I am not happy with the service
This information is about what you can do if you are not happy with your service.
It has information on
- What you can do if you do not feel comfortable with a mental health worker
- What you can do if health workers are hard to understand
- Making a complaint
Mental health workers are people who work to help you with your mental health.
It is OK if you are not happy with your mental health worker.
There are things you can do.
It is important to be able to communicate to your health workers.
To communicate is how you understand and share your feelings or information.
Health workers need to listen to and understand you.
You need to understand them.
It can take time to communicate well with a mental health worker.
You may not feel like you can communicate with your mental health worker if
- You do not feel comfortable when you are with them
- You do not like them
- You do not think your mental health worker knows enough to help you
If you cannot communicate with your mental health worker it is OK to let them know.
If you cannot find a way to work together you can decide not to see them again.
It is OK to find another mental health worker.
To find another mental health worker
- Ask someone you trust to help you
There are many people you might trust.
For more information about who you might trust go to https://www.idmhconnect.health/
someone-trust
Some mental health workers can be hard to understand.
A mental health worker might use big words.
They might talk about things you do not understand.
It is important that you understand what your mental health worker is telling you.
If you do not understand what the mental health worker is saying let them know.
You can tell your mental health worker how you want information given to you.
You can ask them to write the information down.
You might also tell your mental health worker that you understand better using pictures.
You can ask for the information in simple words.
You can make a complaint if you have a problem with your mental health worker or service.
A complaint is when you let someone know you are not happy with someone.
All complaints are confidential.
Confidentiality means that information about you must not be shared with others unless you say that it is OK to share.
Anything you make a complaint about will be kept confidential unless there is a good reason to share information such as
- You say it is OK
- You or other people are in danger
- The law says they must
It does not cost anything to make a complaint.
You will not get in trouble for making a complaint.
You might make a complaint because you do not feel you are getting the right help.
You might also make a complaint because you are worried about the way the mental health workers treat you.
If it feels OK communicate with your mental health worker first.
It is OK if you do not want to communicate with your mental health worker.
You can complain to your mental health workers boss.
If you are not happy with what they say you can make a complaint to other people.
If it is a NSW Health hospital mental health service you can
- Complain to the hospital
- Contact the hospital complaints officer
The hospital complaints officer is a person who helps you to make a complaint.
- Make a complaint with the Health Care Complaints Commission.
The Health Care Complaints Commission is a government service that looks into complaints people make about their health care.
If you are not happy about a private mental health worker you can
- Let the boss of the service know
- Make a complaint with the Health Care Complaints Commission
You need to make a complaint to the Health Care Complaints Commission in writing.
If you need support to write a complaint you can ask someone you trust.
You can also ask the Health Care Complaints Commission for help.
To contact the Health Care Complaints Commission you can
- Call 1800 043 159
- Send a letter to
Health Care Complaints Commission
Locked Mail Bag 18
STRAWBERRY HILLS NSW 2012
- Email [email protected]
For more information about the Health Care Complaints Commission go to https://www.hccc.nsw.gov.au/
To find out more about making complaints go to https://www.3dn.unsw.edu.au/
sites/default/files/documents/
3DN_Complaints_MentalHealth_ERv1.pdf
There are some tricky words on this Easy Read page.
For more information about these words go to