Making a complaint about residential care
There are different steps to take depending on your complaint, but tell the manager of the rest home or hospital first — they may be able to fix the problem.
Steps to making a complaint
- Check your Admission Agreement to find out the complaints process for your rest home or hospital.
- Set up a meeting with, or write to the manager to discuss your complaint. You can ask a health advocate to help you — they are there to give you information about your rights and the options open to you. They also support you to take the action you choose.
- If your complaint still hasn’t been resolved, contact the owner or provider of your rest home — the contact information should be in your Admission Agreement.
Other help with your complaint
Contact the following organisations for more specific help.
Complaining about care
If you’re concerned about the quality of your care, contact the Health and Disability Commissioner.
Health and Disability Commissioner — contact us
Complaining about services
If your complaint is about services the rest home must provide, contact Seniorline.
Phone: +64 9 375 4395
Freephone: 0800 725 463
Rest homes and hospitals — complaints
Complaining about costs or payments
If you have a financial issue, contact the Funding Manager of your local District Health Board (DHB).
