The latest annual report by the Health and Disability Commissioner highlights a continued rise in complaint numbers with ongoing concerns around access, communication and workforce shortages featuring in complaints about health and disability services.
In 2023/24 HDC received the highest number of complaints ever for a single year and over the past five years HDC has experienced a 52% increase in the number of complaints.
Commissioner Morag McDowell says although complaints to HDC reflect a small proportion of the interactions that occur in the health and disability system, they often highlight the issues people care most about.
“Currently, HDC complaints reflect concerns about access to care, inadequate communication in the context of delays and the impact of workforce shortages on the standard of care,” she says.
“In this environment, the Code remains vitally important. HDC is dedicated to ensuring the consumer voice is heard, that the health and disability system improves and that consumer rights are promoted and protected.”
HDC uses insights grounded in the lived experiences of people using health and disability services to support improved quality and safety through making recommendations, engaging with the sector to share intelligence and public and ministerial reporting.
In the past year HDC made over 800 recommendations in relation to individual complaints to improve care quality and published over 100 investigation reports to share lessons from complaints with providers. HDC’s recommendations continue to have a very high compliance rate of around 96%
Over the 2023/24 year HDC also shared important insights from complaints with other agencies to enable collaborative action on consumer rights issues. This included issues such as Emergency Department delays, the impact on disabled and older people of a lack of care being provided in Emergency Department waiting rooms and cancer care delays.
HDC released two important reports this year. The Aged Care Commissioner’s report, containing 20 recommendations to improve the quality of care provided to older people was published in March. In September we published a report outlining the themes in complaints about residential disability support providers and associated recommendations to improve the quality of the disability support system.
HDC’s journey to expand tikanga-led resolution of complaints continues. These processes support a culturally appropriate resolution for Māori whānau and assist providers to improve their cultural capability.
In response to the growing volume of complaints received by HDC, early resolution of complaints between provider and consumer remained a key focus over the year, with around 70% of complaints now resolved this way.
“Early resolution of complaints between complainant and provider, where appropriate, can result in the best outcome for everyone,” Ms McDowell says.
The Nationwide Advocacy Service, funded by HDC, plays a crucial role in helping people resolve complaints directly with their provider. They also promote the Code through community-level educational initiatives and carried out over 4000 community visits this year.
HDC’s Act and Code review public consultation received a record number of submissions throughout the year. These submissions will form the basis of HDC’s recommendations to the Minister on 20 December 2024. The review had a particular focus on communities that are under-represented in complaints, including Māori and disabled people | tāngata whaikaha.