Everyone has the right to make a complaint about their experiences with a public mental health service in Victoria. You can choose to raise your concerns with the service directly or to contact the MHCC.
The MHCC is an independent specialist body established under the Mental Health Act . Our Commissioner and staff safeguard people’s rights, resolve complaints and recommend service and system improvements. Like all services that operate under the Act, we must uphold its mental health at all times.
Driven by lived experience, the MHCC works with consumers, families, carers, support people and mental health service staff to resolve people's complaints. We do this in ways that support people’s recovery and wellbeing and improve the safety and quality of mental health services for all.
The tree below, partly inspired by the MHCC’s logo, shows what we hope people's experience of the MHCC will be:
We also have developed a set of statements that describe the approaches and actions we are taking in each of our work areas to achieve the outcomes shown in the tree, and a strategy for 2020-2023. Find out more on our Driven by lived experience framework and strategy page.
Our functions under the Mental Health Act
The Mental Health Act gives the MHCC the following key functions (s 228):
- to accept, assess, manage and investigate complaints relating to public mental health services
- to endeavour to resolve complaints in a timely manner using formal and informal dispute resolution (including conciliation), as appropriate
- to provide advice on any matter relating to a complaint
- to make the procedure for making complaints in relation to services available and accessible, including publishing material about the complaints procedure
- to provide information, education and advice to services about their responsibilities in managing complaints
- to assist consumers and people acting on behalf of, or who have a genuine interest in the wellbeing of, consumers to resolve complaints directly with the service, either before or after the Commissioner accepts the complaint
- to assist services in improving policies and procedures for resolving complaints
- to identify, analyse and review quality, safety and other issues arising from complaints and to provide information and make recommendations for improvements to services, the Chief Psychiatrist, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (the DHHS), the Minister for Mental Health and other agencies as listed
- to investigate and report on any matter relating to services at the request of the Minister
Reviewed 09 April 2021