Statutory Review

The Health and Disability Services (Complaints) Act 1995 (HaDSC Act) and Part 6 of the Disability Services Act 1993 (DS Act) are the legislative frameworks for offering our complaint resolution services to health and disability services consumers in Western Australia and Indian Ocean Territories.

The Minister for Health; Mental Health is required to carry out a review of, and report on, the operation and effectiveness of the HaDSC Act and Part 6 of the DS Act, under section 79 of the HaDSC Act.

During the statutory review, stakeholders had the opportunity to provide their input and present ideas to bring about change to the way complaints about health and disability services are managed in Western Australia. Stakeholders involved in the review included consumers, service providers, advocacy groups and government agencies. Feedback was collated and contributed to a report for WA Government, with recommendations to improve the effectiveness of our legislation, make our complaint resolution service more effective for the community, and strengthen the health sector.

A review committee with members representing consumers, and state and federal government agencies from the health and disability sectors provided guidance during the review and ensured the independence and transparency of the review and its findings.

The review report has been completed by HaDSCO and was presented to the Minister for Health; Mental Health in April of this year. Once reviewed by the Minister, the report will be publicly available.