Recruiting: Paying consumers
Planning and preparation
Laying the foundations for a strong consumer partnership
How we can help
See what support we can offer your consumer recruitment
Recruitment process
Guiding you through every step along the process
Paying consumers
The how, why and when of remuneration and reimbursement
Guidance on consumer payments
Health Consumers Queensland has updated the Health Consumer Payments Position Statement for 2025-2026.
Consumers share their experiences to make healthcare better and financial barriers shouldn’t stop anyone from taking part.
Engaging with health consumers is an activity built on a foundation of partnership, respect, dignity, inclusiveness and improvement, and health consumer representatives bring many benefits to partnering activities.
Following broad consultation with consumer representatives from our network and health sector stakeholders Health Consumers Queensland has updated its Position Statement on payments for health consumers to better reflect the time and contribution they provide to a variety of engagement activities. It outlines values and types of payments made to health consumers as a guide for both consumers and organisations intending to engage them.
By making payments to consumers, organisations remove financial barriers, support engagement and value the expertise, time, knowledge and contributions made by health consumer representatives.
Still have questions? Contact us – we are happy to talk it through with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I organise payments within Queensland Health?
Queensland Health has produced several helpful documents on consumer payments.
Keep an eye on QHEPS for any updates or additions to these documents.
If you are working within a Hospital and Health Service, each of these has their own method of paying consumers. Speak with your consumer engagement team for advice.
What if I don’t have the budget to pay consumers?
If you factor in consumer payments from the initial planning stages, they can be factored in as easily as any other budgetary items. Consumer payments are modest. Consider the expertise that consumers bring to your project and the potential costs of this perspective not being heard.
But if we pay consumers, won’t we get “professional consumers”?
If you feel that you are always seeing the same faces in your consumer partnerships, it’s likely that payment is not the issue. You can broaden your pool of consumers by:
- Making your activity accessible
- Start your promotion sooner
- Make connections with organisations that support the types of consumers you are not seeing. They can give you advice and support your promotion.
- Developing and continually engaging a consumer community of interest
Why payments for health consumers are important
Health Consumers Queensland recommends that no consumer should be financially disadvantaged as a result of their contribution to a health organisation.
Beyond that, paying consumers in a fair and timely way is one thing organisations can do to give projects a greater chance of success. When consumers are not paid, it can limit the extent and diversity of members of the community who will be able to take part. You may exclude:
- People who have caring responsibilities, and who will need to pay for care while they take part in a partnering activity
- People who are casual workers and who need to take time off work to participate
- People on a low income for whom transport is costly.
By excluding these groups, you may not hear the voices of people who need your service the most. You will also not get the fullest picture of how to make your service as effective as it could be.