The Queensland Government has announced ‘sweeping changes’ to the administration of health complaints in Queensland, following two reports tabled in State Parliament earlier this week.

State Health Minister, Lawrence Springborg, said the three-member panel charged with examining the complaint system found that almost 60 per cent of complaints were not handled in a timely or appropriate manner in compliance with legislative objectives.

The panel, headed by a former assistant commissioner of the Health Quality and Complaints Commission, Dr Kim Forrester, reported that in one case it took 2,368 days, or nearly 6 1/2 years for the responsible agencies to reach a final decision.

In response to the two reports, Mr Springborg has tabled new legislation that will see the formation of a Queensland Health Ombudsman, who will form the ‘lynchpin of a new and accountable complaints system’, which will be introduced before July this year.