All Allied Health Assistants (AHAs) should be invested in the reputation of the AHA workforce. Poor, unethical and unsafe practices hurt the people using AHA services and reflect badly on the workforce. This could deter service users, employers and funders from utilising or supporting the use of AHAs for services.
Our Complaints Procedure, established in line with best practice for self-regulating health professions, helps demonstrate that AHANA’s AHAs are genuinely committed to providing high quality, ethical services.
AHANA will never assume that the subject of the complaint is fact. Where AHANA believes that the complaint should be investigated, you will be consulted with and offered the opportunity to respond. Your perspective will be considered, along with the perspective of the person who made the complaint.
This Complaints Procedure also offers you the opportunity to help maintain the reputation and quality of services of your workforce. You can make a complaint, where you think that is appropriate, about an AHA and matter covered by the Complaints Procedure. This process is intended to raise genuine issues – it is in every AHAs interests that the AHA workforce and AHA services are held in the highest regard. It should not be used for frivolous or vexatious reasons (e.g. you have had a falling out with an AHA or simply because their business is in competition with yours). Complaints which fall within this category, made by an AHANA AHA, may also give rise to a complaint against the AHA who made the complaint in the first place.
AHANA understands that finding out a complaint has been made about you can be distressing. Your health and wellbeing are important. Reach out to your networks and colleagues for support, if you feel comfortable to. You may also be able to discuss the matter with your employer or manager (if you work in the public sector, an Employee Support Service may also be available). You can also access free, confidential support through services like those listed on our Peer Support page.
If you are notified by AHANA that a complaint has been made against you, you must not contact the person you believe has made the complaint about you (whether directly or through another person) or discuss any issue regarding the complaint with them. The exception to this is if your matter has been referred under the Complaints Procedure for conciliation, mediation or another type of discussion, in which case you should limit your discussion to what is required for that process.
If you continue to provide professional services to the person who has made the complaint you may need to implement measures so that there is no opportunity for such discussions to occur.
AHANA has prepared a complaints handling overview to make it easy for people making complaints and AHAs who have had a complaint made about them, to understand the potential steps involved and the timeline for different steps in the process.
Complaints may be handled informally (with or without your involvement), or formally with an investigation by the Complaints Officer, and may proceed to consideration by the Complaints Committee.
You may not be advised of a complaint made about you. For example, if the complaint is considered vexatious by the Complaints Officer, upon initial review, it may not progress. However, in any case where the complaint is investigated by the Complaints Officer or referred to the Complaints Committee, you will be offered the opportunity to provide your response to the complaint before a decision is made on the complaint which could negatively impact you.
If the Complaints Committee convened to hear the complaint, you have the right to attend the meeting (provided you notify AHANA in advance as required by the Complaints Procedure) as does the person who made the complaint about you. You can also have legal representation attend that hearing, at your cost, provided you provide notice of that decision within the timeline required by the Complaints Procedure.
If the complaint is upheld, you have the opportunity to appeal the decision. You can only do this if disciplinary action was imposed by the Board or if you believe that natural justice and procedural fairness were not provided to you in the complaints process.
AHANA also may share details of the complaint with any person or organisation (e.g. your employer), even before the outcome of the complaint, if it is concerned that this is reasonably necessary for the protection of the public.
You do not have to provide a response to a complaint but the complaints process will progress regardless of whether you have provided one. If you are directed by the Complaints Committee to provide documents, statements, etc., you should cooperate as to do otherwise may be a breach of the Code of Conduct.
If the complaint is investigated, AHANA will keep you informed of the progress of your complaint and notify you of the outcome of your complaint.
Throughout all aspects of processing the complaint, AHANA and decision makers under the Complaints Procedure may request further information from you and/or the AHA you have complained about.
If the complaint is considered by the Complaints Committee and the Committee decides the complaint is upheld, the Board will decide whether to impose disciplinary or other action on you.
No disciplinary action (see Clauses 11.5(d)-(f) of the Complaints Procedure) will be taken against you, without you having had the opportunity to appeal the original decision by the Complaints Committee.
You have the right to appeal a decision involving disciplinary action, or if you believe procedural fairness and natural justice were not provided to you through the complaints process. The Appeal Panel convened to hear an appeal may or may not request further information from you or offer you the opportunity to attend.
The Appeal Panel does not consider whether the disciplinary or other action imposed by the Board is appropriate. The Appeal Panel only considers whether the complaint is upheld, or whether procedural fairness and natural justice were appropriately provided. The Appeal Panel can substitute or affirm the decision of the Complaints Committee, based on the Appeal Panel’s findings.
Any disciplinary or other action imposed by the Board will not take effect until either the expiry of the timeframe provided to you to appeal the decision or, if you appeal in accordance with the Complaints Procedure, a decision is made by the Appeal Panel to uphold the complaint.
Where a complaint is upheld, AHANA may publish the outcome of a complaint on the AHANA website.
Where AHANA is aware that an external agency relies on your AHANA membership or recognition by AHANA for your eligibility to work, AHANA will inform the agency.