Ask us a question or raise concerns
You can use this form to ask us a question or raise concerns about a health practitioner (doctor).
Before you start
If your concern is about the care or treatment you or someone else received, you should contact the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) in the first instance.
The HDC considers concerns about the care and treatment provided to patients and whether their rights as health consumers have been upheld. A free and independent advocacy service is also available to help you understand your rights and support you to raise your concerns.
The Council’s role is different. We consider whether the information raised about a health practitioner indicates wider concerns about their competence, conduct, health or ability to practise safely.
If the HDC identifies concerns that require the Council’s consideration, it will let us know. You do not need to make a separate notification to the Council.
Completing the form
Please have any relevant information available before you start. The form cannot be saved, so you will need to complete and submit it in one session.
When providing information about your concerns, include enough detail for us to understand what happened and any key dates you recall. We ask that you do not use AI tools to write or summarise your concerns, as we need to understand your account in your own words. You can upload any relevant supporting documents at the end of the form.
If you would like to talk with someone about your concerns before completing the form, please call us on (04) 384 7635 or 0800 286 801.
Sharing information with the health practitioner
The principles of natural justice mean that a health practitioner must be informed of the concerns raised about them and given a fair opportunity to respond.
If you make a notification, we will provide the health practitioner with your name and a copy of the information you give us. We will remove your contact details before providing the information to the health practitioner.
While you can provide information to us anonymously, this may significantly limit our ability to assess your concerns or take further action.
If you have concerns about your name or information being shared with the health practitioner, please contact us on (04) 384 7635 or 0800 286 801 before completing the form so we can discuss this with you.
Providing personal information about other people
Please only provide personal information about another person where it is relevant to your question or notification.
If you provide or upload information that includes personal information about other people, please include only the information necessary to explain your concern and remove or redact any personal information that is not relevant.
Under the Privacy Act, we may be required to tell a person when we have collected personal information about them.
For more information about how we collect, use and share personal information, see our Privacy statement .