The Office of the Health Ombudsman (OHO) is an independent body established under the Health Ombudsman Act 2013 that provides a single point of entry for all health service complaints and notifications in Queensland, including registered and unregistered health practitioners, health services and facilities. The OHO operates in a co-regulatory model with the Australian Health Practitioner Agency (Ahpra) when dealing with complaints and notifications about registered health practitioners. The OHO is required to provide a transparent, accountable and fair system for effectively dealing with complaints and other healthcare matters in a timely manner, with the following key objectives: • to protect the health and safety of the public; • to promote professional, safe and competent practice by health practitioners and high standards in health service delivery by health service organisations; and • to maintain public confidence in the management of complaints and other matters relating to the provision of health services.
