The Office of the Health Complaints Commissioner Tasmania has detailed 2022/23 complaints

Burns from a slimming treatment and botched skin rejuvenation were among complaints to Tasmania’s health watchdog, but a glaring loophole means nothing was done about them. Details.

Cool Sculpting - the fat-freezing technology. Photo: Supplied

A woman who received burns from a slimming treatment and a facial beauty procedure which made the client’s skin worse were among complaints received by Tasmania’s health watchdog in 2022/23.

However these complaints could not be directly acted upon because they were not performed by registered heath providers.

The Office of the Health Complaints Commissioner’s annual report tabled in state parliament detailed some of the complaints dealt with during 2022/23.

Overall the Commissioner reported an 11 per cent decrease in complaints, following an “unprecedented” year in 2021/22 where 1301 complaints were received.

Most complaints related to medical treatment in prisons (228 complaints), followed by public hospitals (114 complaints), medical practices/clinics (60 complaints) and private hospitals (14 complaints).

However a small number of complaints were also received about unregistered providers.

In one case a woman complained after receiving burns from a “cool slimming” treatment.

Cool slimming or cool sculpting is a procedure performed at cosmetic clinics which claims to freeze away body fat.

The OHCC annual report said the woman “complained that she had received the treatment on her stomach and incurred extensive painful burns such that she was unable to attend her workplace for over a week and had to attend her GP for treatment”.

However the OHCC was unable to accept her complaint, as the service did not constitute a health service under the Health Complaints Act 1995.

She was referred to a number of regulators for assistance but was also advised that there

was no specific regulator overseeing this sort of service.

Also during 2022/23 the OHCC made a report to Tasmania Police after a person reported having been sexually assaulted by a masseuse.

One person complainted about being sexually assaulted by a massage therapist

A man also complained to the OHCC after he attended a laser clinic for a number of sessions for pigment treatment, claiming the treatment made his issue worse.

He sought a refund from the clinic and improvements to the clinic’s consent process.

“The OHCC attempted to resolve the issues on the grounds that correction of a problematic skin pigmentation could be considered a health service. We sought a response from the clinic and requested a refund on behalf of the complainant. The clinic refused to refund the cost of the services and produced a document signed by the complainant that demonstrated he had apparently understood that laser treatments can produce negative outcomes for some clients,” the OHCC said.

Originally published as The Office of the Health Complaints Commissioner Tasmania has detailed 2022/23 complaints