).
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Age UK
Age UK is the new force combining Age Concern and Help the Aged. We
provide advice and information for people in later life through our,
publications, online or by calling Age UK Advice.
Age UK Advice: 0800 169 65 65
Website: www.ageuk.org.uk
In Wales, contact:
Age Cymru: 0800 169 65 65
Website: www.agecymru.org.uk
In Scotland, contact:
Age Scotland: 0845 125 9732
Website: www.agescotland.org.uk
In Northern Ireland, contact:
Age NI: 0808 808 7575
Website: www.ageni.org.uk
Support our work
Age UK is the largest provider of services to older people in the UK after the
NHS. We make a difference to the lives of thousands of older people through
local resources such as our befriending schemes, day centres and lunch
clubs; by distributing free information materials; and taking calls at Age UK
Advice on 0800 169 65 65.
If you would like to support our work by making a donation please call
Supporter Services on 0800 169 80 80 (8.30 am–5.30 pm) or visit
www.ageuk.org.uk/donate
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Legal statement
Age UK is a registered charity (number 1128267) and company limited by
guarantee (number 6825798). The registered address is 207–221 Pentonville
Road, London, N1 9UZ. VAT number: 564559800. Age Concern England
(charity number 261794) and Help the Aged (charity number 272786) and
their trading and other associated companies merged on 1 April 2009.
Together they have formed Age UK, a single charity dedicated to improving
the lives of people in later life. Age Concern and Help the Aged are brands of
Age UK. The three national Age Concerns in Scotland, Northern Ireland and
Wales have also merged with Help the Aged in these nations to form three
registered charities: Age Scotland, Age Northern Ireland, Age Cymru.
Disclaimer and copyright information
This factsheet has been prepared by Age UK and contains general advice
only which we hope will be of use to you. Nothing in this factsheet should be
construed as the giving of specific advice and it should not be relied on as a
basis for any decision or action. Age UK does not accept any liability arising
from its use. We aim to ensure the information is as up to date and accurate
as possible, but please be warned that certain areas are subject to change
from time to time.
Please note that the inclusion of named agencies, companies, products,
services or publications in this factsheet does not constitute a
recommendation or endorsement by Age UK.
© Age UK. All rights reserved.
This factsheet may be reproduced in whole or in part in unaltered form by
local Age UK/Age Concerns with due acknowledgement to Age UK. No other
reproduction in any form is permitted without written permission from Age UK.
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