Meet our team

Richelle McCausland is the National Health Practitioner Ombudsman and the National Health Practitioner Privacy Commissioner. Find out more about the Ombudsman and Commissioner.

The Ombudsman and Commissioner is supported by our small team of dedicated staff. Our team is divided into three operational arms to effectively manage our work: the Complaints and Freedom of Information (FOI) branch, the Policy and Communications team and the Business Services team. The office’s Governance Committee supports the Ombudsman and Commissioner’s decision making and management of the office’s operations.

Our office is hosted by the Victorian Department of Health (the department). All staff are employees of the department but report to the Ombudsman and Commissioner.

Complaints and FOI branch

Members of the Complaints and FOI branch are empathetic and collaborative in their approach to resolving concerns and addressing issues raised by complainants and FOI applicants.

The Ombudsman and Commissioner delegates some decision-making powers to the Complaints and FOI branch members. Some staff, for example, can decide whether to investigate complaints and can make findings about the outcomes of investigations. Some staff can also conduct reviews of FOI decisions.

The branch has 3 teams to ensure appropriate management of the different types of assistance we provide. The Early Resolutions team is usually the first point of contact for people engaging with our office. This team generally manages straightforward complaints, facilitates our early resolution transfer process and provides referral information if our office cannot help a complainant with their concerns. Our 2 Complex Investigations teams focus on complaints that raise multiple issues or cannot be resolved through early resolution mechanisms. The branch also helps with the Ombudsman’s own motion investigations.

Members of the Complaints and FOI branch are trained in providing best practice complaint handling and focus on achieving quick, informal and meaningful resolutions wherever possible. They are skilled in listening and responding empathetically to people’s concerns. The team values working collaboratively with stakeholders to resolve complaints.

Policy and Communications team

Our Policy and Communications team is mainly responsible for:

• ensuring our services are accessible and available to anyone who may need them

• responding to emerging issues in the National Scheme in collaboration with the Ombudsman and Commissioner, including through making submissions and engaging with other organisations in the National Scheme

• providing quality assurance of our complaints data and processes

• supporting the Ombudsman and Commissioner to undertake independent reviews and larger own motion investigations.

Business Services team

Our Business Services team works closely with the department to provide corporate support for our office. The team provides wide-ranging support, from assisting with recruitment processes to ensuring workplace health and safety. This includes maintaining a collaborative and productive working relationship with our colleagues at the department.