17 Sep 2020
Health Consumers Queensland is delighted to announce that, for the first time in our public health system’s history, consumers are sitting across almost all the key governance committees in the Department of Health (known as Tier 2 System Advisory Committees).
Eight out of the nine committees have representation from consumers, clinicians and First Nations people as well as an organisational representative from Health Consumers Queensland. The System Management Advisory Committee is the only exception, with a decision by the Chairs to have clinicians and First Nations people on the Tier 2 committee, and consumers on their Tier 3 sub-committees.
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15 Sep 2020
Recently the Chief Health Officer confirmed that Queenslanders should wear face masks when we can’t socially distance. However, wearing face masks continues to be a topic of discussion and confusion amongst consumers.
Eleven consumers from Health Consumers Queensland’s COVID-19 Community of Interest joined Jordan Medlock from the Strategic Communications Branch’s Project Team to explore the issues which are causing concern and identify additional information which would enable consumers to make confident and informed choices about mask wearing as part of their personal and collective COVID-19 protection strategy.
Read the full issues paper here >
7 Sep 2020
Do you remember back in April, when Annastacia Palaszczuk was telling Queenslanders that containing COVID-19 was going to be “a marathon, not a sprint”? Fast forward to the last few weeks in August, we are watching what is unfolding in Victoria and New South Wales, continuing to have concerning cases appear in Queensland and coming to accept that this is not all going to be ‘all over by Christmas’.
Indeed, one consumer remarked how people keep talking about ‘’post-COVID”, when really we all need to be focusing on how the health system and consumers can be supported to maintain and access regular health services and care, alongside sustaining a constant state of readiness for COVID-19 outbreaks, care and containment.
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3 Sep 2020
Jessica Bean is an experienced health consumer and a member of both our state-wide network and COVID-19 Community of Interest group.
Last week we heard her share her thoughts during a focus group with Health and Wellbeing Queensland on the best ways to engage with consumers and she spoke about the importance of our Issues Papers for consumers as an example of best practice.
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28 Aug 2020
Although a vaccine for COVID-19 is not yet available, it’s high on the news agenda this week and keenly anticipated.
According to peer-reviewed research published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention journal, we need up to 80% vaccination to ensure herd immunity. Yet the results of an Australian study in April showed that 14% of Australian adults would reject or were unsure about having a COVID vaccine. It’s also likely that some people will be ineligible for the vaccine for medical reasons.
This week Health Consumers Queensland asked health consumers from its COVID-19 Community of Interest:
- How could the population be encouraged to be vaccinated?
- What would you need to know before deciding whether or not to get a vaccination?
- What would motivate or stop you from getting one?
Read the full issues paper here >
