Making a Complaint about a Health Service
What health services can you complain about?
You can complain about anyone who claims to provide a health service, public or private including (but not limited to):
- Hospitals
- Medical specialists
- General practitioners
- Dentists
- Chiropractors
- Ambulance services
- Prison health services
- Alternative health care services
- Social workers in a health setting
- Physiotherapists
- Psychologists
- Nurses
- Podiatrists
- Mental health services
If you are not sure if we can deal with your complaint please contact our office and we can answer your queries before lodging your complaint. Staff are available to assist you in completing the complaint form.
Who can make a complaint?
A complaint can be made by:
- A user of a health service
- A relative or representative of the user of a health service
- A provider of a health service on behalf of a user about a health service provided by another provider, or
- A carer, about a failure to comply with the Carers Charter as set out in the Carers Recognition Act 2004.
What may be included in a complaint about a health service?
The following is a guide to what types of complaints we can accept. Complaints that allege one or more of the following:
- A public provider has acted unreasonably by not providing a health service;
- A provider has acted unreasonably in the manner of providing a health service;
- A provider has acted unreasonably in providing a health service for the user;
- A provider has acted unreasonably by denying or restricting the user's access to records kept by the provider;
- A provider has acted unreasonably in disclosing or using the user's health records or confidential information about the user;
- A manager has acted unreasonably by not properly investigating the complaint, or not taking proper action on the complaint; and
- A provider has acted unreasonably by charging an excessive fee or otherwise acted unreasonably in relation to a fee.
- A provider that is an applicable organisation as defined in section 4 of the Carers Recognition Act 2004 has failed to comply with the Carers Charter as defined in that section.
Time Limit
Health complaints must be made within 12 months of the date the service being complained about was provided. Some discretion exists if there is a good reason for the delay.
What can't we accept complaints about?
Complaints commonly received that we cannot accept include:
- Environmental health complaints – contact your local council, the Department of Environment or the Department of Health.
- Complaints about the quality or preparation of food – contact the local council in that area.
Submit a Complaint
Click here for information on submitting a complaint to our office.
