Aged Care Commissioner

The Aged Care Commissioner advocates for quality health and disability services on behalf of older people and their whānau wherever and whenever they need it – in their homes, primary care, community care, aged residential care or public/private hospitals.

The Aged Care Commissioner provides oversight of the aged-care sector, giving older people and their whānau more confidence in the quality and safety of aged-care services.

Being able to access safe, quality health care is not only essential to older people’s wellbeing, but is a fundamental right, protected by the Code.

The Aged Care Commissioner makes statutory decisions on complaints and formal investigations into older people’s health and disability services, to protect their rights under the Code.

Role and responsibilities of the Aged Care Commissioner

• Advocates for quality health and disability services for older people and their whānau.
• Provides strategic oversight and leadership to drive quality improvement in the sector.
• Monitors the responsiveness of the health and disability system to the needs of older people.
• Analyses emerging issues and reports on improvements in health and disability services for older people..
• Supports the Government’s commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The Aged Care Commissioner does not have responsibility for issues such as family violence (eg, elder abuse), housing, or retirement income, but does work with agencies who are involved in this work to ensure that older people have access to support.

The Aged Care Commissioner is supported by a team within HDC. Having a dedicated team whose focus is, not just on complaints, but also on advising, championing and monitoring improvement in health and disability services enables a vital contribution to better outcomes for older people.

Read more about the aged care team here.