Are you in the right place?
Make sure you check before lodging your complaint that we are the right people to help you. Health professional councils protect the health and safety of the NSW public, by ensuring registered health practitioners are fit to practice and in accordance with proper professional standards.
If you are a health practitioner, employer or education provider reporting notifiable conduct (mandatory reporting) or a statutory offence, do not fill in our complaint form. Please contact the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) on 1300 419 495 or go to the AHPRA website:
Complaints that councils don’t deal with:
- for complaints about organisations that provide health services in NSW such as a hospital or clinic, contact the Health Care Complaints Commission
- for complaints about registered health practitioners or students in states other than NSW, contact AHPRA
- for complaints about unregistered health practitioners contact the Health Care Complaints Commission
- for customer service or consumer complaints about issues such as requests for refunds or queries regarding billing, contact NSW Fair Trading.
Please also note councils cannot order financial compensation to be paid to complainants. If you wish to take civil action/seek compensation from a NSW health practitioner, you should seek legal advice from a private solicitor.
Are you making a complaint on behalf of someone else?
You need a signed consent form. Here’s how
You will need to provide us with a signed consent form from the person you are making a complaint on behalf of. We need this so that the Health Care Complaints Commission can access material such as medical records and provide it to the relevant council when they investigate the complaint.
1. Please download and complete this consent form.
2. Arrange for it to be signed by the person you are making the complaint for.
3. Attach it as a supporting document to the online complaint form.
Anonymous complaints
You can make an anonymous complaint, but if you do, a council's ability to properly investigate the complaint or take action may be very limited. We encourage you to talk to us about your concerns and what is involved before you decide to make an anonymous complaint.
How to fill in the online complaint form
The online complaint form must be completed and submitted at one time. It cannot be saved and completed at later time. If you prefer you can complete a PDF version of our complaint form if you prefer to submit it by email. Please contact us on 1300 197 177 if you would like discuss your concerns before making a complaint.
Before submitting the form, we suggest that you:
- include as much information as possible
- attach copies of supporting documents or information.
Privacy statement
The council managing your complaint will provide a copy of your complaint to the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC). In most instances the HCCC will seek an initial response from the health practitioner or student you have identified. The council will then consult with the HCCC to decide which agency should manage the matter.
The Council will not disclose any information provided by you other than in carrying out its functions under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (NSW). Please refer to the privacy statement on our website.