Health and Disability Commissioner Act 1994

Miscellaneous provisions - Miscellaneous provisions

60: Duty to forward complaints

You could also call this:

"Send patient complaints to the Commissioner without opening them"

Illustration for Health and Disability Commissioner Act 1994

If you are in charge of a healthcare institution and you get a letter that seems to be from a patient, you must send it to the Commissioner or an advocate right away. You have to send the letter unopened, which means you cannot open it to read what is inside. This rule applies even if there are other laws that might say something different, and you can find more information about similar laws by looking at the Health and Disability Commissioner Act 1994 and other related laws like the one from 1975.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

This page was last updated on 6 August 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM334134.

Topics:

Health and wellbeing > Healthcare servicesRights and equality > Privacy

59: Procedure, or

"How the Commissioner investigates complaints and makes decisions"

61: Mediation conference, or

"A meeting to help resolve a complaint, where people talk and try to find a solution together."

Part 5Miscellaneous provisions
Miscellaneous provisions

60Duty to forward complaints

Notwithstanding any provision in any enactment, where any letter appearing to be written by or on behalf of any health consumer in any health care institution is addressed to the Commissioner or to an advocate, the person for the time being in charge of that institution shall immediately forward the letter, unopened, to the Commissioner or, as the case may require, that advocate.

Compare

1975 No 9 s 16