The newsletter of the Health Care Consumers’ Association Inc.
 Issue 06 / 8 May 2026

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At the AGM on 12 November 2025 members endorsed the appointment of MGI Joyce Dickson as the auditor for 2025-2026. In January 2026 MGI Joyce Dickson (MGIJD) advised HCCA that they no longer offer audit services, effective 24 December 2025.

Phillip Miller and the audit team from MGIJD have moved to MNSA Canberra Pty Ltd.

The Executive Committee proposes that HCCA appoint Phillip Miller and his audit team at MNSA Canberra to undertake the audit for 2026. The audit fees will be the same.

This is a cost neutral option and ensures the audit team understand our organisation and NFP/charity governance and reporting requirements. This is the audit team that members voted to appoint at the AGM, just at a new company.

This motion will be added to the agenda for the Members’ Forum on 6 May 2026 for voting by the members. A formal notice of the motion and supporting information will be sent to members 14 days before the meeting in accordance with the HCCA Constitution.

In the health literacy update (below) there is some further information about an opportunity to participate in a focus group around some resources developed that give practical guidance about informed consent. If you have experience from  patient perspective or from a substitute decision maker perspective it would be wonderful to have your input. Further details can be found in the Health Literacy Update.

It has been a very busy two months for me in the role, last week was my two month “anniversary” and time feels like it has really flown by! I am continually impressed by the team’s commitment to the work of HCCA and the success that has been achieved through this commitment.  

In the last few weeks, we have had the opportunity to provide feedback around missed opportunities for consumer consultation and input around a variety of activities happening in ACT, including things like health conference design and ensuring that services adequately resource consumer codesign. I am please to say that there has been some effective advocacy in this space and that there will be some further representation opportunities announced soon for members to consider. As always, your lived experience and input is critical to building a health system that is consumer focused.  

Lastly, I am mindful that representation and volunteering have real costs associated to them, including travel costs and that with the current price of petrol this is a real impact for many. We will continue to monitor the situation around fuel and transport costs to look at what response or advocacy position HCCA may need to take up in relation to this to ensure that we can reduce the cost barrier to participation where possible. 

Lachlan Atyeo
Executive Director

In this Issue

• Upcoming HCCA Events
• Health Literacy Update
• Health Literacy - QUM Update
• Chronic Conditions Network Update
• Consumer Involvement and Representative Opportunities
• Items of Interest

Upcoming HCCA Events

Thursday 16th April, 3:30pm - 5pm

Online Via Zoom

You have the right to be an equal partner in your health care! But how do you speak up for yourself and what you need? Join this session to learn more about advocating for yourself and what to expect.

Health Literacy Update

HCCA will soon be reviewing two new information resources the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has drafted. These are intended to give practical guidance about informed consent to patients and also to people who are substitute decision makers for others.

We are looking for people who are interested in reviewing these guides from a patient perspective or from a substitute decision maker perspective. Each guide is 4-5 pages long. To provide feedback you could

• participate in a focus group
• have a one-on-one chat with staff
• review a copy and provide written comments

If you are interested in helping us review and provide feedback on these guides, please complete this expression of interest form.

— the Health Literacy team
(C and Ivapene)

Health Literacy - QUM Update

We are in the early stages of our QUM work on Osteoporosis – Secondary Fracture Prevention. If you have lived experience of osteoporosis as a consumer or carer, the QUM team would be keen to hear from you. You could help us develop useful resources to support others. To get involved, call:

(02) 6239 7800 or email: [email protected]

— the QUM team
(Kathryn, Nadia and Darcy)

Consumer Representation and Advocacy Opportunities

Please visit Consumer Opportunities on the HCCA website to learn more about, and nominate for, any of the following opportunities.

This committee monitors the actions of the Blood Management Standard at Canberra Health Services, including:

• Integrating clinical governance
• Applying quality improvement systems
• Partnering with consumers
• Optimising and conserving patients' own blood
• Documenting blood management information
• Prescribing and administering blood and blood products
• Reporting adverse blood management events
• Storing, distributing and tracing blood and blood products
• Availability of blood

This role would suit an experienced, confident consumer representative who has an interest in the safety and quality of health care and an understanding of the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards, and is able to manage reading background materials and meeting papers, and can provide a consumer perspective and engage in discussion about issues from a broad patient perspective.

To learn more or nominate for this opportunity, please visit the Consumer Opportunities page on our website.

This committee oversees the effective systems of clinical governance for the allied health professions at Canberra Health Services.

This would suit an experienced consumer representative who has an interest in allied health, an understanding of clinical governance or the willingness to learn about it and is confident to join a discussion and contribute a consumer perspective to the professional leads of these areas.

To learn more, please visit the Consumer Opportunities page on our website.

The Division of Rehabilitation, Aged and Community Services (RACS) Quality and Safety Committee provides leadership and guidance to the Division on Quality and Safety matters.

The Committee has the objectives of:

• Empowering staff to provide safe and high-quality care to our consumers
• Making decisions about allocation of resources to make improvements or resolve issues
• Communicating with and on behalf of the Division about quality and safety matters

This will suit a consumer who has an understanding of how allied health works and wants to work with a passionate team to improve consumer quality and safety.

To learn more, please visit the Consumer Opportunities page on our website.

Canberra Health Services (CHS) is reviewing its Research Strategy which expired at the end of 2025.

The strategy sets out how CHS will build a stronger research culture, work more closely with academic partners, and involve consumers, carers, and communities in health research. Now is the time to reflect on what has progressed, what worked, what didn’t, and how to move forward into the next phase.

Time: 12-2:30pm

Date: Wednesday, 22 April 2026

Location: Community Room, Chifley Community Centre, 70 Maclaurin Cres, Chifley

Join us if you are a community member and:

• Have used CHS services (or cared for someone who has)
• Are interested in how health research is done and the role of consumers, carer and community
• Want to help shape research priorities for the ACT community
• Have been involved in research partnerships or are interested

No research experience required. Community members will be provided a $50 gift voucher to thank them for their participation.

RSVP by email to Jutta Thwaites at the CHS Office of Research and Education at [email protected].

Items of Interest

Closes: 7^th April 2026

Consumer Health Forum (CHF) of Australia is working with Australia’s Health Panel to run a short survey to better understand consumer experiences of dignity, respect and inclusion in healthcare, and how these experiences influence trust, engagement and health outcomes.

The purpose of this survey is to inform:

• CHF’s policy positions and advocacy priorities
• collective submissions and reform agendas across the health system
• conversations with governments, funders and service providers about what needs to change in practice

And the survey focuses on:

• what makes people feel respected (or not) when receiving care
• how experiences of care translate into confidence, wellbeing and willingness to seek care
• practical and structural barriers that shape consumer experience

This survey only takes 10 minutes and aimed at anyone over the age of 18. All responses will be anonymous. You can find the survey on the CHF website under the Australian Health Panel portal.

The ACT Mental Health Consumer Network (MHCN) is offering a series of free, lived‑experience‑designed Self‑Advocacy Workshops from April to June. Introduction to self-advocacy is the first in the series, an in-person free workshop exploring the different types of advocacy, speaking up for yourself and how to recognise your own strengths.

When: Wednesday, 15 April 10:30am – 1:00pm

To register, please contact [email protected] ,  call (02) 6230 5796.
 or register online on the MHCN website

**FREE interpreter services available over the phone via the Australian Government’s Translation and Interpreting Service (TIS) on 131 450**

© 2026 Health Care Consumers' Association Inc, All rights reserved. Edited by Lachlan Atyeo.

Our mailing address is:
70 Maclaurin Crescent Chifley ACT 2606
02 6230 7800

Consumer Bites is the newsletter of the Health Care Consumers' Association. Consumer Bites provides a small snippet of health related articles our members might find interesting to consider and analyse. The HCCA does not endorse any opinions or the claims contained within the articles.

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