If you have concerns about how a rest home or other aged residential care facility is run, or are unhappy with the services you are receiving, you have the right to complain. The process to make a complaint is as follows:
Discuss your concerns with the manager
Talk to the manager of the care provider in the first instance. The manager will try to address any pressing issues or necessary actions, answer any questions you may have regarding the resident's admission agreement or private contract, and address any care-related concerns or complaints.
Talk to Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
If speaking with the care provider hasn’t resolved the issue, contact your older person’s service (also known as NASC or CCC) at your local Health NZ – ask for the Portfolio Manager. They can help with managing the complaint and may work with other specialists to gather further information before contacting you with their findings.
Find a contact for your older person service here.
Contact the Ministry of Health or Ministry for Disabled People
If you have concerns that have not been addressed, you can seek assistance from HealthCERT at the Ministry of Health, or Disability Support Services at Whaikaha Ministry for Disabled People. These organisations can help manage your complaint and provide information on the process. As part of their investigation, they may speak to Health NZ and/or the care service. HealthCERT can also carry out spot inspections. This may take some time however so may not be an immediate response.
Contact HealthCERT:
Email: certification@mohhealth.govt.nz
Phone: 0800 113 813
Contact Disability Support Services:
Email: complaints@whaikaha.govt.nz or dsscomplaints@health.govt.nz
Phone: 0800 373 664.
Turn to the Office of the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC)
If your issue is still unresolved, the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) will consider the issue and may investigate. HDC gathers information from various agencies when a complaint is received and may close it with comments or recommendations, refer it to other parties, or conduct a formal investigation in serious cases. However, investigations can take up to a year and may not provide immediate answers. Contact HDC by phoning 0800 11 22 33 or via their website www.hdc.org.nz.
Additional support
You can also contact the Nationwide Health & Disability Advocacy Service (Advocacy Service) to discuss your complaint: 0800 555 050 or go to the Advocacy Service website. The Advocacy Service provides free advocacy assistance to individuals receiving residential care. An advocate can help identify and address the issues at hand and provide support throughout the process of raising concerns with the care provider.
Have a complaint about service costs?
Complaints about costs of services can be taken to the Disputes Tribunal (formerly known as Small Claims Tribunal). The Disputes Tribunal usually has the same phone number as the District Court. Advice is available at How to take a claim to the Disputes Tribunal.
If possible, talk to your residential care provider or Health NZ first.
Updated: 3 Apr 2024