Our safety and quality data
Why complaints MATTER
Compliments and complaints help us continually improve our services. By providing feedback about your experiences with our care, you can help us identify what we’re doing well and where we can do better. If you believe there is a problem, making a complaint makes sure we’re aware of it and can take steps to prevent it happening again
How to give FEEDBACK
If you are not comfortable giving feedback directly at the time of your treatment, you can provide feedback through our website at or by emailing or phoning your hospital and asking to speak to the Patient or Consumer Liaison service directly.
The Office of the Health Ombudsman (OHO) is Queensland’s health service complaints agency and is another avenue consumers have available to them should they wish to make a healthcare complaint.
The OHO is an independent statutory body and the place Queenslanders should go if they have a complaint about a health service provider or a health service provided to them, a family member or someone in their care that they are unable to resolve with the service provider directly. Complaints can be made to the OHO about both registered and unregistered health service providers or health service organisations.
The table represents the 2022-23 total number of Metro North-related complaints received by the OHO.
| Complaints received | 259 |
|---|---|
| 1. Assessment | 100 |
| 2. Take no further action (item includes requests for patient medical records/imaging only with no further action being required from Metro North) |
148 |
| 3. Local resolution | 0 |
| 4. Conciliation | 6 |
| 5. Investigation | 1 |
| 6. Referral to another organisation | 4 |
| 7. Referral to the Director of Proceedings or Conduct an inquiry | 0 |
- Assessment:
The assessment process will gather all relevant information needed from the complainant, the health service provider and any relevant experts to enable the OHO to make the right decision on how best to manage the complaint. - Take no further action:
Some complaints will not be taken further for a number of reasons. - Local resolution:
OHO works with the complainant and Metro North to facilitate meetings and other communication to resolve the complaint informally. - Conciliation:
When complaints are more complex, conciliation is an informal, confidential meeting process run by independent skilled conciliators. - Investigation:
Investigation involves a detailed examination of a complaint including gathering evidence and analysing the cause/s of an adverse health incident or healthcare issue. - Referral to another organisation:
A complaint can be referred to another organisation if the issue falls within another jurisdiction, better suited to managing the complaint. - Referral to the Director of Proceedings or Conduct of an inquiry:
The Health Ombudsman can refer a complaint to the Director of Proceedings. Generally, this is for serious complaints that may require legal review or referral to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT). The Director of Proceedings is a statutory position within the Office of the Health Ombudsman, responsible for independently assessing complaints and other matters from a legal standpoint and deciding whether to take them before the QCAT.