Human lifespan - starts at fertilisation, ends at death

Prenatal - fertilisation & birth

• Taeks about 38 weeks

• Development of organs and structures

• Fastest grown rate

Infancy - Birth to 2

• Rabid growth

• Develop motor skills

• Babbling

Early childhood - 3 to 6

• Learns social skills, makes friends, interacts

• Slow and steady growth

• Motor skills

• Toilet training

Late childhood - 6 to 12

• Slow and steady growth

• Refining reading and writing

• Develop long term memory

• Motor skills

Youth 12 to 18

• Rapid growth 

• Concentration

• Puberty

• Complex relationships

• Independence

• Sexual maturity

Early adulthood - 18 to 40

• Reach physical peak

• Maintenance and repair not growth

• Career

• Family

Middle adulthood - 40 to 65

• Physical signs of ageing

• Menopause

• Further development of identity & beliefs

Late adulthood - 65 to death

• Illness 

• Ageing

• Grief from losing friends and family

• Reflection on life

• Dependence on others for help 

Physical development - Changes that occur to the body and its systems

• Growth

• Changes to body systems

  • Immune system

  • primary/secondary sex characteristics

• Motor skill development

  • Fine motor skills

  • Gross motor skills

Social development - the increasing complexity of beahviour patterns used in relationships with other people

• Behaviours

  • Table manners

  • Polite

• Social roles & expectations

• Relationship skills

  • Conflict resolution

  • Open communication

• Communication skills

Emotional development - experiency the full range of emotions, increasing complexity relating to the expression of emotions, the development of a self-concept and resilience

• Self concept

  • How a person sees himself

• Full range of emotions 

• Appropriate ways of expressing and communicating emotions

• Building resilience 

Intellectual development - the increase in complexity of processes in the brain such as thought, knowledge and memory

• Knowledge and memory

• Language 

• Though patterns and problem-solving

• Attention

• Creativity & imagination 

Youth to adulthood

Physical 

• Growth plates fuse

• Reproductive system

• Fat disruption

• Motor skills improve as limbs become coordinated

Soical

• Independence

• Learn social roles

• Employment

• Relationships

• Communication

• Relationship skills

Emotional 

• Exploring different values and beliefs

• More comfortable in identity

• Emotional independence

• Greater resilience

Intellectual

• Have goals 

• More complex learning

• Increased language

• No longer black and white

Factors of perception

• Past experiences with people in the lifespan

• Media

• Other’s opinions

• A person’s values and beliefs

• Politicatan’s and public figures ’ views

• Person’s experiences when they were in the lifespan

Views of youth

• Positive

  • Hardworking and happy

  • Youth have many opportunities

•  Negative

  • Lazy and do only the minimum

  • Lack maturity

  • Entitled

  • More concerned about social media than real-life

  • Foolish

  • Violent and criminals 

Relationship = a connection between two or more people or groups of people

• Family

• Professional 

• Online

• Intimate

• Friendships

• Teachers

• Coaches

• Mentors

Respect - consideration of other’s feelings, opinions, rights and needs

Trust - feeling of having confidence in another person and feeling emotionally and physically safe around them

Honesty - choosing not to lie, deceive or cheat ( being honest)

Loyalty - the quality of being faithful to others/sticking by each other/providing support

Empathy - the ability to understand and share the feelings of another

Equality - being equal/all people in the relationship are valued and have the same expectations

Safety - the state of being free from danger, either physically or emotionally

Communication - allows people to share their interests, aspirations and concerns or worries, discuss their expectations, provide support 

Unhealthy relationships

• Feeling uncomfortable around person/people

• Being put down

• Not feeling appreciated, valued or cared for

• Feeling that the relation is unequal

• Being embarrassed, bullied or harassed

• Feeling scared

• Feeling vulnerable, constantly disappointed or angry

Warning signs of unhealthy relationships

• Dependence

• Violence

• Control

• Disrespect

• Harassment

• Dishonesty

• Intimidation

• Hostility 

Relation ships

• Impact on physical h& w 

  • Appropriate levels of fitness fueled by sports coaches and teamates

• Impact on emotional h&w

  • High levels of resilence taught by parents having trust

• Impact on mental h&w

  • Positive self-esteem from having supportive and kind friends

• Impact on social h&w

  • Supportive and well-functioning family through strong and safe relationships with family

• Impact on spiritual h&w

  • Strong personal values and veliefs from work in communitiy or in parishes/religious groups

• Impact on physical development

  • Gross & fine motor skills from relationships with sport coaches and teammates

• Impact on intellectual development

  • Building knowledge and problem-solving abilities through positive relationships with teachers

• Impact on emotional development

  • Appropriately expressed and communicated emotions through supportive and honest relationships such as friends

• Impact on social development

  • Development of communication skills, conflict resolution skills and understanding of values and beliefs from relationships with friends and family

Parenting

• The process of promoting the physical, emotional, social and intellectual development and h&w of a child

Social support for parents

• Practical assistance

  • Money 

  • Babysitters

  • Meal prep

• Money for housing, clothing, food

• Contact with extended family to provide history and culture

• Parenting classes

• Health nurses

Emotional support

• Maternal health groups

• Parent groups

• Advice

• Encouragement

• Friends

Germinal stage - 0 to 2 weeks

• 30 hours after fertilisation occurs cell division begins

• The blastocyst begins to implant into the endometrium

• The formation of placenta begins

Embryonic - 3 to 8 weeks

• Implantation is complete

• Brain and spine start to develop

• Heart begins to beat

• (7 weeks) muscles have formed

Foetal - 9 to 38 weeks

• All the body’s organs are formed 

• Sex of foetus can be seen

• Eyes are developed and can open & close

• Lungs are developed 

Risk factors

Smoking

• Low birthweight

• Ectopic pregnancy

• Birth defects

Alcohol

• Stillbirth

• Undernourishment

• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

• Heart defects

Maternal undernutrition 

• Low oxygen at birth

• Difficulty feeding

• Breathing problems

Foods to avoid - fish/prepacked foods

• Miscarriage

• Stillbirth

• Delayed dev

• Language difficulties 

Protective factors

Antenatal care

• Ensure normal foetal dev

• Counselling and reassurance

• Catch birth problems

• Decrease some birth defects

Maternal diet

• Folate - spine/nervous system

• Iodine - brain

• Iron - energy levels 

Development in Infancy - 0 to 2

Physical Development

• Birthweight grows

• Brain grows

• Muscles grow

• Nerves develop

• Baby teeth

• Motor skill develop

• Pincer grasp

Social Development

• Relationships with caregivers

• Communication skills

  • Smile & frown

  • facial expressions

• Play

• Games

• Waving 

• Social interaction

• Shy or nervous

Emotional Development

• Range of emotions

• Emotional bond

• Separation anxiety

• Emotional attachment

• Learning appropriate expression of emotion

• Developing self-concept

Intellectual Development

• Knowledge and memory 

• Learning to speak

• Attention

• Thought patterns

• Object permanence

Early Childhood Development - 3 to 6

Physical development 

• Slow & steady growth

• First set of teeth

• Walking 

• Kicking, catching & throwing

• Coordination

• Fine motor skills

Social Development

• Participation in family routines

• Attending social functions

• Eating at table

• Communication increase

• Independence

  • Washing

  • Dressing

• Play with others

• Social roles

• Sharing 

• Taking turns

Emotional Development

• Experience a range of emotions

  • Pride

• Empathy

• Physical violence for frustration

• Self-concept

• Ownership

Intellectual Development 

• Language 

  • 1500 to 2500 words

• Knowledge

• Memory

• Attention lengthens

• Learn to write basic letters

• Learn to read basic books

• Learnt to count

• Problem solving 

Public health system - implemented, funded and organised by the government

• Medicare

• Pharmaceutical benefits scheme (PBS)

• National disability insurance scheme (NDIS)

• Federal/Australian government funds and is responsible 

Medicare

What is medicare

• Medicare is Australia’s universal health insurance scheme. Medicare gives all Australians, permanent residents and people from countries with healthcare agreements access to healthcare that is subsidised by the federal Australian government. Medicare provides cheap basic medical healthcare.

Services that medicare provides

•  consultation fees for doctors & specialists (dermatologist, paediatrician)

• tests and examinations needed to treat illnesses (x-rays, ultrasounds and pathology tests)

• eye tests

• some surgical procedures performed by approved dentists

• Dentist services for some children aged 2–17.

• a limited number of consultations with a psychologist

• Treatment in a public hospital (& accommodation)

• 75% of private hospital stays 

• 6 subsides sessions with specialists if refereed by GP (physiotherapists)

• “A mental health treatment plan lets you claim up to 10 individual and 10 group sessions with a mental health professional each calendar year.”

Services that medicare does NOT provide

• Ambulance cover 

• Cosmetic surgery 

• Nursing homes & age care

• Most dental

• chiropractic services, acupuncture, remedial massage, naturopathy and aromatherapy

• glasses and contact lenses, hearing aids and the cost of artificial limbs 

• Specialist appointments 

• Accommodation and treatment in private hostpitals (covers 75%)

How is medicare funded

• Medicare levy 

  • 2 per cent tax for most Australian tax payers to fund Medicare

  •  placed on the taxable income

  • exempt: low incomes/pensioners

• Medicare levy surcharge 

  • an additional 1–1.5 per cent tax on high income earners who do not have private health insurance

  • income of people without private hospital insurance earning more than a certain amount ($90 000 a year for individuals and $180 000 for families in 2021).

  • aims to encourage individuals to take out private hospital cover and, where possible, to use the private system to reduce the demand on the Medicare-funded public system

• General taxation

  • income collected through general income tax of all Australians

• Schedule fee

  • The amount that Medicare (the government) pays to the doctors to cover their consultations. $38.75 is the current schedule fee 2023

• Bulk billing

  • Where the doctor will only charge the patient the schedule fee. The patient then has no out of pocket expenses

• Adv & Dis

PBS

• Reducing the cost of essential medices that promote health improvements and increase life expectancy

• PBS saftey net

• Provides subsidised medication

Private Health Insurance

• Private health insurance is a type of insurance where members pay a premium in return for payment towards health-related costs not covered by Medicare. 

• an additional insurance product that people can choose to purchase to cover the cost of medical services in addition to Medicare. 

• Most Australians with private health insurance receive a rebate (or ‘refund’) from the government to help cover the cost of premiums 

• This can be done by either paying a reduced premium, or by claiming the rebate via their tax return

• The rebate differs based on income. The more you earn, the less rebate you will receive

• People who take up private health insurance after the age of 31 pay an extra 2% on their premiums for every year they are over the age of 30. 

• People earning more than $90,000 a year ($180,000 for families) pay an extra tax if they DO NOT purchase private hospital insurance (you can’t just have extras). 

10.4 - The range of community services to support the dimensions of health and wellbeing

• Doctors, dentists, hospitals

  • Most communities have access to a range of conventional medical services, such as general practice clinics, medical specialists, public and private hospitals, ambulance services and dental services. 

  •  Patients who are ill or injured can seek treatment from a GP or at the emergency room of a public hospital. 

  • Dental health is a major consideration in maintaining physical health and wellbeing,

  • Mental health and wellbeing is also promoted through these conventional medical services as people can access psychologists or counsellors to help reduce stress and anxiety levels at critical times.

  • Doctors, dentists and hospitals provide medical care. Patients who are ill or injured can seek treatment from a GP or at the emergency room of a public hospital. Dentists provide dental health. 

    • General practice clinics

    • Medical specialists

    • Public and private hospitals

    • Ambulance services

    • Dental services

  • Doctors, dentists and hospitals support the physical health and wellbeing of the community as they help with the absence of illness and disease

  • Doctors, dentists and hospitals support the mental health and wellbeing of the community as through these services people can access psychologists or counsellors to help reduce stress and anxiety levels

Maternal and Child Health Service

• Provided by state and local government 

• to support families in parenting, health and wellbeing and development of children from birth up to beginning primary school

• Supports families in parenting, health and wellbeing and development of children from birth up to beginning primary school. 

  • Free consultations with the maternal and child health nurse 

  • Helpline to a nurse available 24/7

  • Tip sheets

  • Informs parents of possible illnesses their children can have and how to deal with them

• Maternal and Child Health Services can support the mental health and wellbeing of the community as through services that reassure and guide parents, the parents will have lower levels of stress and anxiety 

• Maternal and Child Health Services can support the social health and wellbeing of the community as through events and groups organised by Maternal and Child Health Services both parents and children can have more interaction with each other and can improve communication

Sports or recreational clubs

• Many people satisfy their health and wellbeing needs through recreational activities and sports. This is seen through more amounts of physical activity and social interaction with others, benefiting many dimensions of health and wellbeing.

• Being part of either a sporting club or other recreational association can enhance one’s social health and wellbeing as it allows individuals to develop a sense of belonging, shaping their identity and improves their ability to interact with others. 

• This is alsp helpful towards the emotional health and wellbeing of individuals who partake in either a sporting group or recreational activity as they can learn and adapt to how to appropriately express emotions and learn resiliance through things such as competitive sports. 

• Ultimately, this also significantly enhances one’s physical health and wellbeing as it increases the amount of physical activity and fitness that an individual engages in and can help them to maintain a healthy body weight, functioning immune system and their overall cardiovascular health. 

• Helps individuals to enhance their social interaction through socialising with others whilst partaking in a sport or recreational activity. 

• Helps the physical health of people as it allows them to be more active through sporting or other physical activities, enhancing peak physical health. 

Places of worship

• It is common for church groups to help others in the community such as refugees or new immigrants to Australia. This gives members healthy and meaningful social interactions and a sense of purpose in life.

• Religious organisations are founded on shared beliefs and values, and helping people to determine what is important to them is a key role of a church or religious group. These community organisations also promote social health and wellbeing as people with shared opinions, values and beliefs can interact on a regular basis.

  • Youth clubs

  • Senior groups

  • Activities

  • Volunteer groups

  • Outreach programs

  • Social justice

• Places of worship can provide a purpose and meaning for many people and this supports spiritual health and wellbeing. 

• Religious organisations are founded on shared beliefs and values, and helping people to determine what is important to them is a key role of a church or religious group. 

• These community organisations also promote social health and wellbeing as people with shared opinions, values and beliefs can interact on a regular basis. 

• Through places of worship, people are able to build a supportive social network that involves communication and productivity with others.

Volunteer organisations

• St John Ambulance Australia is an organisation dedicated to caring for Australians who are sick, distressed, suffering or in danger. 

• One of the most significant contributions of the St John volunteers is to provide health services at large public events such as concerts, sports and festivals. These volunteers are trained to provide life-saving first aid and CPR and care for all members of the Australian public.

• For the volunteers, all dimensions of health and wellbeing are supported. For example, the feelings associated with helping others and involvement in the community promote spiritual health and wellbeing, while forming meaningful connections with other volunteers promotes social health and wellbeing.

10.5 - Rights and responsibilities of access to healthcare

• Australian Charter of Healthcare rights

  • Everyone has the right to be able to access healthcare and this right is essential for the Charter to be meaningful.

  • The Australian government commits to international agreements about human rights, which recognise everyone’s right to have the highest possible standard of physical and mental health and wellbeing.

  • Australia is a society made up of people with different cultures and ways of life, and the Charter acknowledges and respects these differences.

• Access  - I have a right to healthcare. - I can access services to address my healthcare needs.

• Safety - I have a right to receive safe and high quality care. - I receive safe and high quality health services, provided with professional care, skill and competence.

• Respect - I have a right to be shown respect, dignity and consideration. - The care provided shows respect to me and my culture, beliefs, values and personal characteristics.

• Communication - I have a right to be informed about services, treatment, options and costs in a clear and open way. - I receive open, timely and appropriate communication about my healthcare in a way I can understand.

• Participation - I have a right to be included in decisions and choices about my care. - I may join in making decisions and choices about my care and about health service planning.

• Privacy - I have a right to privacy and confidentiality of my personal information. - My personal privacy is maintained and proper handling of my personal health and other information is assured.

• Comment - I have a right to comment on my care and to have my concerns addressed. - I can comment on or complain about my care and have my concerns dealt with properly and promptly.

• Patient rights - In accordance with those outlined in the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights, a patient has the right to:

  • information about their diagnosis

  • information from the doctor or health service on the costs of the proposed treatment, including any likely out-of-pocket expenses

  • seek other medical opinions about their condition

  • information on visiting arrangements for family and friends while they are in hospital

  • privacy of and access to their own medical records

  • treatment with respect and dignity

  • care and support from nurses and allied health professionals

  • participate in decisions about their care

  • make a comment or complaint about any aspect of their hospital or medical treatment.

• Patient responsibilities - Along with their rights, patients also have certain responsibilities when accessing healthcare. It is a patient’s responsibility to:

  • provide information about their past and present illnesses, hospitalisations, medications and other matters relating to their health history

  • ask questions when they do not understand explanations given about the risks and benefits of the proposed healthcare, treatments or procedures

  • follow the instructions and medical orders of their doctors, nurses and medical support staff to bring about the best outcomes from treatment

  • report any safety concerns immediately to their doctor, nurse or healthcare support staff

  • treat medical staff with respect

  • ask questions about costs before treatment.

• Privacy and confidentiality

• There are laws that outline how a patient’s medical records and information can be stored and shared in order to protect their personal privacy and confidentiality. 

• All healthcare professionals are bound by these laws and cannot discuss a patient’s health information without their consent. 

• The storage of medical information and records must also reflect these privacy laws. 

• With the consent of the patient, their health information may be shared with other healthcare providers to help them make decisions about the correct treatment. 

• Every patient has the right for the confidentiality of their condition and treatment to be maintained. 

• Every patient also always has a right to access their own health information.

• Medical confidentiality is a set of rules that means that anything discussed between a doctor and patient must be kept private. This is known as doctor–patient confidentiality. When a patient consults a new doctor, they can choose whether to share their previous medical records with them.

• Privacy in healthcare means that what a patient tells their doctor, any information the doctor stores, medications prescribed and any other personal information is kept private. There are exceptions to this: if the patient is a child then their parents have access to their own child’s medical information, and carers may be authorised to access the information of adults under their care.

11.2 Factors affecting access to health services and Information

Geographic location

• Health services are mostly located in cities

• rural areas may face:

  • May have fewer health services and hospitals available

  • Shorter opening hours making it more difficult to access

  • Less access to public transport, if unable to drive makes it very difficult

  • Long distances to travel may deter people from visiting or delaying visits

• preventative measures may be further away

• People in rural areas may have to travel to major cities to access healthcare services which may mean they have to leave family, take off work or travel a long way

Socioeconomic Status

• Socioeconomic status = income, occupation, education

• Costs 

  • seeing a specialist or dental care

  • Medication

  • Time off work

  • Cost of transport

• Occupation

  • those that do shift work

  • have long working hours

  • travel for work may not have time to access healthcare

  • Casual workers do not have sick leave

• Education 

  • Health literacy

  • Language barrier

Health Literacy

• the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions

• not just about reading and interpreting information about health problems and issues

• using the information to make good decisions based on a thorough understanding of the health services available 

• how best to access and use these services

• How to fill out forms

• Understanding nutrition

• Medical instructions 

Cultural Factors

• barrier if health care providers do not acknowledge and accept different cultures

• Jehova’s Witness are not allowed to accept blood transfusions. 

• Some religions prevent women from consulting with male doctors

• Some religions/cultures are less likely to show certain parts of their body

• Fasting can stop some from accessing/following doctor instructions

• poor attitudes towards different cultural practices and beliefs

• Stigma of mental illness surrounding some cultures

• For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the predominantly western-oriented health system is staffed by non-Indigenous practitioners who may lack understanding of Indigenous culture and concepts of health and wellbeing

Cultural Factors (Language Barriers)

•  Those with a language barrier are much less likely to access medical services and information because they don’t understand the information they are given and may not feel that they are in a safe or culturally appropriate environment.

• May not understand instructions or forms

• This can result in poor communication and understanding leading to misinterpretation of information.

• Diagnosis may not be completely accurate with missing information.

Gender

• Men often have a harder time accessing health services

• Limited opening hours outside of work hours

• Embarrassment discussing sensitive, emotional issues or reproductive health services with female health professionals

• Discomfort in the waiting room and having to state the reason for the visit

• Social norms and values associated with a traditional view of masculinity including self-reliance and perseverance in the face of pain.

11.3 Opportunities and Challenges presented by digital media

What is digital media?

• refers to audio (sound), video and photographic content that has been converted into a digital media file

• websites

• mobile apps

• social media

• games

• data and databases

• digital audio (MP3)

• digital images and video

• computer software

• e-books

• virtual reality

Technology-based patient consultations

• doctor–patient consultations that use any form of technology, including video conferencing, internet or telephone, as an alternative to face-to-face consultations

•  increasingly being used by all medical specialties in Australia, in addition to normal medical practice, where the patient and their medical history are well known to the doctor

• does not replace a face-to-face consultation where there often needs to be a physical examination; however, this technology can increase access to care for patients and increase efficiency and effectiveness of the medical practice

Virtual reality

• distraction therapy for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy 

• various forms of doctor training

• virtual reality can be used to train surgeons where it is difficult to observe some surgeries

• trialled for use in improving doctor–patient relations for elderly people or those suffering from dementia. In these cases, doctors can use virtual reality to experience what it is like to be elderly with low vision and hearing or spend time living as a dementia patient. These applications are aimed at improving connections between elderly patients and their much younger doctors, helping to improve access to healthcare for those patients.

Symptom checkers

• search for various symptoms they may be suffering or answer a number of basic questions to determine the best action to take when feeling unwell or experiencing certain specific symptoms

• provides some basic self-care information to follow as a result of answers that were provided to the initial questions

• Healthdirect and myDr, and overseas-based websites such as mayoclinic.org have web-based ‘symptom checkers’

Health and wellbeing apps

• specific health information on a wide range of topics including food ingredient lists for people with allergies, exercise trackers, menstrual period trackers and skin checks for moles

• health and fitness apps, which help motivate people to be more physically active

• Beyondblue produced the BeyondNow app for people experiencing suicidal thoughts and feelings. This app provides a mobile, personalised safety plan that people can carry at all times in their pocket to help them through tough times or to get help when needed.

• On Track with The Right Mix is an app developed by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, which allows people to keep track of their drinking over time and provides information on the short- and long-term health effects of drinking alcohol.

• SkinVision is an app designed to evaluate moles and other skin lesions for skin cancer risk. The user takes a photo of any moles or skin conditions they are concerned about, then the app analyses the photo and gives a recommendation based on a traffic light system. The app allows people to track any changes in their skin over time, share this information with doctors and together assess their risk of skin cancer and any actions to be taken.

• My QuitBuddy is a free app associated with the Quitnow initiative, designed to help people get, and stay, smoke-free. It helps smokers through the hardest times with helpful tips and distractions to overcome cravings, tracking systems to chart progress towards quitting smoking and the facts needed to understand the effect smoking has on health and wellbeing. There are versions of this app targeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and pregnant women.

Health and wellbeing websites

• Healthdirect (www.healthdirect.gov.au) is a service from the Federal government providing free Australian health advice on the internet. In addition to the symptom tracker already mentioned, this website provides an extensive A–Z listing of health information based on conditions, symptoms or common health experiences for different life stages. Healthdirect also has a mobile app that provides similar information and assistance.

• The Better Health Channel (www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au) is a comprehensive health and wellbeing and healthy living website provided by the Victorian Government. Tools such as a BMI calculator and health-related apps are available from the Better Health Channel. The Vax On Time app developed by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services helps to remind parents and carers when their child’s vaccinations are due. The Better Health Channel app lets people set personal health alerts and notifications for pollen, UV levels and smog. A range of healthy recipes and articles on other healthy living topics are provided on the website.

• myDr.com.au, a project of DrMe Pty Ltd, is an independent website that claims to provide reliable Australian health information, health tools and calculators covering symptoms, diseases, tests and investigations, medicines, treatments, nutrition and fitness. Health information is categorised by age and gender and can be browsed for common concerns. This website has a search engine to find a GP for people needing access to medical assistance.

Search engines such as Google

• adding medical facts about common ailments, including symptoms, treatments and useful facts when basic health conditions are searched for through their search engine

• users to be able to easily access a single reliable source of health information that has been checked by doctors from the Mayo Clinic and Harvard Medical School, instead of numerous poor or unreliable websites

•  basic information should assist users to gather more relevant information and decide which course to take 

11.4 - Issues in health services

11.5 - Complaint system 

• Health Complaints Commissioner (HCC)

• independent, fee-free organisation

• Manage safety concerns

• role it is to receive and resolve complaints about health service providers through an impartial and confidential process.

• plays a role in protecting the public and supporting safe and ethical healthcare in Victoria.

• The HCC manage complaints related to:

  • access to services

  • quality and safety

  • care and attention

  • respect, dignity and consideration

  • communication about treatment, options and costs

  • the level of involvement in healthcare decisions

  • access, privacy and confidentiality of personal health information

  • complaint handling by the health service provider.

• Anyone can make a complaint to the HCC about any health service provided in Victoria, or about any organisation that holds health records, including schools, gyms and other non-health service providers, about how they handle personal information.

• Complaints may be made by patients, their friends, family or guardians or another health service provide

• Complaints can be lodged about both registered and non-registered practitioners

  • Registered health practitioners: Doctors, dentists, nurses, surgeons, midwives, physiotherapists, chiropractors, psychologists, pharmacists, Chinese herbalists, occupational therapists, optometrists, osteopaths, podiatrists, radiographers and Indigenous health practitioners

  • Non-registered health practitioners Audiologists, naturopaths, dietitians, speech pathologists, homeopaths, counsellors, paramedics, masseurs, alternative therapists and other providers of general health services

•  first step is to decide whether the HCC should deal with the complaint or if another agency is more appropriate. 

• next step is to confirm that the person making the complaint has tried to resolve their issue directly with the service provider

• Once the HCC accepts the complaint, they are recommended to take the least formal course of action possible to efficiently resolve the issue.

• three courses of action possible: early resolution, formal resolution or investigation. 

• Early resolution is the least formal (and often the quickest) way to resolve complaints. In most cases, the complaint is discussed with both parties over the phone to clarify the problem and to identify an acceptable solution. 

• The formal resolution process involves a series of documented steps, each leading towards finding an acceptable solution. This process begins by working with the complainant to write a formal description of the complaint, which is then sent, along with a resolution plan, to the health service provider. 

  •  The resolution plan may include requests for meetings, medical records, reports or independent opinions. Any improvements the provider agrees to make in response to the complaint will be documented and shared with all parties.

• investigation is a formal and detailed examination, often used in handling large or highly complex matters. The HCC may investigate public and private organisations as well as individual practitioners. Following an investigation into a registered or non-registered practitioner, the HCC may issue a public warning statement to alert people to serious risks to their health, life, safety or welfare.