Service Charter

The Health and Disability Services Complaints Office (HaDSCO) Service Charter describes what you can expect from HaDSCO when you make a complaint, as well as the expectations we have of you in order to resolve your complaint.

Service Charter

When you make a complaint to HaDSCO, you can expect that we will be:

Supportive

• We will listen carefully to understand your complaint, and we will take your concerns seriously.

Flexible and accessible

• We will provide you with the assistance you need to make your complaint.
• We will do our best to find an approach to resolving your complaint that suits your circumstances.

Independent

• We will act independently at all times, without direction or favour towards any party.

Professional

• We will treat all parties with dignity and respect.
• All of your personal information will be kept secure and your privacy maintained.
• We will suggest the right place for you to take your complaint if we cannot help you.

Objective and honest

• We will assist the parties to a complaint to find a mutually agreeable resolution.
• We will admit if we make a mistake and take steps to correct it.

Timely

• We will resolve your complaint within our legislated time frames, and keep you updated on our progress.

When you make a complaint to HaDSCO, we expect the following from you:

• Unless your circumstances prevent you, attempt to resolve the matter directly with the service provider first.
• Treat our staff and the service provider with courtesy and respect.
• Let our staff know if you require assistance to make your complaint.
• Provide a completed complaint form to allow for your complaint to be assessed.
• Provide all the information requested by our staff in a timely manner.
• Notify us if there is any change in your circumstances or if you have raised your complaint with another organisation.
• Be willing and available to participate in the resolution process with HaDSCO and the service provider.
• Understand that while HaDSCO will work with you and the service provider to reach resolution, we cannot guarantee a certain outcome from your complaint.

We also expect the following from service providers who are the subject of a complaint:

• Treat our staff and the individual making the complaint with courtesy and respect.
• Provide all the information requested by our staff in a timely manner.
• Be willing and available to participate in the resolution process with HaDSCO and the individual who has made the complaint.
• Offer redress where appropriate to the individual who has made a complaint.
• See complaints as an opportunity to improve service delivery.
• Implement any recommendations for improvements to service delivery or complaint handling that result from the resolution process.

If you are not happy with the service you received from HaDSCO, or the way your health service complaint has been managed, please let us know by using our Feedback Form. You can also let us know your concerns by phone, email, or post.

• You can request an internal review of your health service complaint management if there is a specific dispute about the processes applied, or decision/s made.
• The internal review is conducted by a senior officer who was not involved in the decision-making process for the original complaint outcome.
• A request for an internal review must be submitted in writing within six months of the date of the original decision.
• We aim to address your complaint within 15 business days from when the complaint was received. If there is a further delay due to the complexity of your feedback, we will let you know.
• If your concerns remain unresolved following HaDSCO’s internal review process, you can contact the Ombudsman Western Australia to request an external review.
• It is against the law to threaten or dismiss, discipline, disadvantage or subject anyone to any detriment for making or intending to make a complaint.

What we cannot do

We are committed to helping health consumers in Western Australia and the Indian Ocean Territories with safe and ethical health care provision but there are some things we cannot do:

We cannot:

• force health service providers to take part in the complaint resolution process,
• always get agreement on the outcome a complainant wants,
• discipline practitioners registered by a National Board with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra),
• act as an advocate, or take sides for one party or another,
• provide legal advice or operate outside the legislation that governs us.

There are also some issues we can't help you with, such as complaints about:

• the contents of a medical report
• Medicare or health insurance
• orders made by the Mental Health Tribunal
• orders made by the Guardianship and Administration Board
• health services received in another state or territory.

Other organisations are available to look into issues which we cannot deal with or they may be more suitable.