22 April 2022 Position Statements
Consumers Health Forum

CHF is aware of the government decision in the Federal Budget that the national Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) role currently fulfilled by NPS MedicineWise will transfer to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare (ACSQHC).

From January 1, 2023:

  • A number of QUM functions currently delivered by NPS MedicineWise will be transferred to the ACSQHC
  • NPS MedicineWise will no longer receive any uncontested funding from the Department of Health to support QUM.

CHF supports the independent stewardship of QUM and for the last two years has been the principal consumer partner for NPS MedicineWise. Independent and nationally coordinated stewardship allows for a more objective analysis of how medicines are used, keeps health professionals and consumers up-to-date with timely, independent evidence-based information and resources about QUM, and gives scope for suggestions for change and improvement in practice that would benefit consumers.

Given the ongoing nature of the reviews of the National Medicines Policy; and given the Partnering with Consumers Standard that underpins all other standards upheld by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, now is not the time for QUM stewardship to be diluted.

Consumers play a vital role in promoting medicine quality and safety. Medicines safety has been designated a National Health Priority Area (NHPA) and should continue to be so in the wake of the findings of the Aged Care Royal Commission. Consumers must be involved in all stages of the proposed new approach from design to implementation.

Consumer interests remain central to the QUM agenda. To uphold this fundamental principle, all organisations seeking to be involved in the various components of the new suite of services from 1 January 2023 should be required to partner with consumer organisations in genuine collaborations to set priorities, co-design and deliver programs.

12 April 2022 Consumers Shaping Health
Consumers Health Forum

Persistence and resolve will get the best reforms

In the Apr 2022 edition of Consumers Shaping Health, we are ....

  • Making the case for Primary Health Care reform
  • Reminding Australians about the flu season with the Royal College of General Practitioners and Diabetes Australia
  • Showcasing the launch of the Australian Health Consumer Sentiment survey with our research partners

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4 April 2022 Report
CHF-PCHSS

The Australian Health Consumer Sentiment Survey is a population-based study of health consumer sentiment and provides an important barometer of satisfaction and opinions about the Australian health system. The survey was co-designed by academics and researchers from Macquarie University together with health consumer advocates and consumer-researchers from the Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF). Data from two waves of the survey with representative samples of Australian adults drawn from the general population – 1024 respondents in December 2018 and 5100 in October 2021 during the COVID-19 Delta outbreak – provides unique insights into health service use, satisfaction, and opinions before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Australian Health Consumer Sentiment survey, if undertaken regularly over time, would ensure that consumer views inform health policy.

Download your copy of the full report to learn what Australian consumers think about their health system’s performance before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

10 March 2022 Submission

The Australian consumer leadership experience

Rebecca Edwards, Jennie Parham and Leanne Wells

The Australian health care system includes a national organisation representing health care consumers and equivalent organisations in most states and territories.  There are several disease-specific patient organisations, as well as formalised networks advocating for greater patient involvement in health technology assessment and research.  This signals a system that sees a place for consumer insights: a system that is on a journey of maturing the way in which it seeks to involve consumers in decision-making.

Through this article, patient and consumer leadership is explored by recognising it as the next level of engagement, the deeper value and impact of incorporating the experience of consumers at all levels of the health system, policy decision-making and the opportunity for consumers to become leaders.

8 March 2022 Consumers Shaping Health
Consumers Health Forum

Digital health is about to upend health care – are we ready?

In the Mar 2022 edition of Consumers Shaping Health, we ....  

  • Launched a Whitepaper on Digital Health: Australia's Health Reimaged, the result of a 12-month project with Deloitte, Curtin University and CHF 
  • Released a report from the Rural, Regional and Remote Roundtable held in Dec 2021
  • Showcase a COVID vaccine confidence training package for GP and General Practices, Pharmacists and Practice Nurses 

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3 March 2022 Fact Sheets
Consumers Health Forum
3 March 2022 Fact Sheets
Consumers Health Forum
3 March 2022 Fact Sheets
Consumers Health Forum
3 March 2022 Fact Sheets
Consumers Health Forum
3 March 2022 Fact Sheets
Consumers Health Forum

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