Joint project – Consumer health complaints

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission), the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) and the National Boards worked on a joint project to explore whether there are opportunities to improve the consumer experience of making a health complaint in Australia.

Final report - Working together to improve the consumer healthcare complaints experience 

The final report from the joint project between the Commission, Ahpra and the National Boards was published on 5 August 2024. 

Read Working together to improve the consumer healthcare complaints experience (187 KB, PDF).  

Links to project outcomes

The project has contributed to the following outcomes

• Checklist for practitioners handling feedback and complaints
• Tips for making a complaint page
• Healthcare complaints – where to make a complaint PDF (167 KB)
• Information about healthcare complaints - animation series

Background

The Commission and Ahpra initiated this work together because both agencies work across the health system using governance frameworks that support consultation with all jurisdictions. 

Consumer Health Complaints Reference Group

The Consumer Health Complaints Reference Group (the reference group) was established in 2021 by the Commission, Ahpra, and the National Boards to provide advice on the joint project, including on project processes, areas for further work and collaboration and stakeholder engagement. 

The reference group comprised representatives from health consumer organisations, Ahpra’s Community Advisory Council and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Strategy Group, professional associations and the National Boards. 

Recognising that Ahpra is one of many bodies managing consumer health complaints, we sought regular engagement with health complaints entities in each state and territory. There was also ongoing consultation with professional associations, professional indemnity insurers, health consumer organisations in each state and territory and also consumers with a lived experience of making a health complaint. 

Terms of reference

• Consumer Health Complaints Reference Group terms of reference (163KB, PDF), Word version (169 KB,DOCX)

Communiqués

• Communique of the Consumer Health Complaints Reference Group (128KB,PDF), Word version (167 KB,DOCX)