Sometimes you may not be satisfied with how the person you care for is treated by others. You may be unhappy with a service or the person providing the service. If this is the case, you can make a complaint for the person you care for.

How to complain

You can complain directly to the service provider. The first step is usually to make an ‘informal’ complaint by just talking to the provider or contacting them by letter, phone or email.

It is a good idea to start with an informal complaint because issues can often be solved quickly and easily.

Advocacy means that you speak up for someone. You may need to advocate for the person you care for to:

• make sure they get information, services or resources
• protect their rights
• make sure they are treated respectfully and professionally by services and staff
• make sure they are not discriminated against

How to advocate for someone

You can advocate in person, for example by speaking up during a medical appointment, or by phone, email or letter.

To advocate effectively, it helps to:

For whatever reason, at some time you might not be able to continue to look after the person you care for.

When the person you care for is ready to leave hospital, you will need to plan and prepare for their future care.

If the person you care for becomes seriously ill or injured, they may go into a hospital.

What to expect in hospital

Hospital staff will try to explain everything to you and tell you what they recommend. It can help to write things down and ask lots of questions. Don’t be afraid to ask the staff to say things more than once. If you have any concerns or complaints, speak to the nurse who is looking after the person you care for.

You might need to make decisions about the person’s care, if they can’t decide for themselves.

Care coordination is about planning a person’s care and support, and sharing information with everyone who helps to care for the person. Care coordination is something that your health care team may do after talking with you and the person you care for.

What is care coordination

Care coordination includes:

One of your jobs as a carer may be to help the person you care for when they go to appointments with doctors or other health professionals.

Before the appointment

When you book an appointment, think about how much time you need. If there are a lot of things to talk about, you can ask for a longer appointment. You can also ask to be seen quickly, if the problem is urgent.

It’s a good idea to bring to the appointment:

As a carer, you will need to talk with doctors and other health professionals. You will need to tell them about the person you care for so they can provide the best possible treatment. You will also need to ask questions so you can make decisions and provide the best care.

Before you talk with a health professional

Before talking with a health professional, you should:

If the person you care for can’t manage their financial or legal affairs, a power of attorney can be given to someone else to make decisions for them.

What can a power of attorney do

A power of attorney gives a person or organisation the legal right to manage the money and legal affairs of another person.

If the person you care for can't manage their own health affairs and living arrangements, a guardian can be legally appointed to make decisions for them.