Message from the Commissioner

In this video, I want to update you on the work my office has been focused on recently to make it easier to complain and speak up about your experience. or the experience of someone you may be caring for using a public mental health service. Recently we developed a range of posters and postcards that are displayed throughout in-patient settings. These posters and postcards have been created to provide information about raising a complaint. The posters have QR codes that can be scanned which link to videos on the Mental Health Complaints Commissioner website. These posters also remind staff that it's okay for patients or their family and carers to talk about any aspects of the person's treatment with staff and encourage staff to listen and resolve problems.

The mental health complaints commissioner gains a lot of valuable insight and guidance from our Lived Experience Advisory Council. The council helped us design these posters including the language used. Our council is represented by people from all walks of life and experiences. The council has also helped us develop a range of accessible resources that explain the rights of people using the public mental health system. We have been promoting these through our social media sites. If you think these might be useful to you then you might want to follow us on Facebook or Instagram. If you search under 'MHCC,' you'll find our pages.

We've also been visiting inpatient settings and talking to staff and consumers about how things are right now. Mostly people spoke well about the service they were receiving. At the time, staff were all very interested in learning more about the work of the commissioner and how our resources can help them get better at handling complaints. We used these visits as an opportunity to talk about a tool that we have developed for services which helps them assess their own complaints culture and system. Overall, we've been busy promoting the importance of good communication and supporting consumers and service staff to talk to each other and remind staff to be open-minded and listen in a kind and compassionate way about how the person's treatment and experiences could be made better. If you would like to get more information then please contact the MHCC on 1-800-246-054 or visit our website mhcc.vic.gov.au. Thanks for listening.

Updated