Health Services Commissioner Annual Report 2000/2001

Review of the Act
During the year, the Minister released a Discussion Paper in relation to the reform of
the Act, importantly including:-
• increased functions and powers for the Commissioner;
• amendment to the role and functions of the Council;
• administrative changes to the processes under the Act;
• proposals and options for addressing complaints concerning unregistered
providers of health services, which are not otherwise currently dealt with
under the Act.
The Council was represented on the Working Party which assisted in the development
of the Discussion Paper. The Council assisted in the promotion and dissemination of
the Discussion Paper to ensure proper consultation throughout the community in
relation to the issues raised.
The Council undertook much work in preparing its own submission in relation to the
Discussion Paper, and we are pleased that the Council has had an opportunity to
discuss its submissions with representatives of the Department of Human Services.
At the time of this Report, we note that proposed reform legislation is being
developed. We are pleased that the Council has been consulted in relation to the
development of the amending legislation and are confident that the Health Services
(Conciliation and Review) Act 1987 will be strengthened and improved as a result.
Working with the Commissioner
The Council enjoys a strong working relationship with the Commissioner and her
staff. Over the past year, the Commissioner has again played an important role in
informing the community, consulting with the medical profession, and otherwise
promoting the work of her office. We believe that, as a result, the office of the
Commissioner is valued highly by the community, and is generally recognised as
ensuring a fair and transparent process for the handling of complaints within our
health system.
In particular, we note the strong work of the Commissioner in recent times dealing
with difficult issues raised from complaints about cosmetic surgery. We note the
active role taken by the Commissioner in promoting the need for greater
communication between health providers and consumers. A significant number of the
complaints received by the Health Services Commissioner relate to poor
communication between provider and patient.
Importantly, during the year, the Commissioner, with the assistance of the Council,
conducted a major conference in Melbourne. The Third National Health Care
Complaints Conference “Getting Better Together - Using Complaints to Improve the
Quality of our Health Services” was an important and successful event, with a large
number of significant papers and presentations. It was a worthwhile contribution to
the ongoing debate and development of complaint handling systems within the health
Health Services Commissioner Annual Report 2000/2001 7