1. Home
  2. Committees
  3. Current Parliament
  4. Health Care Complaints
Contact Print this page Reduce font size Increase font size

Review of the 1998 Report into "Unregistered Health Practitioners: The Adequacy and Appropriateness of Current Mechanisms for Resolving Complaints" (Inquiry)

This inquiry is a completed Parliamentary inquiry conducted by the Health Care Complaints Committee.

The Committee on the Health Care Complaints Commission is reviewing the 1998 report that it produced entitled "Unregistered Health Practitioners: The Adequacy and Appropriateness of Current Mechanisms for Resolving Complaints" in light of recent developments in other jurisdictions.

The following recommendations were made in the 1998 report:

1. That the Health Care Complaints Commission take a greater role in educating consumers about the Commission’s ability to investigate complaints about unregistered health practitioners through the production and dissemination of pamphlets and other information.

2. That the Department of Health and the Colleges support this initiative by encouraging the dissemination of such information through hospitals and Area Health Services.

3. That the Minister for Health consider providing the Health Care Complaints Commission with legislative power to refer matters which concern possible breaches of the Minister’s Acts to the Director General of Health.

4. That the Health Care Complaints Act be amended to create a power which allows the Health Care Complaints Commission to require health professional associations to establish uniform complaints handling and disciplinary mechanisms and grants the Commission power to monitor the functioning of these.

5. That the Minister for Health examine the feasibility of establishing umbrella legislation to cover unregistered health care practitioners which establishes a generic form of registration, generic complaint and disciplinary mechanisms, a uniform code of conduct, entry criteria agreed amongst the relevant professions and an Advisory Board to the Minister.

6. That the Minister for Health consider providing the Health Care Complaints Commission with a naming power similar to the one available to the Department of Fair Trading by s86A of the Fair Trading Act 1987.

7. That the Minister for Health consider either establishing or nominating a body with the power to issue court-enforceable orders to allow health consumers to obtain refunds through the Small Claims Tribunal from unregistered practitioners in circumstances where this body deems it appropriate after receiving recommendations from the HCCC.

The Committee established the review on 30 November 2005.

Unregistered Health Practitioners- The Adequacy and Appropriateness of Current Mechanisms for Resolving Complaints.pdf

Unregistered Health Practitioners - Discussion Paper.pdf

Timeline

Referred: 30 Nov 2005
    » Call for submissions: 12 Dec 2005
    » Submissions close: 17 Feb 2006
        » Final Report Published: 27 Sep 2006

Reports and Government Responses

No records of reports or government responses are available for this inquiry.

Hearings and Transcripts

No records of hearings or transcripts are available for this inquiry.

Submissions

The closing date for submissions was 17 February 2006

Contact Us

This is a completed inquiry. The contacts below are historical only.

Inquiry Terms of Reference

Resolution passed 30 November 2005, Minutes No 29

TERMS OF REFERENCE

The Committee on the Health Care Complaints Commission are currently reviewing their December 1998 Report, “Unregistered Health Practitioners: The Adequacy and Appropriateness of Current Mechanisms for Resolving Complaints”, in light of recent developments in other jurisdictions.


The Terms of Reference for the previous inquiry were:

    That the Committee examine the experience of consumers in dealing with unregistered health practitioners (including those practising in alternative health care fields) with a view to establishing:
(a) what complaint mechanisms exist for consumers;
      (b) whether these complaint mechanisms are effective;

      (c) whether there is scope for strengthening voluntary codes of
      behaviour or conduct;

      (d) whether the provisions in the Health Care Complaints Act
        1993 relating to unregistered health practitioners are
        appropriate or whether they need strengthening;

      (e) any other related matters.


    A copy of the previous Discussion Paper and Final Report are available from the NSW Parliament website www.parliament.nsw.gov.au or, alternatively, by contacting the Committee secretariat on (02) 9230 3011 or awatson@parliament.nsw.gov.au.

    The Committee invites written comment from interested organisations, groups and individuals. Submissions should be forwarded to:

    The Committee Manager
    Committee on the Health Care Complaints Commission
    Parliament House
    Macquarie Street
    Sydney NSW 2000.

    Alternatively, submissions can be emailed to awatson@parliament.nsw.gov.au or sent by FAX to 02 9230 3309

    The closing date for submissions is Friday 17 February 2006

    For further information contact Catherine Watson on (02) 9230 2036


    JEFF HUNTER MP
    Chairman



    Last modified 05/09/2007 12:24:07   :   Update this page