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Talking with your provider

Resources to assist you in making a complaint to your health service provider.

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How to raise a complaint with your health service provider

Often, you can resolve your complaint by talking or writing to your health service provider.

  • Be clear about what went wrong, who was involved, and where and when it happened.
  • Tell them how you want the complaint resolved.
  • Ask them to provide you a written response and give them a deadline. A reasonable deadline is usually 21 days, unless your complaint is against a hospital or health facility. In that case, a reasonable deadline would be 35 days.
  • Call us if you are not satisfied with their response.

Contact us if it is too difficult or upsetting for you to contact the health service provider directly.

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Before contacting them

Have all the information ready.

  • What happened?
  • When was it?
  • Place/location
  • Who was involved?

What outcome are you seeking from them? For example:

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

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After contacting them

  • Keep copies of any documents relating to your complaint—including letters, emails and receipts
  • If you do not hear back from the provider after the deadline, or if you are unsatisfied with their response, contact us to make a complaint.

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Call your health service provider

To resolve your complaint over the phone, try to:

  • Plan what you are going to say
  • Ask to speak to the person who deals with complaints. If the person is not available, leave a message for them to call you back.
  • Ask them to provide you a written response within a reasonable timeframe.
  • Tell them to call the Office of the Health Ombudsman on 133 646 if they need assistance.

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Email your health service provider

Below is an example of a message sent to resolve a complaint by email.

Here, the sender 'Pat Williams' is complaining that his practitioner 'Dr Roberts' was running 90 minutes late for Pat's appointment. Pat is also annoyed that none of the other staff bothered to tell him that Dr Roberts was running late.

Sample complaint email

Hello

I am writing to complain about my recent appointment with Dr Roberts on 15 February 2020 at Sandy Hospital.

Reason for complaint

My appointment with Dr Roberts was scheduled for 10am, however Dr Roberts did not see me until 11.30am. This resulted in me having to cancel my other appointments later that day.

Further, none of your staff tried to contact me to let me know Dr Roberts was running so late. Had I known this, I might have been able to reschedule and attend my other appointments.

What outcome am I seeking?

Could you please tell me what is being done to ensure this type of thing doesn't happen in future? In particular, what is being done to ensure patients are adequately communicated with if a practitioner is running behind on their appointments?

I understand you may require some time to review my complaint and respond to it. You may wish to refer to the Office of the Health Ombudsman's complaint resolution resources for guidance How to resolve complaints and concerns.

I look forward to receiving a written response from you within 21 days.

Regards,
Pat Williams

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Write to your health service provider

Below is an example of a letter sent to resolve a complaint in writing.

In this example, the complainant 'Jane Smith' complains about the treatment her son 'Michael Smith' received at Country Medical Clinic on 1 December 2019. Jane is writing to the manager of the clinic. Jane does not know the manager's name or the name of the practitioners who treated Michael on 1 December 2019.

Sample complaint letter

Jane Smith

Jane's Address, City Postcode
Jane's phone number

1 January 2020

The Manager
Country Medical Clinic
Their Address, City Postcode


To the Manager

I am writing about my son Michael Smith, born 5 August 2019. Michael was a patient at your clinic on 1 December 2019.

Reason for complaint

Michael was given an expired dose of Infanrix vaccine during his appointment on 1 December 2019. This resulted in Michael developing a rash.

I discovered the mistake when reviewing Michael's Personal Health Book (Red Book). Michael required steroid cream to heal the rash.

What outcome am I seeking?

I request an explanation as to how this happened and an apology from those responsible. I also want to know what actions you have taken to ensure mistakes like this don't happen in future.

I understand you may require some time to review my complaint and respond to it. You may wish to refer to the Office of the Health Ombudsman's complaint resolution resources for guidance, which can be found on their website www.oho.qld.gov.au.

I look forward to receiving a written response from you within 21 days.

Regards,
Jane Smith

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