Complaints

Page content: Overview | The SRS Complaints Management System

Overview

Residents are entitled to comment about the provision of health services, which includes the right to make complaints.

The Residential Statement, given to each resident when they are admitted to the facility, will outline the specific complaint procedures applicable at the facility.

There are several options available to make a complaint:

Discuss concerns or complaints with the SRS proprietor or manager

All SRS facilities are required to have a complaints process in place and all complaints have to be recorded along with the response to the complaint.

Where possible complaints or concerns should be raised with the proprietor or manager in the first instance.

Contact the Department of Health

Authorised Officers visit SRSs on a regular basis and are responsible for monitoring SRS compliance with the relevant Act and regulations.

If you have a concern or complaint about the services you or a relative is receiving at an SRS or the way in which the SRS where you or your relative is living is being operated, you can contact an Authorised Officer at the Department of Human Services regional office (see Contacts for a list of contact phone numbers).

When a complaint is received by the Department, the Authorised Officer will listen to your complaint and action taken may include any or all of the following;

• Telephone discussion
• Inspection of the service and possibly conduct a full audit
• Discussion with persons at the service who may be able to provide information about the complaint
• Formal interview with persons involved in the matter.

If non-compliance issues are identified, the Authorised Officer may develop an Action Plan as a monitoring process to ensure the proprietor addresses any non-compliance matters.

Not all complaints are investigated. For example, a complaint about the fees of an SRS is not a regulatory matter, but rather a business matter for discussion between the resident (or their representative) and proprietor.

The Authorised Officer will keep you informed of the type of response and the outcome of the complaint investigation.

The Authorised Officer is able to discuss with you what is reasonable and not reasonable to expect of an SRS according to the Act and Regulations.

Contact a Community Visitor

The Community Visitors Program (CVP) is part of the Office of the Public Advocate, which is an independent statutory body.

Community Visitors are trained volunteer community representatives who visit SRSs on a regular basis to enquire about the adequacy of care and standards of the facility.

Any concerns they have will then be raised with the proprietor and/or relevant government department. If you have a concern or complaint about the SRS where you or your relative is living, you may contact the Community Visitor Program directly or ask the manager or proprietor of the SRS to contact them for you. SRSs are required to contact the CVP at your request.

Contact the Health Services Commissioner

The Health Services Commissioner may be contacted if there is a complaint about a health service.

The SRS Complaints Management System

The Department has developed a complaints handling policy in relation to dealing with complaints received about SRSs which provides details about how the system works and what people can expect when they lodge a complaint with the Department.

You can view or download this policy document below:

Supported Residential Services Complaints Management Guidelines and Procedures (494kb, pdf)

top of page