Health Complaints Commissioner (HCC)

We are an independent and impartial statutory body that opened on 1 February, 2017 under the Health Complaints Act 2016. We support safe and ethical healthcare in Victoria by:

• resolving complaints about health services and the handling of health information in Victoria
• investigating providers who pose a serious risk to the health, safety or welfare of the public
• monitoring and reviewing trends in complaints data
• providing an accessible service and free alternative to legal proceedings
• educating consumers and providers about their rights and responsibilities.

We have around 40 staff, most of whom work directly on complaints resolution.

Our strategic plan, 2017 - 2020

Vision

‘We work with Victorians towards safe and ethical healthcare’

Values

Impartiality: We are fair and transparent in all we do.

Integrity: We provide services in a respectful and ethical manner.

Collaboration: We are inclusive and engaged in our approach.

Courage: We act with strength and are committed to our purpose.

Priorities and Success Statements

Data Integrity

Priority: Implement systems and processes to ensure comprehensive, reliable data that enables us to improve standards in the sector.

Success statement: We have robust and agile systems to support evidence-based decision making that Victorians can trust. We can proactively and reliably identify key trends to support planning and action.

Legislative Requirements

Priority: To comply with the requirements of the Health Complaints Act 2016 and Health Records Act 2001 and use these powers responsibly and impartially across all areas of our office.

Success statement: We have successfully implemented a practice protocol and complaint handling standards.

Communication

Priority: We are recognised in the Victorian community and our role is clearly understood.

Success statement: We have successfully implemented a targeted communications strategy focused on increased awareness of and access to our service by those who need it.

People

Priority: To create a sense of purpose where staff feel supported in a well-resourced and collaborative work environment.

Success statement: We have successfully implemented HCC staff engagement measures to improve our 2017 Job Satisfaction and Engagement Index ratings in the People Matter Survey.