If you are happy with the treatment you received or something or someone has impressed you, we invite you to share this with the health service.

You may lodge a compliment over the phone or in writing to the Complaints Coordinator of the health service. They will ensure that your feedback is documented on the Queensland Health database and that it is shared with the staff or service involved in your care.

Queensland Health strives to document and act on the positive aspects of your journey so that these services and actions may be enhanced and encouraged.

Sometimes, for many reasons, things don’t go as planned. If this happens, you have a right to complain and have your complaint heard and acted on.

A complaint can be made in person, over the telephone, or in writing.

Anybody can make a complaint about any service offered by Queensland Health. In some circumstances a relative, carer or friend of a consumer may make a complaint. A compliant can also be made by a consumer group or advocate.

Children can also make complaints if they are assessed by the health service as having a sufficient level of maturity and understanding. If the child is considered to lack the capacity to make a complaint a parent or legal guardian can make the complaint on the child's behalf.

If you have a complaint or concern there are some steps you can take which will help us help you.

• Act quickly - Please tell us about the issue as soon as possible. The longer you wait the less clear the facts become and the harder it can be to find a solution.
• Go local first - Complaints do not have to be in writing. We encourage you to talk to the Nurse Manager, doctor or health professional of the area. This if often the easiest and quickest way to resolve the problem.
• Make a formal complaint - If you do not wish to talk about your concerns with local staff or they have not been able to address your concerns, you can make a formal complaint with a Complaints Coordinator at the health service. They can help you to navigate your complaint through the complaint management process and assist you in resolving the issue.
• Make it clear - Set out the order which things happened, preferably with dates, and descriptions of the incident/s, phone calls, letters or meetings and let us know the action you would like us to take.

You can contact a Complaints Coordinator to make a formal complaint. Every district has a Complaints Coordinator who can assist you with your concerns. You may also contact a Complaints Coordinator if you wish to discuss an issue and do not wish to make a formal complaint. Complaints Coordinators can be contacted through the general switchboard at your local Queensland Health facility.

Alternatively, you may also use the Complaints Form to lodge a complaint and this will be dealt with by your nearest Complaints Coordinator. Please note that the Complaints Coordinator may need to be in touch with you so you need to list as many up to date contact details as possible when submitting your form.

Your local Complaints Coordinator can organise additional assistance such as:

• interpreter and translating services
• indigenous liaison officer

• Your complaint will be dealt with in a confidential manner and will only be discussed with the people directly involved. Consumers are treated respectfully and with consideration to privacy, religion and cultural background.
• Your complaint will be immediately referred to a Complaints Coordinator for preliminary assessment under the relevant procedures. You will receive an acknowledgement of your complaint within five working days of lodging it.
• The Complaints Coordinator will gather information to make a decision about the best way to deal with the issue/s. They will then contact you with the best options for dealing with the complaint and explain what will happen next. In most cases, the complaint will be referred to the health service to be resolved directly with you. In other cases the complaint will be referred to another agency or dealt with by mediation or investigation.
• Your complaint will be dealt with as quickly as possible and the Complaints Coordinator will keep you informed about progress. We will take into account your special needs, if any, which are relevant to the resolution of the complaint.
• We will consider how your complaint can be used to improve Queensland Health services. Your complaint may help prevent the same issue occurring to someone else in the future.
• We will advise you of any action taken regarding your complaint.
• Your complaint will not be kept on your medical record.

If you have exhausted your options for lodging a complaint within Queensland Health and your complaint has not been resolved to your satisfaction, you may wish to contact the Health Quality and Complaints Commission. The Health Quality and Complaints Commission is an independent organisation that reviews and investigates health complaints.

Telephone: 1800 077308
Email:  info@hqcc.qld.gov.au
Health Quality and Complaints Commission Website