Our history
The safety and quality of healthcare has always been important to Queenslanders. Never was this more evident than during events surrounding the appointment and practice of Dr Jayant Patel at Bundaberg Base Hospital.
It was out of heightened public and professional concern about the safety of our health system, as well as two reviews (the Davies Report and the Health Systems Review, or Forster Report), that the HQCC was born.
Replacing the Health Rights Commission, the HQCC was established on 1 July, 2006 with increased independence, responsibilities and powers. As well as being a complaints agency, the HQCC was handed the power to set and monitor leading practice standards for healthcare.
The seven healthcare standards we introduced in July 2007 are an Australian-first, and part of the reason Queensland is now leading the nation in the drive for quality improvement in healthcare.
In three years, we have matured as an organisation. Our small but dedicated team of 70 employees now:
Further reading
- Review of the Health Quality and Complaints Commission and the Health Quality and Complaints Commission Act 2006 (tabled on 15 November 2007) and the Queensland Government's response (tabled in February 2008).