Feedback

At Hunter Primary Care our focus is on you.

We believe everyone has the right to provide feedback about our services and actions. Feedback can play an important role in helping us review our services to ensure that we continue to deliver services that meet your needs. This includes positive feedback and compliments about the things we have done well; but we also understand that sometimes things can go wrong and you may be disappointed. In this case, it is important that we identify, investigate and address the cause and issues that arise.

Hunter Primary Care is committed to ensuring that we provide patients and clients, family members, friends or carers and external stakeholders with readily accessible feedback methods.

How to give feedback or make a complaint

You can provide feedback or make a complaint in several ways:

• Complete our online feedback form
• Send an email to: communication@hunterprimarycare.com.au
• Making a telephone call to the relevant staff member or their Manager via our general line (02) 4925 2259 or via their direct number
• Provide written feedback by post to:

Hunter Primary Care
PO Box 572
Newcastle NSW 2300

• Fax written feedback to (02) 4925 2268
• Requesting a face-to-face meeting the staff member or Manager of the relevant Hunter Primary Care service at one of our offices

The following services can assist with making a call to us: 

• Translating and Interpreter Service (TIS) for non-English speakers 131 450
• TTY service 133 677 
• National Relay Service Speak and Listen (if you are deaf, have a hearing impairment or speech impairment) 1300 555 727  

You can also provide feedback at any time as part of any conversation or appointment with any member of Hunter Primary Care staff. 

If you are making a complaint, please provide as best you can, specific details of the incident, events or behaviour that you are concerned about. This will assist us to understand and address your complaint as efficiently as possible. 

What happens once feedback is provided?

Upon receiving feedback, Hunter Primary Care will acknowledge this within 5 days, either verbally or in writing.

If you have made a complaint, we will explain our complaints management process and the person responsible. We do our best to resolve complaints in 35 days. If we are unable to resolve an issue within 35 days, we will contact you to explain why.

Our Feedback Policy provides more detail about how Hunter Primary Care will receive, capture and respond to feedback (including complaints).

Seeking independent advice?

If you have a complaint that you feel has not been satisfactorily resolved, you can escalate this to one of the authorities listed below:

• NSW Health Care Complaints Commission 
  • Make a complaint online at https://ecomplaints.hccc.nsw.gov.au 
  • Email hccc@hccc.nsw.gov.au  
  • Telephone (02) 9219 7444 
  • Call Toll Free in NSW 1800 043 159 
  • TTY service for the hearing impaired (02) 9219 7555 
  • Use National Relay Service on and ask for 1800 043 159 
  • For a language other than English, contact Translating and Interpreter Service (TIS) call 131 450 
  • Fax (02) 9281 4585 
  • Address Level 13, 323 Castlereagh Street (corner of Hay St) Sydney NSW 2000 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm) 
  • Post to Locked Mail Bag 18 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 

• NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (for matters relating to HPC’s NDIS services) 
  • Make a complaint online using the complaint contact form from https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/about/complaints  
  • Telephone 1800 035 544 (free call from landlines). Interpreters can be arranged. 
  • Use TTY on 133 677 
  • Use National Relay Service (opens a new window) and ask for 1800 035 544 
  • Use an interpreter.