How to "complain" about a service and get results.

When someone in your family or a friend encounter a difficulty in the course of an illness or permanent disability, your back-up may be critically important. 

Your role may be to help them through the often difficult pathways to the best management for their condition.

But more commonly, in these days of over stressed health systems, help may be required to get action about what can best be called a 'service difficulty'. This phrase is a good way to avoid the twitchy reaction that can be fired off by use of the word 'Complaint'. 

An approach inspired by an excellent document from the NSW Ombudsman Department highlights the importance of following the step by step line of approach in the following sequence:
 

1. Talk it over

Talk to another trusted person about the situation to check that your expectations of the system are reasonable. We all want the best for ill people but staff are human beings who get tired and may not be fully trained.

2. Approach staff

Next, where practical, approach the staff person involved with someone else in tow and after rehearsing the best way to report it. A phrase that has a negotiatory tone is much more likely to get the response required. It should be put in the 'I' sense such as "I’m concerned that such as such is happening “. This is much better than being more emotional and using such phrases as “This is disgraceful”—even when it is!

3. Talk to management

An unsatisfactory response should lead to taking a step up the ladder of authority—to whoever is in charge. Even more so now, there is strength in numbers so that the back-up person can report on the proceedings from a less stressed position than yours and help decide whether another step up is required. This type of approach also indicates that you know what you’re doing and are not likely to be bullied or fobbed off into retreating.

4. Record events

If things are still ‘out of hand’ it is wise to start recording the sequence and to put the details of the ‘service difficulty’ and the type of response that has occurred in writing. This is a delicate stage that needs to be factual and without emotional words as far as possible.

5. Make an official complaint

If things are still unsatisfactory, it is now time to use the official complaints mechanism of the organisation or system. This is where having kept a record is imperative. A well documented difficulty and the sequence of events is much more likely to be corrected than one that is hazy.

These days all organisations have official complaints proceedings and pathways. This includes individual General Practices who usually have a general document detailing the procedure required.

Good luck! Hopefully you won’t need this but if you do, knowing the ropes can make all the difference.    

Article by
AgedCarer contributor
Dr Murray Lloyd
Retired Consultant Geriatrician

Helpful resources

• Visit the NSW Ombudsman Department for help with complaints about a service.
  www.ombo.nsw.gov.au. Call 1800 451 524 outside Sydney or 02 9283 2911.
•  The NSW Ombudsman Dept document, "The rights stuff—tips for making complaints and solving problems” is superbly written and helpful; designed to make community as informed and independent as possible. 

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