April monthly reporting data shows that the Office of the Health Ombudsman (OHO) received more than twice as many health service complaints in April this year, than it did in April 2015.

Data for 2016 shows 525 health service complaints were made in April 2016, compared with just 249 complaints in April 2015.

Health Ombudsman Leon Atkinson-MacEwen said the past three months have been the OHO’s busiest in terms of complaints.

“The data suggests there’s been a considerable and sustained rise in the number of health service complaints made to my office since February this year,” Mr Atkinson-MacEwen said.

Mr Atkinson-MacEwen said he expected complaints to rise as more people become aware of the OHO.

“It’s important that people know they can lodge a complaint with my office if they have a bad experience with a health service or a health service provider.

“Most people don’t like to complain, but it’s important that they do because it helps us to identify areas for improvement and to stop similar problems from happening again.”

Meanwhile, the Health Ombudsman issued one show cause notice to a medical practitioner in April, as well as prohibition orders against an unregistered psychologist–for reasons relating to health and conduct–and an unregistered audiologist, for reasons relating to conduct and performance.

For more information, or to view the April performance report in full, visit www.oho.qld.gov.au.

Media contact:

media@oho.qld.gov.au 0427 483 656