Training and Skills Building
Health Consumers Queensland supports people from diverse communities, including past and current patients, family members and carers, with lived and living experience of the health system, to be an influential voice on behalf of health service users across Queensland.
Based on the fundamental idea that the people affected by a decision have a right to participate in making that decision, HCQ offers free training to enable consumers to play a part in the way health organisations plan, develop, deliver, monitor and evaluate their services.
Our role in providing training is to enable consumers to effectively partner with healthcare providers, hospitals and health services, clinicians, researchers and others to provide improved outcomes for the benefit of all Queenslanders.
We also ensure consumers are informed and educated about their rights and responsibilities when interacting with the health system. Meanwhile the training we carry out with health service staff supports their skills in understanding and implementing consumer engagement within their organisations.
What do we offer?
We continue to grow our self-paced, on-demand training providing easy access to support consumers at different stages of their partnering journey — from those new to consumer engagement through to experienced representatives looking to build advanced and specialist skills.
Training modules are designed to help consumers add to their knowledge and understanding of the healthcare system while building their confidence to share ideas, thoughts and feedback in a variety of ways.
Following completion of training, consumer representatives may apply to join committees, provide feedback based on patient or carer experience, participate in focus groups or workshops, attend forums, meetings or symposiums, review information, promotional materials and policy documents, or to be engaged for other opportunities.
The training suite for consumers currently includes:
Foundations of Consumer Partnerships – an essential introductory course covering the principles, values and practical actions that underpin effective partnerships between consumers and the health sector. This is the recommended starting point for new consumer representatives and a useful refresher for those with experience.
Advanced Consumer Partnering – designed for consumers working at a systems or strategic level, with a focus on influence, collaboration, navigating complexity and strengthening impact.
Representing the Consumer Voice (microlearning) – a short, targeted learning option focused on bringing collective lived experience into conversations, decision-making and change.
These courses are designed to be flexible, practical and relevant, allowing consumers to build capability in specific areas beyond the Foundations level. We will continue to expand the training suite over time in response to emerging needs, feedback and priority topics identified by consumers and communities.
HCQ continually reviews training programs in response to current needs and feedback from our consumer network to update our suite of offerings.
Who can join our training?
Training is free of charge for consumers who are members of our network.
Current training
What’s new
We continue to build our new self-paced on-demand learning program to give consumer representatives more flexibility in how and when they access skills-building tools. Login or create your free account to access these new training modules.
Are you currently sitting on a committee as a consumer representative, or thinking about getting involved?
HCQ has developed a new training module to support consumers to participate confidently and effectively in committee settings. This course covers what to expect before, during, and after meetings, how to communicate lived experience constructively, and how to navigate your role over time.
Whether you’re new to consumer partnering or looking to strengthen your skills, this training will help you contribute meaningfully and ensure consumer voices are heard in decision-making.