Our Commitment
Everyone who is seeking or receiving care in the Australian health system has certain rights regarding the nature of that care. These are described in the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights. The rights included in the Charter relate to access, safety, respect, communication, participation, privacy and comment.
Allowah Presbyterian Children’s Hospital has adopted the Charter rights within the Hospital and its programmes.
You are entitled to raise issues about your child’s healthcare rights. You are encouraged to read the Charter, or have it explained to you, and to discuss the Charter with Allowah staff or your family.
Your rights
Access
A right to health care.
You have a fundamental right to adequate and timely health care to address your child’s needs. This will not always be available at Allowah as we do not offer a full range of hospital services. You can contribute to the right of access by trying to ensure you attend all bookings and tell us when you cannot or when booking times / days need to change.
Safety
A right safe and high quality care.
If you are unsure about what is happening to your child or if you think something has been missed in their care, alert our staff. Let us know any circumstances that might make your child’s health care riskier.
Respect
A right to be shown respect, dignity and consideration.
Your child is entitled to receive care in a way that it respectful of our culture, beliefs, values and characteristics like age and gender. It is important to tell Allowah about any changes in your or your child’s circumstances.
Respect also includes being mindful of our staff and other patients.
Communication
A right to be informed about services, treatment options and costs in a clear and open way.
Allowah will tell you about the care your child is receiving and will help you understand what is happening to them.
You can contribute to communication by being as open and honest as you can be. In order to understand instructions given to you, you can ask questions if you would like more information.
You can use interpreters if English is not your first language. Interpreter services are free and can be provided in person or by phone.
Participation
A right to be included in decisions and choices about care.
You are encouraged to participate in decisions about your child’s care. Ask questions if you are unsure about what is happening to them.
Privacy
A right to privacy and confidentiality of provided information.
You are able to see your child’s records and ask for information to be corrected if it is wrong. In some situations their health information will need to be shared between healthcare providers.
You can also contribute by respecting the privacy and confidentiality of others.
Comment
A right to comment on care and have concerns addressed.
At Allowah we want to solve problems quickly, but to do that we need to be told about the problem first. If you have any suggestions about how services could be improved please let staff know.
Making a complaint
It’s always best to try to resolve you complaint with Allowah Presbyterian Children’s Hospital first.
CEO Elizabeth McClean
0427 421 467
emcclean@pcnsw.org.au
Should you wish to make a comment, compliment or complaint you can do so here.
If you have tried this and are still unsatisfied, you can make a complaint to the Health Care Complaints Commissioner in NSW at:
NSW Health Care Complaints Commission
www.hccc.nsw.gov.au
Click here to download our brochure on your Healthcare Rights
