How to check any insurer, adviser or hospital yourself
The short answer
Every claim a company makes about itself can be verified against a free public register, in about ten minutes. This page explains what a check on any provider does, how it is paid, what it is regulated to do, and where your protection comes from. We name no companies.
Written by Dior Teshayev. Reviewed by Stuart Hendy.
Published 2026-09-15. Last reviewed 2026-09-15. Next review due 2027-03-15.
What it does
- The Financial Services Register shows whether a firm is authorised, what it is permitted to do and who its appointed representatives are.
- The medical register shows whether a doctor is registered, licensed and unrestricted.
- Care regulators publish inspection reports for private hospitals and clinics.
- PHIN publishes hospital and consultant activity, outcomes and fee information.
How it is paid
- All of these registers are free to search and need no account.
- None of them charges a firm for a better position — they are records, not rankings.
- A directory that charges companies to appear is advertising, not verification.
What it is regulated to do
- Authorisation means a firm is permitted to do specified business and must follow the rules — it is not a quality endorsement.
- An appointed representative is covered by another firm’s authorisation; the register shows which.
- A firm that is not on the register at all should not be arranging insurance for you.
Anyone arranging or advising on insurance in the UK must be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority or be an appointed representative of a firm that is, and you can check any firm or individual free of charge on the Financial Services Register. [1] The conduct rules that apply to insurance sit in the FCA’s insurance sourcebook. [2]
What protects you
- Checking the register before you pay is the single most effective step against a scam.
- If a firm’s details do not match the register entry, stop and contact the regulator.
- Keep a note of the firm reference number you checked and the date.
| The problem | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| An insurance sale, a policy decision or a declined claim | The firm’s complaints process first, then the Financial Ombudsman Service |
| A firm that has failed owing you money | The Financial Services Compensation Scheme |
| Care or safety at a hospital or clinic | The provider’s complaints process, then the health regulator for your nation |
| A doctor’s conduct or fitness to practise | The General Medical Council |
| Something we have published | Our own corrections route on the complaints page |
The Financial Ombudsman Service resolves complaints about regulated firms free of charge, [3] and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme can pay compensation where an authorised firm cannot. [4] Care regulators publish inspection reports for private hospitals as well as NHS ones, [5] and the medical register shows whether a doctor holds a licence to practise. [8]
Questions worth asking
- What is your firm reference number, so I can check the register?
- Are you authorised in your own right or an appointed representative?
- Which regulator inspects this hospital, and when was it last inspected?
- Where is your complaints procedure published?
Free and impartial guidance on any of this is available from MoneyHelper. [9] Private hospital and consultant performance and fee information is published by PHIN under the Competition and Markets Authority’s order. [6] [7]
Sources
- Financial Conduct Authority. The Financial Services Register. Continuously updated; checked 15 September 2026 (primary source)
- Financial Conduct Authority. Insurance: Conduct of Business Sourcebook (ICOBS). Continuously updated; checked 15 September 2026 (primary source)
- Financial Ombudsman Service. Financial Ombudsman Service. Continuously updated; checked 15 September 2026 (primary source)
- Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Continuously updated; checked 15 September 2026 (primary source)
- Care Quality Commission. Find and compare care services. Continuously updated; checked 15 September 2026 (primary source)
- Private Healthcare Information Network. Private hospital and consultant performance and fee information. Continuously updated; checked 15 September 2026 (primary source)
- Competition and Markets Authority. Private healthcare market investigation. Continuously updated; checked 15 September 2026 (primary source)
- General Medical Council. The medical register. Continuously updated; checked 15 September 2026 (primary source)
- MoneyHelper (Money and Pensions Service). MoneyHelper — free and impartial money guidance. Continuously updated; checked 15 September 2026 (primary source)