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For patients

Find out about your rights when using Wellington Free Ambulance services, requesting patient information, lost property on ambulances and contacting us about a comment or complaint.

Paramedics carrying a stretcher

Your rights under the Health and Disability Commissioner (Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights) Regulations 1996

Everyone using a health or disability service, including all the services provided by Wellington Free Ambulance, has the protection of a Code of Rights.

It’s important to us that your rights are protected. The Code of Rights means that you should have:

  • Right 1: The right to be treated with respect | Mana
  • Right 2: The right to fair treatment | Manaakitanga
  • Right 3: The right to dignity and independence | Tū rangatira Motuhake
  • Right 4: The right to appropriate standards | Tautikanga
  • Right 5: The right to effective communication | Whakawhitiwhitinga whakairo
  • Right 6: The right to be informed | Whakamōhio
  • Right 7: The right to choice and consent | Whakaritenga mōu ake
  • Right 8: The right to support | Tautoko
  • Right 9: Rights during teaching and research | Ako me te rangahau
  • Right 10: The right for your complaint to be taken seriously | Amuamu

You can read more about the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights on the Health & Disability Commissioner website

Requesting patient information

We take great care to ensure the privacy of your health information.

We collect information about you and your health to provide appropriate care, to keep you and others safe, to carry out teaching and research, and for statistical purposes.

Be assured that your information is kept secure and only authorised people have access to it. This may include other agencies, where authorised by law.

Accessing health information

If you have been a patient of ours and/or have contacted our Clinical Communications Centre, you have a right to request access to any personal health information that we hold and which is readily retrievable.

To apply for information to be released to you, download and complete the appropriate form below with the required documents stated in the checklist. Submit the completed form and all required attachments to:

Wellington Free Ambulance
Clinical Quality
PO Box 601
Wellington 6140

Or email Improvement.team@wfa.org.nz. If you would prefer to have this form posted to you call 04 499 9909.

Lost property

Lost something on one of our emergency ambulances?

If you think you've lost something on one of our ambulances, contact the hospital emergency department you arrived at who will be able to help in the first instance.

Comments and complaints

If you have feedback for us, please use our contact us form.

We welcome comments and feedback from people who have used or are interested in our services. 

Please use our contact us form and use the dropdown menu to select 'Compliments & complaints'.

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Your Rights & More info

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Your Rights

As our patient, and under the Health and Disability Commissioner’s Code of Rights, you have the right to:

  • Be treated with respect
  • Be fully informed
  • Freedom from discrimination, coercion, harassment and exploitation
  • dignity and independence
  • Services of an appropriate standard
  • Effective communication
  • Be fully informed
  • Make an informed choice and give informed consent
  • Support
  • Respect of teaching or research
  • Complain

If we don’t respect these, let us know and we’ll do everything we can to put it right.


Support in the process

If you need support or help with making a complaint, you can contact the office of the Health and Disability Commissioner and ask for an advocate.

www.hdc.org.nz
0800 555 050

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