Territory Stories

A guide to complaints resolution

Details:

Title

A guide to complaints resolution

Collection

Health and Community Services Complaints Commission annual report; Reports; PublicationNT

Date

2016

Description

Made available via the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT).

Language

English

Subject

Northern Territory. Health and Community Services Complaints Commission -- Periodicals; Health facilities -- Northern Territory -- Complaints against -- Periodicals; Patient advocacy -- Northern Territory -- Periodicals

Publisher name

Health and Community Services Complaints Commission

Place of publication

Darwin

File type

application/pdf.

Copyright owner

Check within Publication or with content Publisher.

Parent handle

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/266755

Citation address

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/448295

Page content

10 Health and Community Services Complaints Commission THE COMPLAINT SYSTEM IS CONFIDENTIAL In a confidential complaints resolution system, the service maintains the privacy and confidentiality of all those involved in a complaint. All records of complaints will be stored securely, separate from any other records stored relating to the service user. PRINCIPLE 4: Staff: Staff respect the confidentiality of service users and other staff. They discuss a complaint only when they need to do so to deal with the complaint. Service Users: Service users are told that their complaint is confidential, and will be discussed only with staff related to the complaint. In some circumstances, for example in day programs where service users know each other and have daily contact with staff, service users might be asked not to talk about their complaint with all the other people using the program. Shelley is receiving case management from ZED health services. She complained to the team leader that she was not involved in the development of her rehabilitation plan. Shelley has made several complaints about staff, and the team leader thinks that there might be a possibility that these complaints are linked to some mental health problems Shelley is experiencing. ZED health services complaints policy stresses the importance of user confidentiality. It states that complaint files are physically maintained separately from case files. It also says that staff must consider a complaint separately from any knowledge they might have of the service user. Despite her concerns, the team leader investigates the complaint on its merits. She finds that Shelley was not involved in the development of her plan as she should have been. The outcome of Shelleys complaint is a change in processes to ensure that all service users are involved in planning.