Consumer Representatives Training

The Health Care Consumers’ Association will be running our next Consumer Representatives Training on Saturday 13 June and Saturday 20 June 2015 from 9am-4pm.

This free two-day course provides you with the opportunity to nominate as a Consumer Representative on a health service committee and make a valuable contribution to improve health services. You will learn more about the ACT Health System from a consumer perspective and how to use this knowledge to make effective systemic change.

The training includes:

Introduction to Consumer Perspectives         Navigating the Health System

Introduction to Consumer Participation         Effective Consumer Representation

Patient Safety Issues

To register: Tel: 6230 7800 or Email: sandraavila@hcca.org.au

Venue: HCCA Meeting Room, ACT Sports House, 100 Maitland Street, Hackett, ACT, 2602

Training courses are held several times a year. If you miss this one, please ask about future training dates.

Kate Gorman

Project Officer

Consumer Representatives Program

Consumer Representative Training Course

Are you, or a member of your family, a patient, carer or user of health care services? Then you are a health care consumer

Do you want a better understanding of the Health System in the ACT?

Are you interested in learning new skills to help yourself and others?

Have you thought about getting involved in a Health Directorate Committee?

Do you have questions or feedback about the health system?

This course will answer your questions and provide you with the necessary skills to help you to make a really valuable contribution to the health system.

We invite you to come along, learn some new skills and meet other health care consumers in a friendly atmosphere over the two day course.

After completing the course (you must attend both days), you will receive a certificate of participation, which enables you to nominate as a consumer representative on a Health Directorate Committee.

Course Date:  Friday 23 & 30 March 2012: 10am-2pm

HCCA Meeting Room, Sports House, 100 Maitland Street, 

Hackett ACT 2602

This course is free and morning tea and lunch will be provided. Please tell us of any dietary requirements.  Transport assistance may be available. Please ask for details.

To find out more and to register for course (you must attend both sessions) please contact us: Tel: 6230 7800: email adminofficer@hcca.org.au

Consumer Representative Training Courses are held 3 times a year.

If you miss this one, please ask about the June and September courses.

Interested in Consumer Participation in the Health System?

 
HCCA runs free training  for people interested in becoming consumer representatives.

Dates:  Thursday, September 16, 2010 and
            Thursday, September 23, 2010
 Time:    9:30am-2:30pm at
Where: The HCCA Offices, 10 Maitland St Hackett

Contact the office for more information.

Consumer information session on e-health

Interested in improving the quality and delivery of health services in the ACT?

Are you interested in improving the quality and delivery of health services in the ACT?

Do you want to drive meaningful change for health consumers?

Why not attend our Consumer Representative Training?

HCCA provides this training workshop to people interested in health in the ACT at no cost to particpants. At the end of this workshop, you will have a better understanding of your rights as a health care consumer, how to effectively contribute your say as a consumer and what opportunities are available for you to make such valuable contribution to our health system.

Areas covered in the workshop include:
-Overview of the Health System
-Consumer Participation in the Health System
-Consumer Representation on Committees/Boards
-Understanding advocacy and the consumer perspective

18 and 25 March 10 - 2.30pm at HCCA offices in ACT Sports House, Hackett. 

For more information contact the HCCA office on 02 6230 7800 or see the training page on the HCCA wesbite

Building Relationships - broadening our representation

In August HCCA was delighted to conduct training for the Canberra Multicultural Community Forum. The training sessions focused on the health rights, consumer participation and how consumers and advocates can participate in decision making in the ACT health system.
The workshops were valuable and HCCA staff gained important insights from the CMCF participants which we will use to frame responses to health policy. we would like to thank CMCF for their time, enthusiasm and willingness to build a relationship with HCCA.


HCCA President, Dr Adele Stevens, and Vice President, Marion Reilly, attended the first session and shared their experiences and insights as consumer representatives and being involved in an advocacy organisation. Russell McGowan, HCCA Secretary, attended the second session and we engaged in a lively discussion on health reform.

One thing HCCA does for all our training sessions ask consumers what they would like to change about the health system. The responses to this question are below.

What would you like to change about the health system?

Consumer Feedback
Increased representation from inclusive community
Better consultation process with all stakeholders
More efficient uses of resources from a diverse workforce
Overcome the top HEAVY administration in hospitals

Workforce
Better understanding by health professionals about cultural attitudes to health and their expectations for behaviour of clients
Doctors in hospitals who know as much as nurses about wound recovery etc. (they are often unaware of the long term effects of their treatment and they don’t know their patients.

Research
More funding for research into areas affecting consumers such as gluten intolerance

Home and Improve Aged Care support service – have community representative on the HACC committee. Not just restricted to service providers.
Better primary health care – subsidised fees for gym membership?

Navigating the System
More accessible information about services that are available especially for aged people.
More information about assistance for elderly people to let them stay in their own homes

Access
Access to dentists for all
Valet parking for Canberra Hospital!
Better transport to parking at Canberra Hospital
Reduce waiting at Emergency Department

.

Consumer Reps Training Completed for September 2008

Today we finished a very successful training course for consumer representatives. Canberra will be very well serviced by the recent graduates of our training. These people have a vast experience of the health system and will make very effective consumer representatives.

At the consumer representative training today we had the pleasure of listening to Russell McGowan share his story and insight into health following his hears of participation in the health consumer movement. Russell went through his very useful Roolz for Reps. These are tips on how to be effective consumer representatives.

We also discussed the national reform agenda. Members may be interested to read the recent Light on the Hill speech by the Federal Minister for Health, Ms Nicola Roxon, MP.

Well done to your new reps. I look forward to working with you to make our health services healthier!

Darlene

Consumer Reps Training Completed

Congratulations to the recent participants of our consumer rep training program!
Lorraine, Saffie, Phyllis, Angela, Chris, Siva and Kim


Over the last four Thursday mornings have been running our training sessions. It has been an enjoyable time during which we have shared stories and learnt how we can use these stories to identify issues in the health system that need to be improved.

Our new reps feel that they have learned a great deal about the importance of consumer representation and that they have learned strategies to put forrad the consumer persepctive in meetings.

One of our new reps commented all of the topics were invaluable and they would like it to go for a few more weeks. I can assure you that there will be many more opportunities to connect with HCCA and this is just the very beginning.

Our new reps also appreciated our informal and supportive approach to learning and the morning teas went down well also.

I have to say my involvement in the training is always a highlight as it provides me with a lovely opportunity to meet new people and connect them others who share their vision that we can make health services healthier.

The new reps have also had the benefit of the experiences and skills of many of our more experienced consumer reps. Thank you Janne, Anne-Marie, Roger, Anna, Denis and Russell.

I look forward to working with our new reps in the very near future, whether than be on committees, attending forums and discussions, commenting on policies or posting comments to the blog.

This year the training was co-facilitated by Lou Bannister. Lou has many years of rep experiences and a range of other skills that made her contribution extremely valuable. Lou has done a great job on pulling together the training manual based on the work of previous employees including Prue Borrman and Pam Boyer. Thank you Lou.

I would also like to thank Lydele who supported Lou and I in preparing for each training session and providing delicious morning teas.

Consumer Rep Training

HCCA provides training for people interested in becoming consumer representatives. The training is free and conducted in a relaxed atmosphere. People share their views and experiences of health services in the ACT, and learn about consumer participation and how it benefits the health system. Participants meet experienced consumer representatives and hear about the consumer representative role first hand.

Participants have described the best part of the training as:

"Personal stories from consumer representatives"
"The diversity of speakers"
"Networking and the content"
"It's very practical"
"Great group and I felt confident to share info and ask questions"
"It was great to meet and hear from real representatives ­ to give us confidence that we can do what they do"

The training course runs twice a year. Contact HCCA if you would like more inforamtion or would like to register for the next HCCA training schedule.

Module 1
Understanding the Representative Role: This module includes discussion on consumer participation and consumer rights, the roles and responsibilities of being a representative and consumer representatives stories

Module 2
The Context for Representation - HCCA and ACT Health: This module explains how HCCA works and how members are involved, it looks at the ACT Health system, the current consumer priorities in ACT Health and how decisions are made in the system.

Module 3
Committee and Presentation Skills: This module looks at how committees work and provides information about the different committees in the ACT health sector. Learn how to prepare for meetings, get noticed and how to put your case and influence the agenda.

Module 4
Diversity in Representation: This module looks at networking and how to obtain consumer views. It provides tools to enhance your representative role and how HCCA can support you in the role. It outlines the nomination process and guidelines for representation.

For more information contact HCCA Office on 02 6290 1660 or E-mail: adminhcca@gmail.com