Information for health services

The following information provides a guide for those working in the ACT health system requesting a consumer representative.

What is the process of finding a consumer rep?

When contacting HCCA about a consumer rep it helps us if you can provide the following information at least one month prior to the first meeting:

• Terms of reference for the Committee
• How often, when and where it meets
• How it links with other committees and decision-making bodies
• Whether the committee pays sitting fees or out -of -pocket expenses to the consumer representative
• Committee contact details including email and telephone and mailing address
• Any other information including websites that provide background information about the committee or issue.

It takes about 4 weeks for HCCA to complete the process of advertising, recruiting and selecting a consumer representative. We advertise vacancies to consumer networks via email and our newsletter. People nominate for positions and these nominations are sent to the Consumer Representatives Sub-Committee to assess nominations and make a recommendation to the Executive Committee of HCCA.

A HCCA Consumer Representative is:

• A person endorsed by HCCA to represent the views and interests of health consumers.
• A person with experience of health services primarily as consumers of services. They commit to being well informed about relevant health issues and to representing a broad range of consumer views by ensuring they are accountable to others through HCCA.

A HCCA Consumer Representative should not be expected to:

• Have a technical background in the subject under discussion. The consumer representative provides consumers perspectives on an issue and does not need the technical knowledge. Their expertise is in knowledge of consumer issues.
• Undertake consumer consultations beyond what is required to inform their own input at the meeting or to ensure their own accountability to their constituency. If wider consumer consultation is required, the consumer representative can advise the committee on how this can be progressed and advise Health Care Consumers' Association of any such requests.

The Consumers' Health Forum of Australia provides a useful checklist for how health providers can support consumer representatives.

Staff at HCCA

We have an energetic and committed team at HCCA who work to support our members and consumer representatives and ensure that there is a strong consumer voice in the planning, delivery, review and monitoring of health services in the ACT.






Darlene Cox
Executive Director






Lydele
Administration officer





Tony
Policy officer






Robyn
Communications officer





Kerry
Consumer Reps Coordinator

HCCA Executive Committee 2007 - 8

As an Incorporated Association, HCCA is managed by a governing committee.

President: Russell McGowan

Russell McGowan is a bone marrow transplant survivor who became interested in the heath consumer movement as a result of his experiences in treatment during the early 90s. He is vice president of the Consumers' Health Forum of Australia and participates on a range of national and territory level strategic committees.

Vice President: Marion Reilly

Marion currently works for the Australian Computer Society and previously in the Australian Public Service (20 years service) working for the development of programs for services in housing and aged care. Marion served as a Member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and Member of the Standing Committee for Social Policy. She is a member of the ACT Asthma Association.

Treasurer: Bev McConnell

Bev has worked in the APS in Canberra and Sydney for most of the past 17 years, mainly in communications and broadcasting. Her main areas of interest in consumer health care are electronic health records and prescribing, and health technology R&D. She is a current member of the ACT Hepatitis C Council.

Secretary: Kate Moore

Kate became committed to developing an effective consumer voice in health policy in the early 1980s after working as an Adviser to the then Commonwealth Minister for Health and Community Services, Dr Neal Blewett. In that position she saw first hand how powerful interest groups shaped the delivery of health care, and how that resulted in a system that suited the interests of providers rather than consumers. After leaving her position with Dr Blewett, Kate became the Executive Director of the Consumers' Health Forum, a position she held for 7 years. Kate has been on the HCCA Executive since 1999, and is Chair of the ACT Health Council.

Member: Adele Stevens

Member: Judith Manning

Member: David Lovegrove