Disabled People’s | Tāngata Whaikaha Experiences of Health Services: Report on complaints to HDC

Disabled People’s | Tāngata Whaikaha Experiences of Health Services: Report on complaints to HDC

Report highlights barriers disabled people face in health services

A report released today by the HDC highlights the significant barriers disabled people continue to face when engaging with health services. Complaints made to the HDC detail the impact of a health system that does not meet the needs of disabled people.

Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner, Rose Wall said that HDC’s report reflects concerns disabled people have consistently raised for many years.

“Disabled people engage more frequently with the health system, yet too often they continue to face barriers that affect their dignity, safety and ability to access care on an equal basis with others.”

‘Disabled People’s | Tāngata Whaikaha Experiences of Health Services: report on complaints to HDC’ details an analysis of complaints received between 2023 and 2025. The HDC makes a series of recommendations related to the right of disabled people to receive safe, person-centred care.

“Disabled people experience poorer health outcomes, and implicit and explicit biases towards disability remain.”

“Trust in the health system is critical. Disabled people need to know they will have their rights upheld when they receive care.”

“This report looks at how gaps in service design, communication and coordination within and between agencies negatively impact on disabled people’s experiences and outcomes.”

Over the three-year period, HDC received approximately 1,800 complaints from disabled people about health services. A close review of 176 complaints highlighted recurring issues relating to person-centred care, cultural responsiveness, informed consent, understanding and management of coexisting health and disability conditions, and coordination of care across services.

“Improving outcomes for disabled people requires more than individual service improvements – it requires a coordinated, cross-system approach. I have recommended that Health NZ and Disability Support Services work together as lead agencies to address the issues highlighted in the report.”

The report identifies the need to strengthen reasonable accommodations and reduce barriers to care and highlights the importance of cross-agency collaboration in supporting disabled people to navigate between multiple systems.

HDC has also stressed the importance of the health workforce being supported to improve their understanding of the rights of disabled people, the diverse experiences and support needs of disability communities.

“Disabled people must be at the centre of this work. Their voice and leadership are essential in shaping services that are safe, accessible and responsive to their needs.”

HDC will continue to work with relevant agencies and providers to monitor progress and advocate for system-wide improvements.

The full report is available on the Health and Disability Commissioner’s website: www.hdc.org.nz

This release of this report coincides with the publication of ‘A Window on Disability’ by the Health Quality & Safety Commission Te Tāhū Hauora, with both reports highlighting the ongoing barriers and inequities in outcomes disabled people continue to experience across the health system.

Anonymised excerpts from complaints:

• A non-verbal consumer reported waiting hours in ED before a nurse identified a simple alternative communication method, enabling contact with an emergency support person and medication to be provided.

“After hours, another nurse came in and tried to speak to me. She quickly realised I was nonverbal and asked if I could answer by shaking or nodding my head – I could. It took her one minute to do this and to find out she could call one of my emergency contacts to tell her what had happened … I was then moved to a quieter place in ED, given a cup of water with a straw so I could actually drink, was given the medication I had waited hours for.”

• A hearing-impaired consumer described relying on a phone transcription app to communicate with hospital staff after surgery, despite informing staff about their communication needs in advance.

“I told the nurse who admitted me to the ward [for surgery] I was very hearing impaired. She wrote on my information whiteboard that my language was ‘lip reading’ … I am not a good lip reader, it requires intense concentration and skill, and after surgery there was no hope of me lip reading … I was relying on Google Live Transcribe to understand what people were saying to me.”

• A wheelchair user reported having to bring their own ramp to medical appointments because a clinic was not accessible.

“The clinic… had no accessibility, meaning any time I visited I had to bring my own ramp for my wheelchair.”

• A father described concerns about autism-related care needs and specialist notes being ignored during an emergency department presentation, resulting in distress for his son and premature halting of healthcare.

“On [consumer’s] medical notes there are two red flags noted by a psychologist and a psychiatrist, which highlights the difficulty for him when receiving treatments in hospital … [consumer’s father] relayed this information to the ED consultant but the information was ignored and resulted in [consumer] becoming anxious, aggressive towards staff … [consumer’s father] wanted [consumer] to remain in hospital but felt, with the low level of acceptance and acknowledgement about [consumer’s] autism and the recorded notes by specialists being ignored, it was in the best interest of [consumer] to take him home.”

• A disabled man who did not meet the criteria for a mental health diagnosis spent multiple years in a psychiatric ward due to a lack of alternative support options.

“[We] are concerned there is no end to this [three-year psychiatric] hospital admission for [consumer with learning disability and no diagnosed mental health condition] and [we] are uncertain he is being prioritised in terms of a pathway for [him] to be successfully integrated back into the community.” 

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The full report of this case can be viewed on HDC’s website – see HDC’s ‘ Latest Decisions‘.

Names have been removed from the report to protect privacy of the individuals involved in this case.

The Commissioner will usually name providers and public hospitals found in breach of the Code unless it would not be in the public interest or would unfairly compromise the privacy interests of an individual provider or a consumer. More information for the media, including HDC’s naming policy and why we don’t comment on complaints, can be found on our website here.

HDC promotes and protects the rights of people using health and disability services as set out in the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights (the Code).

In 2022/23 HDC made 592 quality improvement recommendations to individual complaints and we have a high compliance rate of around 96%.