In Victoria, previously unregulated general health services such as naturopaths, homeopaths and alternative therapies to name a few, became subject to a new regulatory framework in February 2017 with the introduction of the Health Complaints Act 2016 and the commencement of the role of the Health Complaints Commissioner. The Act introduced a code of conduct which sets the minimum legal standards for general health services i.e. all those health professions not regulated by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
A worrying number of cases of unscrupulous providers promoting and profiting from providing ‘treatments’ to cure cancer has led the Commissioner to investigate and ban such providers.
This presentation will provide a jurisdictional context to the Commissioner's powers and functions and highlight the types of issues in oncology settings as well as the issues and challenges faced by the Health Complaints Commissioner's office.