Complaints About Health and Care Services
In Brief
As a patient or relative, you have the right to file a complaint about a service you receive. You can also report serious incidents directly to Helsetilsynet (the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision).
Description
What you can complain about
If an undesirable incident, mistake, or similar has occurred, you can file a complaint verbally or in writing with the service provider, such as the person, department, or municipality responsible for the service. If you believe that an incorrect decision has been made or if you want to complain about the quality of the service, you can file a complaint with the County Governor. Examples of such complaints include:
- Professionally inadequate treatment
- Poor communication
- Being denied emergency assistance
- Procedural errors in decisions
- Other unacceptable conditions
Les mer om hvordan å klage til statsforvalteren External link.. As a patient or relative, you also have the right to notify Helsetilsynet (the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision) if a very serious incident has occurred in connection with healthcare services. Examples of such notifications include:
- Death or very serious injury to a patient or user
- A serious incident resulting from healthcare services or an instance where a patient or user has harmed another person
- An outcome that was unexpected given the foreseeable risk
Target Group
Patients, users, and relatives.
Regulations
Read about the right to necessary healthcare in pasient- og brukerrettighetsloven §§ 2-1a og 2-1b.Read about the procedures for handling complaints in pasient- og brukerrettighetsloven §§ 7-4 og 7-4a.
Read about the right to file complaints or notifications in pasient- og brukerrettighetsloven § 7-6.
Laws
Practical Information
Guidance - how to obtain or receive the service
How to complain directly to the service provider
The primary recommendation is to address undesirable incidents directly with the service provider or their supervisors. All services should have procedures for this. Complaints can be made either verbally or in writing.
How to submit a complaint to the County Governor
How to report an incident to the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision
Case Processing
Complaint handling in the municipality
If you file a complaint with the municipality about a decision, such as the rejection of an application for care assistance, the complaint will first be reviewed by the body that made the decision. This body, known as the first-instance authority in the complaint case, may revoke or change its decision if it finds grounds to do so. If the first-instance authority does not wish to change its decision, the case is forwarded to the appeal authority, which conducts an independent review of the case. If the municipality upholds its decision, you can escalate the complaint to the County Governor.
Complaint handling by the County Governor
The County Governor will gather necessary information from the institution and personnel involved in the complaint. The case will then be reviewed by a lawyer and a healthcare professional. The final assessment is sent in writing as a letter. The complainant will have access to the case documents and will have the opportunity to present their views.
Processing by the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision
A caseworker at the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision will contact you within the next few business days to gather further details about the incident.
All reports are investigated. After the initial review, reports are handled in different ways depending on the severity and complexity of the incident and the risk of similar incidents occurring again.
In addition to contacting you for further details, the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision will also collect information from the relevant service provider before deciding how the report should be followed up.
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