Complaints procedure

The complaints process will uphold all rights contained in the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights Regulation 1996.  Complaints will be dealt with in a fair, simple, speedy and efficient manner.  Arthritis New Zealand will see complaints as an opportunity to look at its systems and procedures with a view to improving services to consumers.

1. Consumers may make a complaint in any form appropriate to them, e.g. oral, written, faxed, emailed.
2. Consumers may make a complaint to:
   1. The individual or individuals who provided the services complained of, e.g. Arthritis Educators, national office staff and
   2. Any person authorised to receive complaints, e.g. Manager, Health Advice or Chief Executive; and
   3. Any other appropriate person, including:i. An independent advocate provided under the Health and Disability Commissioner Act 1994. They can be contacted by telephone on 0800 555 050 or by email at advocacy@hdc.org.nz. This is a free independent advocacy service.
   4. The Health and Disability Commissioner directly.
3. The consumer’s complaint and the actions taken to resolve the complaint must be documented.
4. Staff must inform the Manager, Health Advice of any complaints within 48 hours of receiving the complaint to discuss the process for investigation, action and to identify opportunities for improvement.
5. All complaints must be acknowledged in writing within five working days of receipt, unless it has been resolved to the satisfaction of the consumer within that period.  This will be the responsibility of the Manager, Health Advice or Chief Executive.

1. In this privacy policy, the terms ‘Arthritis Foundation Inc, Arthritis NZ, Arthritis New Zealand, ‘we’, ‘us’, and ‘our’ refer to Arthritis New Zealand. We respect the privacy of our clients, members, customers, volunteers, donors, supporters, users of www.arthritis.org.nz and www.myjointpain.co.nz (our ‘websites’), the Peer Support Service and all of our followers and members on all social media platforms (our ‘social media’) that we utilise to provide services. This privacy policy explains how we may collect, store, use, and disclose the personal information that you provide to us.
2. By providing personal information to us, you consent to our collecting, storing, using, and disclosing your personal information as set out in this privacy policy.

1. Information for clients receiving services from Arthritis Assist, Peer Support, our websites or social media
2. We collect personal information from you, including your
   1. Name and contact information (postal address, phone number and email);
   2. Interactions with us;
   3. Details of your arthritis
3. We collect this information to
   1. Provide complete services to assist you in managing your arthritis
   2. Stay in touch and inform you about our activities;