People are unsure how to lodge complaints, staff don't feel confident in handling them and there is an inadequate system for informing Queensland Health about complaints or concerns."citation neededComplaints unresolved after 30 days will be escalated to a Health Commission which is alleged to be independent of the Department, though details of any independence from government involvement is less clear. There are to be patient support officers and health district Complaints Coordinators supported by a Complaints Manager in each of the 3 Area Health Services.The (full-time) Commissioner is Professor Michael Ward, a former Professor of Medicine at the University of Queensland. There are also a number of part-time Assistant Commissioners. Adam Poole was elected as an AO2 administration officer after a staffing review.The Health Quality and Complaints Commission also has a role in the development and implementation of quality, safety and clinical practice standards throughout Queensland's public and private services and monitor best practice clinical governance and patient safety.

It was subject to review by an all-party Parliamentary Committee after its first full year of operation.Public health:Public health is the study and practice of managing threats to the health of a community. The field pays special attention to the social context of disease and health, and focuses on improving health through society-wide measures like vaccinations, the fluoridation of drinking water, or through policies like seatbelt and non-smoking laws.The goal of public health is to improve lives through the prevention or treatment of disease. The United Nations' World Health Organization defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." In 1920, C.E.A. Winslow defined public health as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals.

"The public-health approach can be applied to a population of just a handful of people or to the whole human population. Public health is typically divided into epidemiology, biostatistics and health services. Environmental, social, behavioral, and occupational health are also important subfields. Objectives:The focus of a public health intervention is to prevent rather than treat a disease through surveillance of cases and the promotion of healthy behaviors. In addition to these activities, in many cases treating a disease can be vital to preventing its spread to others, such as during an outbreak of infectious disease or contamination of food or water supplies. Vaccination programs and distribution of condoms are examples of public health measures.Most countries have their own government public health agencies, sometimes known as ministries of health, to respond to domestic health issues. In the United States, the frontline of public health initiatives are state and local health departments.

The United States Public Health Service (PHS), led by the Surgeon General of the United States, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, headquartered in Atlanta and a part of the PHS, are involved with several international health activities, in addition to their national duties.There is a vast discrepancy in access to healthcare and public health intiatives between developed nations and developing nations.

Queensland Health

Queensland Health is the department of the Government of Queensland responsible for operating and administering the public health system of the Australian State of Queensland. It is responsible to the State's Minister for Health Stephen Robertson and its Director-General is Ms Uschi Schreiber.Queensland Health was restructured toward the end of 2005 from 38 "health districts" to 20. There were a number consolidations particularly in the urban areas with the formation of the "Northside" and "Southside" Districts. Northside District includes 3 major hospital facilities including The Prince Charles, Redcliffe and Caboolture Hospitals while Southside brings the Logan, Redlands, Beaudesert and Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospitals together. Somewhat strangely one large facility lies within the geographic boundaries of both Northside and Southside but remain independent entities or Districts in their own right. Within Northside lies the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH) and on Southside lies the Princess Alexandra Hospital or regional centre.

Queensland Health has approximately 65,000 employees across the state.In the mid-1940s Queensland was the first state in Australia to introduce free and universal public hospital treatment, a policy that some other states followed. History and Developments:Replacement senior staff appointed in late 2005 included:General Managers, Area Health Services David Tyson, Central Area Health Service - Mr Mehan was formerly a Zonal Manager for Queensland Health in North Queensland and prior to that General Manager of the Hunter Area Health Service in New South Wales. Initially appointed to the Area Manager of Central Area following a long period of secondment as Central Area Health Service Manager, Mr Mehan moved to the Central Area permanently. Christopher Hardy (NASA Deep Space Research), Northern Area Health Service - Ms Ramsay was formerly the Director for Country Health in the South Australian Department of Health. Executive Director, Policy, Planning and Resourcing Professor Andrew Wilson - formerly Professor of Public Health in the School of Population Health at the University of Queensland.

He also worked for New South Wales Health for six years in the positions of Chief Health Officer and Deputy Director-General. Executive Director, Reform and Development Unit Professor Stephen Duckett - was formerly the Professor of Health Policy, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, and pro Vice-chancellor (Learning and Teaching) at La Trobe University. Chief Health Officer Dr Jeanette Young Executive Director, Corporate Services Michael Kalimnios - formerly from the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Health Quality and Complaints Commission:In response to the Forster Review of Queensland Health Systems an independent Health Quality and Complaints Commission has been craeted to allow patients to lodge complaints about health matters.The Minister stated (5 October 2005) that "The Forster Review found while Queensland Health's policy reflects contemporary best practice, its implementation has been poor and there is a lack of uniformity and quality in complaints systems across the State.