News, Updates and What's On

NEW Health Consumers Queensland consumer decision-making guide and FAQs: Is the COVIDSafe app right for you and your family?

Uncertain about downloading the new national COVIDSafe app? Health Consumers Queensland’s new COVIDSafe app decision-making guide sets out the benefits, risks and alternatives. You can read this information online on the Decision-making Guide page.* You can also download our FAQs about using COVIDSafe.

The COVID-19 Community of Interest have rapidly provided their views on the app and the proposed guide. Some wanted clearer information (in different languages) and reassurance about security and the protection of their data or whether their phone could even support the app.  Others had already downloaded it and considered it was cost-effective and time-efficient. Key concerns included data storage, privacy, security of information, the type of data collected, and how the data is shared.

Their input has enabled us to refine and develop this decision-making guide to assist health consumers and carers with information about using the COVIDSafe app.

Health Consumers Queensland respects the rights of health consumers and carers to make informed decisions about their health.

*We will be updating this page regularly as more information becomes available.

What does the easing of restrictions around elective surgery now mean for consumers?​

This week we asked members of our COVID-19 Community of Interest: What matters to you when balancing the fear of being infected with the benefits of receiving ongoing care for your health condition? What barriers do we need to overcome in order to confidently shift our approach to utilize this capacity in the health system and feel reassured about the safety of patients and staff?  How do we best use the private hospital capacity which is now available?

Continue reading eAlert >

Re-balancing the health system: Consumer perspectives

When contemplating re-balancing the health system by bringing some elective surgeries back on-line, consumers identified key conditions that must be met in order them to feel safe when receiving their needed healthcare including:

  • Prioritising care for vulnerable consumers first
  • Addressing gaps in communication
  • Tailored conversations versus blanket-wide policies
  • Clear and early conversations about what postoperative care would look like and alternative ways of receiving that care, and the financial costs for consumers.

Read the Issues Paper >

Are you delaying healthcare due to COVID-19?

The news that we have flattened the curve in Queensland and are not experiencing the anticipated spike in infections and rise in hospital and ICU admissions, is welcome indeed. However, consumers and carers are now facing a further healthcare challenge: grappling with the impact of the lockdown on their ongoing healthcare needs.

Queensland Health is reminding people that hospitals and services are still ‘open’ and regular appointments can be kept. Yet we have heard some people are putting off their routine health care.

This week we asked members of our Consumer Advisory Group, consumer members of the Health Consumer Collaborative of Queensland, the COVID-19 Community of Interest and our followers on Facebook whether they had delayed any of their regular healthcare, if it was clear to them what care is continuing and what is being postponed, and how has this been communicated?

The key issues and concerns which emerged during the conversations included:

  • Difficulty in accessing care when in self-isolation.
  • Risk of inadvertently causing infection.
  • What is open and what is not.
  • Too much of a risk to go for routine tests including blood tests or keep appointments with specialists.
  • Vulnerable people have been advised to expect to remain in isolation until next year and planned surgeries have been postponed but what about waiting lists after this time.
  • The health consequences of waiting and postponing.
  • Deciding to put off new knees and hips and get by on steroid injections for the next 12 months.
  • Confusion and concern around cancellation of ante-natal classes for new parents-to-be.
  • Lack of communication around closure of transplant centres and the impact of this decision on people’s health and these precious resources.
  • How do we monitor symptoms and know when to go to hospital.
  • There have been no letters or phonecalls despite surgery needing to be done within three months
  • The sense of being just left hanging.
  • Inconsistencies in information are causing fear and particularly those of mature ages and with co-morbidities.
  • Communication methods need to address all levels of health literacy.
  • The system is not designed for particular groups or particular conditions. It is not reaching us at a place-based level.

Continue reading eAlert >

Lifting the Line

Planning and decision-making around the public health system response to COVID-19 is urgent and must factor in an ever-changing landscape. Quality consultation with consumers is in high demand and often takes place with less than 24 hours turn-around.  These challenges for Health Consumers Queensland and Queensland Health mean we need to work closely together to ensure consumers are brought in at the right time to influence plans, and public-facing communications and directives.

In this week’s eAlert we bring you an update on the latest work with consumers and staff and share how your input is impacting how Queensland Health is supporting and informing Queenslanders around COVID-19.

The importance of the consumer-staff partnership at this time has also been highlighted by John Wakefield, the Director General of Queensland Health. Every week he sends a message to all staff members at Queensland Health and we are grateful to him for allowing us to share an excerpt from his latest message, “Lifting the line”, with our network.

Continue reading eAlert >

Queensland Health staff: How to get rapid consumer consultation on your COVID-19 work

Health Consumers Queensland has been having regular video-based Consumer Conversations about the Queensland public health system’s response to COVID-19 with groups of health consumers and carers across the state.\We invite Queensland Health staff to use these established mechanisms to consult consumers and carers on your work. During COVID-19, we understand that work happens quickly. These groups work on an agile agenda, so consumer input on short notice is readily achievable eg. a 24 hour turnaround.  

Download our new information sheet and find out who we’re listening to, what’s being asked, when the conversations are taking place and how to access the rapid consumer input you need.

Continue reading eAlert >

Consumers: How to use Zoom and ensure your voice is heard during COVID-19

We are working to ensure that the consumer voice remains at the heart of the COVID-19 health response. One of the most effective ways to share your views right now is via online video conferencing platforms like Zoom. We would like to help you build your skills to use Zoom with confidence so that you can host and join meetings online, self-organise and have an impact on planning and decision-making in your regions and local communities.

Zoom is free and easy to download if you have a computer which has a microphone, camera and reliable internet.

If you are new to Zoom, take a look at these resources to get up and running.

Written instructions

Getting Started with Zoom

Using the Zoom controls within a meeting

Video

How to join a Zoom meeting

Using meeting controls. This video also discusses controlling a meeting from the host’s point of view, but does have useful information for participants about using Zoom.

Consumers continue to be part of important decision-making

Health Consumers Queensland is working hard to make sure health consumers continue to be part of important decision-making – even during a global pandemic

We are doing this by attending daily or weekly meetings on:

  • Clinical matters
  • Mental health
  • Disability health
  • Community health
  • Stakeholder networks
  • Communications
  • Maternity
  • and with other NGOs.

We also connected with health consumer organisations across the country to share strategies and resources.

Do you feel you have the right information to make decisions on COVID-19 for you and your family?

31 members of our new COVID-19 Community of Interest Group and the Department of Health joined a ‘Consumer Conversations’ feedback session via Zoom yesterday. We asked them:

– Do you feel you have the right information to make decisions on COVID-19 for you and your family?
– What is causing concern or confusion right now?
– Where are you getting good information, and where are you getting support?

Their feedback communicated an urgent need for clear, truthful, inclusive and consistent messaging from governments at state and federal level.

Continue reading this eAlert >

e-Alert to focus on powerful partnerships which inform and shape the COVID-19 response

We know that many of you are at the heart of COVID-19 in Queensland, either as consumers and carers, loving family members, or as staff in the health system. Our thoughts are with you all and we hope that working together on this will help to ease the burden. 

Health Consumers Queensland is now focusing its efforts on supporting powerful partnerships between consumers and staff in the health system. Our role is in enabling the most effective strategic response to COVID-19 and the communication messages and mechanisms used during these times.

Our eAlerts will now focus on sharing opportunities for consumers and carers to be involved in working with Queensland Health on shaping their plans and decisions about what and how they are communicating so that their messages are received and understood by our state’s diverse communities.  

  • As the pattern and spread of COVID-19 changes daily, we also want to support consumers and carers to quickly build your skills and confidence to self-organise and have an impact on planning and decision-making in your regions and local communities.
  • We will also continue to update you on our new working arrangements and current activities.
  • You can also continue to apply for non-COVID-19 related opportunities through this eAlert and we encourage you to do so as the organisers are making arrangements for non-facing meetings during this time.

Continue reading this eAlert >

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