Health and Disability Commissioner Anthony Hill responds to Stuart McLennan's opinion article on Wednesday about the importance of the commissioner's independence.
Independence is central to my role. I reject any assertion that I am anything but independent.
Every complaint that is received by my office is carefully considered and any decision made arises from an unbiased assessment of the facts at issue.
Mr McLennan's focus on formal investigation numbers is unfortunate and misleading. Consistent with historical patterns, my office continues to receive in excess of 1400 complaints per year and at present has 82 formal investigations open.
The relevant legislation requires that complaints are resolved in a fair, simple, speedy and efficient manner.
There are a range of options available to the commissioner, one of which is formal investigation.
Resolution of a complaint is often more simply and efficiently achieved by other means. Even in the absence of formal investigation, considerable analysis is undertaken, including the consideration of expert clinical advice, and recommendations are often made.
One of the most critical parts of the work of my office is to follow up on such recommendations, allowing me to ensure that improvements have been made to services and a positive difference has been made for consumers. In 2010-11, 99% of providers complied with the recommendations made.
Complaint resolution is just one way in which my office protects and promotes the rights of consumers.
The Health and Disability Commissioner is also tasked with educating providers and the public.
While investigation reports published on the website are part of this, my educative function is much wider.
This year I have spoken to thousands of providers about their obligations under the Code of Rights and have widely shared the learnings from the cases.
Contrary to Mr McLennan's assertion, media interest in recent cases has been high.
The commission continues to encourage change in the sector, advocating for a more consumer-centred system that focuses on consumer engagement, seamless service and transparency, all within a culture that promotes quality improvement and appropriate accountability.
