✨ Health Service Standards
19 DECEMBER NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE 4205
information to enable them to carry out their role as an advocate. The General Practitioner will co-operate with Maori advocates in a complaint resolution process for consumers who require this service.
B5.4 Complaints Procedure
The General Practitioner will enable consumers/families/whanau and other people to make complaints through a procedure for the identification and management of complaints. This procedure will meet the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights requirements and will also ensure that:
a) the complaints procedure itself is made known to and is easily understandable by consumers;
b) the parties have the right to be heard;
c) the person handling the complaint acts fairly;
d) complaints are addressed at the level appropriate to the complexity or gravity of the complaint;
e) any appropriate action required following a complaint is undertaken;
f) the complaints procedure sets out the various appropriate complaints bodies to whom complaints may be made, and the process for doing so. Consumers will further be advised of their right to direct their complaint to the Health and Disability Commissioner, particularly in the event of non-resolution of a complaint;
g) complaints are handled sensitively, with due consideration of cultural or other values;
h) there is co-operation with Maori consumers and their whanau so they have access to a Maori advocate to support them during the complaint process;
i) consumers who complain, or on whose behalf families/whanau complain, shall continue to receive services which meet all contractual requirements except for those situations that relate to discontinuing non-emergency services due to a consumer’s non-payment history or other exceptional circumstances under which the relationship with the General Practitioner is compromised (in this instance the consumer should be referred to Clause B5.4 (f) above).
B5.5 The General Practitioner will take account of the Ministry of Health strategy to provide services to respond to the needs of government priority groups including Maori and Pacific peoples.
B5.6 The General Practitioner will provide assurance that ethical approval is obtained from an accredited ethics committee in advance of any research or innovative procedures or treatments involving consumers.
B6 Entry to Services
B6.1 The General Practitioner will ensure that access and eligibility criteria are met in providing services to consumers and that adequate and accurate information about services, including after-hours services as applicable, is available to referrers and patients to facilitate access to services.
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Online Sources for this page:
VUW Te Waharoa —
NZ Gazette 2001, No 172
Gazette.govt.nz —
NZ Gazette 2001, No 172
✨ LLM interpretation of page content
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Amendment to Patient Benefits and Subsidies for General Practitioners
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🏥 Health & Social WelfarePatient Benefits, Subsidies, General Practitioners, District Health Boards, New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000, Quality Standards, Safety, Treatment, Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, Quality Improvement, Patient Satisfaction, Risk Management, Infection Control, Health and Safety, Security, Maori Health, Cultural Competency, Consumer Rights