Feedback and complaints

How to raise something

Three ways, and none of them is better than the others. Call 1800 434 002 during office hours, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. Email feedback@pfhcare.com.au. Or use the form at the bottom of this page.

That email address goes to the people who handle feedback and complaints, rather than to the general enquiry inbox where it would sit behind new referrals.

You can also tell your care coordinator or the carer who visits you, and they'll pass it on. Some people find that easier than ringing an office, and some people would much rather not raise it with the carer's face in front of them. Both are fine.

You don't have to be the client. Family members, friends, representatives, advocates and health professionals can all raise something on someone's behalf. If you'd rather not give your name, say so; an anonymous complaint is harder to follow up because we can't come back to you with questions, but it still gets looked at.

If English isn't your first language

Call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 and ask them to call People First Healthcare on 1800 434 002. An interpreter joins the call and it costs you nothing. You can also ask for an interpreter when you make the complaint and we will arrange one for the follow-up conversations, so you are not relying on a family member to translate a complaint about their own parent's care.

If you are deaf, or have a hearing or speech impairment, use the National Relay Service: TTY 133 677, or Speak and Listen 1300 555 727, then ask for 1800 434 002. Every relay option is listed at accesshub.gov.au.

Both services also work for the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, OPAN and My Aged Care, not only for us.

What happens then

It goes to a person, not a queue. Someone reads it, works out what happened and comes back to you. We'll tell you what we found, what we're doing about it, and if we got it wrong we'll say that rather than explain it away.

Where a complaint concerns a specific carer or a specific visit, it gets looked into properly rather than smoothed over on the phone. Where it's about something structural, like visit times slipping or the wrong service being scheduled, the fix is usually to the roster or the care plan, and we'll confirm the change with you rather than assume you noticed.

Raising a complaint doesn't put your services at risk. That worry is the single most common reason people say nothing, particularly where an older person depends on the visits and doesn't want to make trouble. It's the wrong worry. Nothing about your care changes because you told us something wasn't working.

How long it takes

Timeframes exist so you know when to chase us, so here they are.

• Acknowledgement, within 2 business days. You'll hear that we have it, who is handling it and how to reach them. That is a real person's name, not a reference number.
• An outcome, within 28 calendar days. What we found, what we're doing and what changes as a result.
• If it will take longer than 28 days, we'll tell you why before that deadline passes, give you a date, and update you at least every 14 days until it's closed.
• Anything involving someone's immediate safety is not queued. It's acted on the day it's received, and the written follow-up comes afterwards.

If a deadline passes and you've heard nothing, that's our failure rather than yours to manage. Call 1800 434 002 and ask for the complaints handler by name, or go straight to the Commission below. You don't have to wait for us to finish before you do that.

Compliments count too

Most of what arrives here is a complaint, because that's what people write in about. If a carer has been good to you, say that as well. It gets passed to them and to their coordinator, and it tells us what to look for when we hire.

If we don't get it right

You're not stuck with our answer. Three independent places exist for exactly this, all free, and you can go to any of them at any point. You don't have to come to us first, and you don't need our permission.

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

The Commission handles complaints about aged care services, including Support at Home and in-home care. It can look into a complaint whether or not you've raised it with the provider, and it can act where a service isn't meeting the standards it's required to meet.

Phone 1800 951 822, or go to agedcarequality.gov.au.

Older Persons Advocacy Network

OPAN provides free, independent and confidential advocacy for older people receiving aged care services, and for their families. An advocate can explain your rights, help you work out what to say, and sit with you while you say it. They don't work for us and they don't work for the government's aged care side.

Phone 1800 700 600, or go to opan.org.au.

My Aged Care

My Aged Care is the government's front door for aged care. It's the right call if your question is about the package itself rather than about us: what you've been assessed for, what your budget covers, how to change providers, or how to be reassessed if your needs have changed. They can also point you to the right complaints body if you aren't sure which one you want.

Phone 1800 200 422, or go to myagedcare.gov.au.

Other things you might be looking for

• Contact us — general enquiries and new referrals.
• Careers — expressions of interest for support work, nursing and allied health roles.
• Privacy policy — how we handle personal information, and how to complain about that specifically.