Statement of Healthcare Rights
Positive Choices, run by The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, is committed to supporting health consumers and making sure they know their healthcare rights. The Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights is about high quality and safe healthcare. It explains what you, or someone you are caring for, can expect when receiving health care.
What are your healthcare rights?
Anyone who uses a health service such as seeing a doctor, psychologist, or other health worker in Australia has legal rights.
The 7 basic healthcare rights are the right to access, safety, respect, partnership, information, privacy, and give feedback.
Access
- Healthcare services and treatment that meets your needs
- Be provided with free emergency treatment at hospitals if you’re an Australian citizen
Safety
- Receive safe and high-quality health care that meets national standards
- Be cared for in an environment that is safe and makes you feel safe
Respect
- Be treated as an individual, and with dignity and respect
- Have your culture, identity, beliefs and choices recognised and respected
- Be protected from abuse (mental or physical) or discrimination because of your age, gender, race, family status, sexual orientation, or disability
Partnership
- Ask questions and be involved in open and honest communication
- Make decisions with your healthcare provider, to the extent that you choose and are able to
- Include the people that you want in planning and decision making
Information
- Receive clear information about your condition, the possible benefits and risks of different tests and treatments, so you can give your informed consent
- Receive information about services, waiting times and costs
- Be given assistance, when you need it, to help you to understand and use health information (this can include accessing an interpreter service)
- Access your health information
- Be told if something has gone wrong during your health care, how it happened, how it may affect you, and what is being done to make your care safe
Privacy
- Have your personal privacy respected
- Have information about you and your health kept secure and confidential (except in certain circumstances, for example, when breaking confidentiality in order to protect you from serious harm) [link to more detailed
Give feedback
- Provide feedback or make a complaint without it affecting the way that you are treated
- Have your concerns addressed in a transparent and timely way
- Share your experiences and participate to improve the quality of care and health services
What can you do if your rights are denied?
If you believe that your rights as a health consumer have been denied, or you feel that you’ve received bad care, you can:
- talk to the health professional about the problem. It’s a good idea to speak to the health professional first yourself or choose a family member, carer, or guardian to speak on your behalf
- speak to another health professional either at the same healthcare setting or somewhere else
- contact the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) in your state to talk about your concerns and get advice on what to do
- submit a formal complaint to the HCCC
For more information about the Australian Charter of Health Rights, please visit Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights | Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care