Anyone concerned about a South Australian health or community service can make a complaint.
This includes service consumers, their friends and family, carers, health or community service staff and volunteers.
Carers can also complain about how they have been treated in their caring role.
You cannot be dismissed, disciplined or disadvantaged, for making a complaint.
You are protected from legal actions such as defamation and civil liability.
You can complain about any health or community service provided in South Australia, or services
requested and not delivered.
You can also make a complaint about anyone who holds your health records, including schools,
gyms and other non-health service providers, about the way they handle your information.
We manage complaints about:
- access to services or refusal to provide services
- quality and safety
- care and attention
- services not completed on time
- respect, dignity and consideration
- abusive treatment, including physical, verbal, sexual
- inappropriate services (for example, if disability or cultural needs are not considered)
- inadequate or negligent services, or significant errors
- unclear or incomplete communication
- service recipients’ level of involvement in care or decisions
- access, privacy and confidentiality of personal information, including health information
- complaint handling by the health or community service provider.
Health service providers not required to be registered by the Australian Health Practitioner
Regulation Agency (Ahpra), must comply with the Code of Conduct for Certain Health Care
Workers (the Code of Conduct).
They include counsellors, massage therapists, paramedics, music therapists, doulas, beauty
therapists, naturopaths, alternative therapists and many others.
For details, read the Code of Conduct (PDF, 139.7 KB)
You can complain if you believe a provider failed to meet their obligations under the Code of
Conduct in their provision of services to you or another person.
You can also complain about a practitioner who is practicing despite a prohibition order we have
placed on them.
Complaints can provide valuable feedback for health and community service providers.
Quality improvements can help services improve, benefitting all consumers.
We work with consumers and providers to resolve complaints, and outcomes can include:
- an explanation about what happened and why
- an apology
- access to treatment
- access or amendment to health records
- a refund or compensation
- a change in policy or practice to prevent future problems.
If you are unable to resolve a complaint directly with the service provider, lodge an online complaint form.
If you are unable to use the online complaint form, you can contact us.
Phone Call 1800 232 007 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Mail Write to us at PO Box 199, Rundle Mall SA 5000.
Interpreter If you need an interpreter, call us via TIS National on 131 450.
National Relay Service If you are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired, contact us
via the National Relay Service (external site).
