2 July 2018 Submission
Consumers Health Forum

CHF works to achieve safe, quality, timely and affordable healthcare for all Australians, supported by accessible health information and systems. We support the principles of consumer centred care and chief among these is the principle of universal health care1. Private Health Insurance (PHI) and concerns about medical costs are two of the areas most frequently raised with CHF by the community. Because of this, PHI is one of our key areas of interest. We have been active participants in all waves of reform about PHI, including through representing the needs of consumers on the current Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee. We welcome the Inquiry and are pleased to provide a submission to it.

13 June 2018 Consumers Shaping Health
Consumers Shaping Health
13 June 2018 Report
CHF and The George Institute
12 June 2018 Fact Sheets

In October 2017, TGA announced the implementation of patient information leaflets and patient implant cards for all implantable medical devices. This was in response to consumer concerns about the limited or absence of information provided about the medical device during surgery.

From 1 December 2018, a patient information leaflet will need to be provided by manufacturers of all new permanently implantable devices in the TGA approved format. It is intended that this summary document will be similar to the consumer medicines information leaflet given to the patient. Patient implant cards will also be required for all new urogynaecological mesh device implants.  

CHF have welcomed the announced reforms as a key component of improving informed consent for people having implanted devices and for after surgery care. Download the Consumer Guide to learn more.

6 June 2018 Presentations and Speeches
Consumers Health Forum

An introduction to patient implant cards and patient information leaflets for implantable medical devices.

6 June 2018 Health Voices
Consumers Health Forum

The notion that consumers are the silent partners in medical research is changing in step with the rise of consumer influence and individualised therapies.  And in the latest Federal Budget medical research funding is providing for consumers to have a role in helping identify research priorities. In this edition of Health Voices, leading Australian researchers and health consumers examine how consumers can influence research.

30 May 2018 Submission
Consumers Health Forum

At the heart of CHF’s policy agenda is patient-centred care. Our responses to the public consultation have been formed with a patient-centred approach in mind. CHF is a strong advocate of the development of guidelines for all sectors of the health system. While guidelines are only recommendations, they provide health practices the knowledge and tools to identify and address any gaps to ensure patients, health care workers and the public are protected from harm. They also help to clarify what people can expect from their health service provider and make it clear to those providers what community expects from them.

23 May 2018 Report
Consumers Health Forum and NPS MedicineWise

Consumer health data – clinical and socio-demographic – is increasingly collected, linked and used, both with and without consumers’ knowledge and informed consent. There is increasing focus on ‘big data’, evidence-informed policy, and the value of data-driven service development and improvement. Recent examples of this include consultations about the secondary use of health data, incentivising the capture of data at the point of care delivery, and the My Health Record. While discussions will continue on the benefits to be realised by collecting data and using it more effectively, limited attention has been paid to how consumers feel about this new data era and to assessing their data literacy. In 2017, NPS MedicineWise collaborated with the Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) on a research project about consumers’ attitudes to data. The four phases of the project were: a literature review; exploratory interviews with consumers; a survey with a nationally representative sample of consumers; and a jointly hosted thought leadership roundtable bringing together representatives from key organisations involved in digital health and use of data, consumer organisations, and consumers involved in the research.

21 May 2018 Report

Carer and Consumer Engagement in Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care

This consensus statement has been developed by Palliative Care Australia, Consumers Health Forum
of Australia and Carers Australia. Palliative care and end-of-life care should be strongly responsive
to the needs, preferences and values of people, their families and carers. People should be able to
access appropriate palliative care support, regardless of income, background, diagnosis, prognosis;
they should be able to access palliative care when and where they need it. 

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