Making a complaint

As we are not a regulatory body, we are only able to consider complaints about members in very limited circumstances. 

If you have concerns about competence, professional conduct, fitness to practise or services received from a physiotherapist, other bodies may be able to assist you. 

Details of eligibility requirements and where best to direct your complaint are set out below. 

If you would like support in understanding our complaints processes or which process would be the correct one for your concern, we would be happy to help you. You can contact us at complaints@csp.org.uk

Complaints about physiotherapists or CSP members

See below for details of who does what when it comes to complaints about physiotherapists and physiotherapy staff:

• Professional conduct and fitness to practise - the Health and Care Professions Council
• Service received from a physiotherapist - Patients Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
• CSP member behaviour (not relating to professional conduct or fitness to practise) - the CSP

Professional conduct or fitness to practise

Membership of the CSP is not a legal requirement to practise. However, any physiotherapist practising in the UK is required to be a member of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). The HCPC is the regulatory body, and it handles complaints concerning the professional conduct and performance or fitness to practise of physiotherapy registrants. 

• See HCPC - How to raise a concern or email them at feedback@hcpc-uk.org.

If your concern refers to the professional competence of a physiotherapist, physiotherapy support worker or student, you will need to contact their employer or university. They will have their own process in place and will be able to deal with any concerns you may have.

The CSP cannot stop a member’s ability to practise. It routinely reviews the outcomes of HCPC fitness to practise hearings, and any CSP member who has been struck off the HCPC register for misconduct will have their CSP membership terminated.

Services received from a physiotherapist

If you are dissatisfied with the standard of service you received from a physiotherapist working in the NHS you should contact the Patients Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). PALS can help resolve concerns or problems you have experienced and can help if you wish to make a complaint. 

If you are dissatisfied with the service you received from a private physiotherapist you will need to contact the practice where you were treated as they will have their own complaints process.

CSP member behaviour (not relating to professional conduct or fitness to practise)

The CSP can only consider complaints against members in the following circumstances:

• Where it is alleged that the member’s behaviour impacts on the reputation of the CSP. The CSP is responsible for maintaining and protecting the reputation of the Society. If a CSP member has acted in a way to damage public trust or confidence in the Society (including on social media), the complaint will be considered.
• In exceptional circumstances, the CSP will consider complaints about other alleged behaviour which raises matters of concern but where it is not appropriate for the HCPC or another body to deal with it, and which do not relate to the member’s professional conduct or fitness to practise. Any such complaints can only be taken forward with the agreement of the Chair of Council.

If you would like to make a complaint, please review the member complaints procedure, member complaints summary and flowchart. Completed Member Complaints forms should be returned to complaints@csp.org.uk.  

Complaints about CSP staff or services

The CSP aims to deliver high-quality services, but occasionally things do go wrong.

If you are unhappy about any aspect of our service, please get in touch with the person you have been dealing with at the CSP. This will give them a chance to hear what has happened and have an opportunity to resolve it for you immediately. Alternatively, you can contact the Enquiries Team on (+44) (0)20 7306 6666 or email enquiries@csp.org.uk and tell us more. Where possible, we strongly encourage attempts to resolve concerns informally before making a formal complaint.

Should neither of the above routes prove satisfactory, CSP members, or anyone who has received a service from the CSP, may make a formal complaint about:

• any failure in a CSP service or facility; or
• any action on behalf of the CSP by a member of staff, official or representative that has adversely affected the complainant.

If you meet these criteria, please see our complaints about the CSP procedure and form below. Completed forms should be returned to complaints@csp.org.uk. Key points to note are:

• Formal complaints must be made within two calendar months of the incident complained about.
• We will acknowledge receipt within seven working days, and we will respond to straightforward complaints within fifteen working days.
• You can apply for a review of the result within 28 days of notification of the result, and we will acknowledge receipt within seven working days.
• We aim to complete the review within 21 working days of receipt.
• If any matter is not straightforward, we may need to extend the timeframe,s but you will be informed of this and the reasons why.

Complaints about data protection

If we hold data about you and you believe there has been an infringement of data protection law in connection with your data, you are entitled to complain to us. 

We will acknowledge your complaint within seven working days, and we will investigate and respond to your complaint without undue delay. We aim to respond to straightforward complaints within 15 working days, and we will keep you updated on progress and the outcome.  

Complaints can be made using this Data Protection Complaints Form or emailed to data.protection@csp.org.uk.