are there any good savings accounts out there?

If you are willing to take a small risk have a look at www.zopa.com

Yes, shop around. There are many search websites out there that can tell you the best rate e.g. moneysupermarket.co.uk or moneyextra.com to name a few.

The thing about ISA is that they often give you a fixed rate for a period (usually a year) and then they drop the rate. You can move your ISAs (but don't withdraw the cash as you won't be able to put it back in and get your tax free allowance) to another bank. I think Lloyds were offering a good fixed rate (a few months ago) so it's worth checking out and keeping an eye on the situation.

You also have to think about whether you need access to the money and how you want to access it. If you want to stick with HSBC they have online saving accounts and fixed rate bonds (but there is a penalty for withdrawing from a fixed rate bond). More details under saving at www.hsbc.co.uk

The final point is ISAs are the best if you pay the higher rate of tax, they are slightly less beneficial if you just pay the basic rate of tax

ING always gives higher interest rate. It's a virtual bank, they don't have to pay employees, rent, overhead expenses so that's why they're able to offer these kind of savings.

www.bankrate.com I believe can help you. They track interest rates for different financial products across the country.