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Who do I speak to?

If you’re not satisfied with your health service provider, it’s OK to raise your concerns with them directly. We ask you to do this before lodging a complaint with us. Speaking directly with your health service provider is often the quickest and easiest way to resolve complaints.

Complaints about care, treatment or billing by a hospital are usually managed by a complaint liaison officer or patient representative – ask the hospital for more information.

Complaints about health records are usually managed by an organisation's health records manager or Freedom of Information (FOI) officer.
Smaller health service providers may not employ a dedicated complaint liaison officer or health records manager, but still need to have someone in charge of handling complaints.

If you are unable to take your complaint to the health service provider directly, then ask us for help.

Tips for making a complaint yourself

If the issue is easy to explain, or caused only a minor inconvenience, try talking directly with the provider. If the issue is complex or serious, you should make your complaint in writing (Try our complaint letter template).

  • Be clear about what went wrong, who was involved and when it happened.
  • Be clear about what solution would satisfy you.
  • Ask for a response to be supplied in writing.
  • The provider should quickly acknowledge they have received your complaint.
  • Once your complaint has been acknowledged, allow the health provider with time to address your complaint. The health provider may take up to three months to respond.

If you are not satisfied with the provider's response, speak to us or lodge a complaint with us.

Anyone with concerns about a health service that is being provided can make a complaint. This includes health service consumers and their friends and family members, health service staff and volunteers, concerned community members and professional organisations. If no health service is actually being offered to anyone, there may be little we can do.

Carers can also complain about how they have been treated in their caring role.

Complaints can be made anonymously, but this does limit our ability to look into your issue and you will not receive updates on the progress of your complaint.

You cannot be dismissed, disciplined or disadvantaged in any other way, for making a complaint. You are also protected from legal actions such as defamation and civil liability.

If you are complaining for someone else, you should obtain their permission before lodging a complaint.

You can make a complaint to us about any health service provided in Victoria, or a health service that has been requested, even if not delivered. You can also make a complaint about anyone who holds your health records, including schools, gyms and other non-health service providers, about the way they handle your information.

We manage complaints about:

  • access to services
  • quality and safety
  • care and attention
  • respect, dignity and consideration
  • communication about treatment, options and costs
  • the level of involvement in health care decisions
  • access, privacy and confidentiality of personal health information
  • complaint handling by the health service provider.

You may complain about health service organisations such as a public or private hospitals, GP clinics or community health services, or about an individual health practitioner. You can complain to us about both registered and non-registered, or general, health service providers.

Registered health service providers

Registered providers include: doctors, dentists, nurses, surgeons, midwives, physiotherapists, chiropractors, psychologists, pharmacists, Chinese herbalists, occupational therapists, optometrists, osteopaths, podiatrists, paramedica, radiographers and Aboriginal health practitioners.

We often handle complaints about registered providers, however we may refer those involving professional conduct issues to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra). Ahpra works with the 15 National Boards to oversee registration and accreditation for each registered profession, so is best placed to handle some issues involving registered providers.

General health service providers are those not requiring AHPRA registration. They include audiologists, naturopaths, dieticians, speech pathologists, homeopaths, counsellors, massage therapists, doulas, alternative therapists and other providers of general health services.

All general health service providers in Victoria must comply with the general code of conduct. You may complain if you believe a general provider failed to meet their obligations in how they provided a service to you or another person, under this code. You may also complain about a practitioner who is not abiding by the conditions of a prohibition order we have placed on them.

Complaints can be valuable feedback for health service providers and sometimes lead to quality improvements for other service users.

If you come to us without trying to resolve the complaint yourself, we may only be able to provide advice on ways you could try to resolve the complaint yourself.

If we work with you and the provider to resolve your complaint through our voluntary process, outcomes can include:

  • an explanation about what happened and why
  • an apology
  • access to treatment
  • access or amendment to health records
  • a refund or compensation
  • a change in policy or practice to prevent future problems.

During the complaint resolution process, we remain impartial and do not take sides.

If you are unable to resolve a complaint yourself, lodge the complaint with us online, by phone or by mail.

Before you lodge your complaint, make sure you have:

  • the name, address and contact details of the health service provider or organisation you are complaining about
  • any relevant supporting documents, including:
    • your letter of complaint or email to the health service provider or organisation
    • their response to your complaint
    • other supporting documents such as letters, referrals, photos or invoices.
  • if you are complaining for someone else, you must obtain the consent of the person you are complaining for.

 

Where to lodge your complaint

Method
How to lodge
Online You can lodge a complaint online.
Phone Call 1300 582 113 between 9.30am and 3.00pm, Monday to Friday.
By mail Write to us at Level 26, 570 Bourke Street, Melbourne Victoria 3000. 
Help lodging your complaint For more information or for help filling in the online form, phone us on 1300 582 113 between 9.30am and 3.00pm, Monday to Friday.
Interpreter If you need an interpreter, call us via TIS National on 131 450.
National Relay Service If you are Deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired, contact us via the National Relay Service.