Complaints about the IGZ
Under Dutch law (Algemene wet bestuursrecht; General Administrative Law Act), anyone is entitled to lodge a complaint about the way in which Health Care Inspectorate staff have acted towards them or others in a certain matter.
Complaints can relate to any aspect of the inspectorate's activities. A complaint should first be discussed (verbally or in writing) with the staff member concerned. If this does not resolve your grievance, you should submit a formal complaint in writing to the Director General. He may then invite you to discuss the matter, perhaps with the staff member concerned in attendance. Alternatively, the Inspector-General may seek the advice of the Complaints Advisory Commission.
The Complaints Advisory Commission will investigate your complaint and will allow both you and the staff member concerned to present your account of the circumstances. The Commission's decision is final and no appeal is possible. However, you may pursue your complaint through the National Ombudsman or another authorized external body should you wish.
A letter of complaint should be sent to:
Inspectie voor de Gezondheidszorg [Health Care Inspectorate]
t.a.v. De Inspecteur-generaal van de Gezondheidszorg
Postbus 2680
NL-3500 GR Utrecht
What action will be taken?
The Inspector-General may decide to refer your complaint to the internal Complaints Advisory Commission, which comprises two permanent members and a chairman. It advises the Inspector General on the action to be taken further to a complaint about the Inspectorate's action (or failure to act).
In principle, the complaint is heard by the entire Commission. In the case of a relatively minor complaint of a type dealt with on a previous occasion, it may be adjudicated by the chairman alone, with the secretary in attendance.
The secretary will invite you and the staff member(s) concerned in writing to attend the hearing, which will usually be held at the inspectorate's offices in Utrecht. In the hearing, both parties will be given the opportunity to present their side of the story. Once the chairman feels that the Commission has sufficient information, he will close the proceedings. The commission will then discuss its findings and arrive at a decision. Having been signed by the chairman and the secretary, the Commission's formal recommendation is then presented to the Inspector General.
Complaints Advisory Commission
Chairman: P.W. de Vries, Legal Advisor, Ministry of Justice
Members: B.R. van Beusekom (medical practitioner)
Ms M. Vredevoogd, legal advisor, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport
Still dissatisfied?
The Inspector-General's decision is final and cannot be appealed. However, you may pursue your complaint through the National Ombudsman or any other authorized external body. Further information is provided in the letter notifying you of the Inspector-General's decision.
The Inspectorate's complaints procedure and the 'constituent instrument' for the appointment of the Complaints Advisory Commission were published in the Staatscourant (Government Gazette) of 7 December 2007. The appointments of the chairman and commission members were announced in the Staatscourant of 10 December 2007.
The full text of all relevant Acts of Parliament and other legislative instruments mentioned on this website can be found at www.wetten.overheid.nl (in Dutch only).