Health and Disability Services Complaints Office (HaDSCO)

What Health and Disability Services Complaints Office (HaDSCO) does

Health and Disability Services Complaints Office (HaDSCO) is an independent statutory authority of the Government of Western Australia that provides impartial complaint resolution services for health, mental health, and non-NDIS disability services across Western Australia and the Indian Ocean Territories. The organisation delivers two core services: Service One encompasses assessment, negotiated settlement, conciliation and investigation of complaints, while Service Two focuses on education and training in complaint prevention and resolution. HaDSCO operates under multiple legislative frameworks — the Health and Disability Services (Complaints) Act 1995, the Disability Services Act 1993, and the Mental Health Act 2014 — and additionally administers the Code of Conduct for certain health care workers, issuing Interim Prohibition Orders, permanent Prohibition Orders, and Public Health Warning Statements when unregistered practitioners pose serious risk to public health and safety.

The organisation runs a multi-channel intake operation including online complaint forms, metro/regional phone lines with freecall, in-person reception at its Perth CBD headquarters (Albert Facey House), postal and email submission, Microsoft Teams-enabled conciliation meetings, and accessibility services via TIS National interpreters and the National Relay Service. Consumer brochures are published in eight languages plus Easy English. HaDSCO also operates the annual Health Complaints Data Collection Program, aggregating de-identified complaints data from 25 prescribed public, private and not-for-profit health service providers, and delivers strategic direction through its Strategic Plan 2023-27 and Disability Access and Inclusion Plan 2023-27. Strategic partners include the Health Consumers' Council of WA, Carers WA, People With Disability WA, Mental Health Advocacy Service WA, Ahpra, Ombudsman WA and the Equal Opportunity Commission.

HaDSCO is wholly funded by the Western Australian Government (with supplementary Commonwealth funding for Indian Ocean Territories) and provides all services free of charge to users. It is not a commercial entity and does not generate revenue, raise capital, or hold equity. Leadership comprises Director Ms Sarah Cowie (departing September 2026) and Deputy Director Ms Correne Bartlett, reporting through the Minister for Health; Mental Health to the Western Australian Parliament.

Name

Health and Disability Services Complaints Office (HaDSCO)

Legal name

Health and Disability Services Complaints Office

Website

https://hadsco.wa.gov.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HaDSCO is a Western Australian government statutory authority that provides free, impartial complaint resolution and regulatory enforcement for health, mental health and non-NDIS disability services across Western Australia and the Indian Ocean Territories, including issuing Prohibition Orders under its Code of Conduct.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Health and Disability Complaints Resolution

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)

Keywords

• Health complaint resolution
• Disability services complaints
• Mental health complaints
• Statutory complaints body
• Complaints advocacy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HaDSCO is a Western Australian statutory authority that provides independent, impartial resolution of complaints about health, mental health, and disability services. Its core service is free complaint handling for consumers, including assessment, conciliation, investigation, and the provision of recommendations to improve service quality. The office also provides advice and education to consumers, carers, and service providers about complaint processes and rights.

Product overview

HaDSCO operates as an independent statutory authority providing an integrated complaint resolution service for health, mental health, and disability services in Western Australia and the Indian Ocean Territories. The organization delivers two core services: Service One encompasses the assessment and resolution of complaints through negotiated settlement, conciliation, and investigation; Service Two focuses on education and training in complaint prevention and resolution. A key regulatory function is the Code of Conduct for Certain Health Care Workers, which includes powers to issue Interim Prohibition Orders, Prohibition Orders, and Public Health Warning Statements. HaDSCO also operates the Health Complaints Data Collection Program, collecting annual data from health service providers for trend reporting. Strategic direction is guided by the Strategic Plan 2023-27 and Disability Access and Inclusion Plan 2023-27. All services are free, impartial, confidential, and available to everyone.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Health Complaint Resolution Service Independent assessment, conciliation, and investigation of complaints about health services in Western Australia, available to consumers and their representatives at no cost.
• Mental Health Complaint Resolution Service Independent complaint resolution for mental health services in Western Australia, covering public and private providers, available free to consumers.
• Disability Services Complaint Resolution Independent complaint handling for disability services in Western Australia, provided to consumers and their families at no cost.
• Advice and Education Service Advice and education on complaint processes, rights, and responsibilities for consumers, carers, and health/disability service providers.
• Systemic Review and Reporting Analysis of complaint trends and publication of reports and recommendations to drive systemic improvement in health, mental health, and disability services in WA.

Quantifiable outcome

• Complaints resolved through negotiated settlement, conciliation or investigation
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Australasian Council of Health Complaint Entities (ACHCE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2025HaDSCO is a member of the ACHCE along with health complaints entities from all Australian States and Territories and New Zealand. The Council meets formally twice each year to discuss issues, collaborate and share expertise on health services and practitioner regulation. ACHCE members include ACT Human Rights Commission, NSW Health Care Complaints Commission, NT Health and Community Services Complaints Commission, QLD Office of Health Ombudsman, SA Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner, TAS Health Complaints Commissioner, VIC Health Complaints Commission, and NZ Office of Health and Disability Commissioner.
• Carers WA (Carer Friendly Employer Program)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 November 2024HaDSCO achieved Level 1 accreditation as a Carer Friendly Employer through Carers WA's Carers + Employers program. This demonstrates commitment to recognizing and supporting carers within the workplace.
• Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2024HaDSCO works closely with Ahpra to improve quality and safety of health services. For complaints about registered health practitioners, HaDSCO consults with Ahpra to determine the most suitable agency to manage the complaint. HaDSCO is a signatory of Ahpra's Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Statement of Intent. Joint outreach activities include community events and stakeholder meetings.
• Australian GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServices provided by HaDSCO in the Indian Ocean Territories (Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands) are delivered in partnership with the Australian Government through Commonwealth funding support. Western Australian legislation is applied to the Indian Ocean Territories as part of HaDSCO's Service Delivery Arrangement with the Australian Government.
• Health Consumers' Council of WAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth Consumers' Council of WA provides individual advocacy service to any person experiencing an issue with the WA Health system. They help consumers contact HaDSCO and/or lodge formal complaints. The Council also plays a key role in systemic advocacy representing the WA community across various committees.
• Carers WAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarers WA is the peak body representing the needs and interests of carers in Western Australia. They support empowerment and wellbeing of carers through programs, services, and advocacy. Can assist carers to contact HaDSCO and lodge complaints about Carers Charter breaches.
• People With Disability WAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPWdWA provides non-legal advocacy to people with disabilities. Advocacy is the process of standing alongside individuals to ensure they can speak out, express their views and uphold their rights. They can assist individuals to contact HaDSCO and lodge complaints.
• Mental Health Advocacy Service WAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Mental Health Advocacy Service WA is independent from hospitals and mental health services and offers a free service supporting people who are receiving or referred for involuntary mental health treatment. Voluntary mental health patients aged under 18 can request help from a specialist Youth advocate.
• Ombudsman Western AustraliamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExternal review body for complaints not resolved through HaDSCO's internal review process. Joint community outreach activities including regional visits, NAIDOC Week events, and community festivals.
• Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) WAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint participation in community events including NAIDOC Week celebrations and International Women's Day activities. Collaborative outreach to promote awareness of rights under Equal Opportunity Act 1984.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra): National regulator for registered health practitioners; formally partnered with HaDSCO for triage of registered-practitioner complaints. Not a direct competitor but operates in the overlapping practitioner-conduct space at greater scale.
• Ombudsman Western Australia: External review body for complaints not resolved through HaDSCO's internal process. Joint outreach partner; sits in the adjacent accountability/complaints ecosystem with broader remit beyond health.
• NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission: National regulator that handles the NDIS disability complaints explicitly carved out of HaDSCO's jurisdiction. Operates in the same disability-services complaint space but at national scope, representing the most relevant adjacent regulator.

Direct peers

• Office of the Health Ombudsman (Queensland): Queensland's independent health complaints agency performing intake, investigation and resolution of health service complaints under statute, with comparable regulatory reach and Code-of-Conduct style functions; ACHCE counterpart.
• Health and Disability Commissioner (New Zealand): NZ's national independent complaints body for health and disability services, combining complaint resolution with advocacy. While broader geographically, it is the original template for the HaDSCO model and a fellow ACHCE member.
• Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner (South Australia): SA's combined health and community services complaints commissioner; structurally and functionally aligned with HaDSCO, particularly its dual health/disability scope and statutory investigation powers.
• NSW Health Care Complaints Commission: Independent NSW statutory body with the same core function of receiving, assessing and resolving complaints about health, mental health and disability services, and issuing prohibition-type orders. Closest functional peer to HaDSCO and fellow ACHCE member.
• Victorian Health Complaints Commissioner: Statutory Victorian complaints body for health service providers, including powers to issue prohibition orders against unregistered practitioners under Victoria's Code of Conduct — directly comparable regulatory model to HaDSCO.
• ACT Human Rights Commission: ACT's combined health, disability and human rights complaints body serving a small jurisdiction. Functionally analogous to HaDSCO at smaller scale; ACHCE member.

Others

• Health Consumers' Council WA: WA's peak consumer advocacy body and HaDSCO's primary referral partner; supports individuals in lodging complaints. Provides the consumer-side infrastructure that complements HaDSCO's resolution function.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@HaDSCOMail
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/health-and-disability-services-complaints-office

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Health and Disability Services Complaints Office (HaDSCO)