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 info@pfhcare.com.au. Or use the form at the bottom of this page and say in the message that it's feedback or a complaint.

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.

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.

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. Two independent bodies exist for exactly this, both free, and you can go to either 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.

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.