Contact the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
Use this page to find out how to contact DHSC.
Applies to England
What you can contact DHSC about
DHSC is responsible for health and social care policy in England. This includes setting national strategy, developing guidance and leading public health work, such as national information and campaigns.
We work with organisations such as the NHS and local councils, but we do not manage individual health or care services or give medical advice.
You can contact DHSC about the work of the department, for example:
- questions about government health or social care policy
- comments on DHSC strategies, plans or consultations
- reports of serious wrongdoing (whistleblowing)
- requests for information held by DHSC
- complaints about DHSC
Questions and comments
You can contact DHSC online (see below) to ask a question or share comments about our work, including health and social care policy or DHSC plans and consultations.
Report serious wrongdoing (whistleblowing)
You can report serious wrongdoing (whistleblowing) related to health or social care that could affect other people or the public. This is known as a ‘disclosure in the public interest’.
This includes concerns about:
- criminal activity (for example fraud)
- risks to patient or public safety
- organisations breaking the law
- misuse of public money
- covering up wrongdoing
This is not the right route for personal workplace issues (for example bullying, harassment or disputes about your own employment), unless your concern could also affect others. These should be raised through your employer’s grievance process. You can also contact Acas for advice.
Contact DHSC online (see below) to report serious wrongdoing.
Requests for information
There are 2 types of information you can request from DHSC.
Request personal information
You can request access to personal information we hold about you by making a Subject Access Request.
Email data_protection@dhsc.gov.uk, explaining what personal information you’re looking for and provide enough detail for DHSC to understand your request.
DHSC does not hold patient medical records or social care records. Requests for this information should be made to the relevant care organisation, such as your GP practice, NHS trust or local council.
Request other information
You can request other information held by DHSC, such as policies or data, by making a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
Before submitting a request, you can check our previous Freedom of Information (FOI) releases.
Contact DHSC online (see below) to make an FOI request.
Find out more about FOI requests and how they work.
Complaints
We only handle complaints about the work, staff and levels of service provided by DHSC.
Contact DHSC online (see below) to make a complaint.
See the complaints procedure for more information about what you can complain about and how we handle complaints.
Contact DHSC online
You can use the online form to:
- ask a question about DHSC policy or our work
- share a comment
- report serious wrongdoing (whistleblowing)
- request non-personal information held by DHSC (Freedom of Information)
- make a complaint about DHSC
We aim to respond within 20 working days.
We may not respond if your enquiry:
- contains offensive language
- does not clearly explain your enquiry or concern
- only shares information or feedback that doesn’t require a response
- has already been answered in a previous reply to you
- is selling or promoting a product
You cannot use this form to request personal information.
To request personal information held by DHSC, email data_protection@dhsc.gov.uk.
What you cannot contact DHSC about
We work with organisations such as the NHS and local councils, but we do not manage individual health or care services or give medical advice.
Contact the relevant organisation for enquiries about:
- NHS services - contact NHS England
- adult social care - contact your local council or the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
- children’s social care - contact the Department for Education
Complaints about health or social care services
DHSC cannot help with complaints or feedback about:
- NHS services, including hospitals and GP practices
- adult or children’s social care services
See the complaints procedure to find out who to contact instead.
Other enquiries DHSC cannot help with
- work experience placements - DHSC does not offer work experience. You can look for opportunities through Working for the Civil Service or Finding work experience in the NHS
- benefits, including health-related benefits - contact the Department for Work and Pensions
- housing issues, including living conditions affecting your health - contact the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Other ways to contact DHSC
Accessibility support
If you cannot use the online form, you can call us on 0300 790 4007.
We do not operate a call centre. Leave a voicemail with your contact details and a brief explanation of your query. A member of our team will contact you.
Postal address:
Ministerial Correspondence and Public Enquiries Unit
Department of Health and Social Care
39 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0EU
United Kingdom
Media enquiries
Updates to this page
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Updated to reflect the new process for contacting DHSC.
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First published.