The newsletter of the Health Care Consumers’ Association Inc.
 Issue 21 / 8 November 2026

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On that note, I encourage members to support the LGBTQIA+ community by attending SpringOUT Fair Day on 31 October in Glebe Park. HCCA will be there from 11am to 5pm at Stall 45. It looks like a fantastic day of performances, artists, food and community, so please stop by and say hello to the team.

I also attended the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) Leadership Summit. The discussion there highlighted the significant impact climate change will have on health and wellbeing in the years ahead. While there are many immediate challenges facing our health system, it is important that we continue to make space for conversations about the long-term health impacts of climate change and consider how HCCA can contribute to this work.

HCCA President Linda and I also recently met with Minister Caitlin Tough. We had a positive discussion about a range of issues, including social determinants of health, the work of the Chronic Conditions Network, and health literacy. The Minister was particularly interested in learning more about the National Health Literacy Framework and recognised health literacy as an issue that spans multiple portfolios. We look forward to continuing these conversations and identifying opportunities to strengthen consumer voices in future policy discussions.

Lastly, a reminder that HCCA’s Annual General Meeting is coming up soon! I encourage all members who can attend to come along. We look forward to seeing you there.

Lachlan Atyeo
Executive Director

In this Issue

• Upcoming HCCA events
• Infrastructure Update
• Health Literacy Update
• Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) Update
• Policy and Research Update
• Consumer Involvement and Representative Opportunities
• Members Spotlight
• Items of Interest

Upcoming HCCA Events

10 November, 12-2:30pm, Southern Cross Club Woden

Join us for afternoon tea and a chat with community organisations and health services that can help you and your loved ones live well with long-term health conditions.

Every Thursday 2pm – 4pm @ Chifley Health & Wellbeing Hub

Come join Grow ACT's new free Mental Wellbeing Peer Support Group at Chifley!

If you're living with a chronic health condition or simply looking for a welcoming space to connect with others, this ongoing peer support group offers a safe and confidential place to share experiences and support your mental wellbeing.

23 and 30 November, 10am-1:30pm, Chifley Health and Wellbeing Hub

Do you have experience in healthcare advocacy and want to support others? Join our free mentor training in November to learn practical mentoring skills that can help you guide new consumer representatives and others in your community. You could make a real difference to someone just starting their journey, so we'd love for you to join us.

Consumer Participation Update

Infrastructure Update

In November, Canberra Health Services will open a new community health centre in Conder. You can read more about it on the ACT Government website. Members of the health infrastructure consumer reference group have provided design advice for community health facilities, such as putting in lower reception counters for wheelchair users. HCCA staff and consumer representatives attended the water ceremony to mark the completion of the centre.

Caption: Lou Bannister at the accessible reception counter

Caption: (L-R) (back) Simon Webber (Infrastructure Canberra) Julia Rollings (consumer representative), Bob Bannister (HCCA member), Jo Morris (Canberra Health Services), Ravi Krishnamurthy (consumer representative), Kate Gorman (HCCA), (front) Aunty Caroline Hughes AM, Ngunnawal Elder, Lou Bannister (consumer representative)

— the Infrastructure Officer
(Bernadette)

Health Literacy Update

Last week, we had a great webinar with Saffron Howden of the University of Canberra and Dr Julie Ayre of Sydney Health Literacy Lab on Skills for digital health literacy. If you missed it, you can watch the recording on HCCA’s Youtube channel.

We have also recently presented to:

• Sydney Health Literacy Lab’s consumer panel, Co-SHeLL, about HCCA and our health literacy program
• ANU Health Science students on Partnering with Consumers
• ANU International Students on Navigating the Health System
• Health and community workers on Supporting Consumer Health Literacy

Some of the events our team attended this fortnight were:

• Consumer Healthcare Products (CHP) Australia and Pharmaceutical Society of Australia event at Parliament House. The interactive showcase had self-care, pharmacist support and consumer healthcare products.

Caption: (L to R) Ivapene Seiuli, Mallika Chaulagain, and Scott Sharpe (HCCA) with Chris Braithwaite (Pharmaceutical Society of Australia)

• Multicultural Seniors Aged Care Services Event: Coordinated by the Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services (MARSS). It brought together 140+ seniors to hear about the different aged care services in the ACT.

Caption: Ivapene Seiuli (HCCA) and Auntie Violet 

• 2026 FECCA Conference, Canberra: Leaders, communities, and changemakers from across the country attended the conference over 2 days (15-16 October). It explored how connection and solidarity can strengthen our collective sense of belonging and inform policy that impacts all ethnic communities. HCCA hosted a market stall there to share health information with conference attendees.

— the Health Literacy team
(C and Ivapene)

Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) Update

As Menopause Month comes to an end, don't forget to check out the hub of great resources Jean Hailes has created for the Quality Use of Medicines Project. There are more resources to come, but for now you can read about:

• Step-by-step guides on how to use different types of Menopausal Hormone Therapy (creams, pills, patches and pessaries)
• The latest evidence on testosterone
• Resources on Menopausal Hormone Therapy and breast cancer to support consumers and health professionals to have conversations about their treatment options

Jean Hailes also partnered with the Centre for Culture, Equity and Health (CEH) to present key learnings from their work with Afghan women and menopause. You can watch the Menopause Across Cultures webinar on the CEH website.

— the QUM team
(Kathryn, Nadia and Darcy)

Policy and Research Update

HCCA representatives, Kaye Powell and Caroline Polak Scowcroft recently presented at the MDT Roundtable for Older Persons' Health, held at Amberfield, Weston Creek on 15 October. The event was hosted by LDK Seniors Living and organised by Health ANSWERS. Consumers, clinicians, health researchers, policymakers and health administrators discussed challenges in health care for older people at the event.

Kaye and Caroline shared consumer perspectives in the opening panel discussion, highlighting issues that matter most to older people and their families. Key topics were the reduced capacity of the health care system to adequately help older people with multiple health conditions, affordability and timely access to services.

— the Policy and Research team
(Jess, Scott, and Fiona)

Consumer Involvement and Representative Opportunities

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

ACT Opportunities

This working group will provide advice and oversight on preventing pressure injuries (PI). Its goal is to reduce the rate of pressure injuries that occur during a hospital stay.  The working group will also support the review and implementation of the Canberra Health Services' (CHS) Pressure Injury Prevention and Management Procedure. 

This role would suit a representative who can provide a consumer perspective on practical ways to identify risks early and prevent pressure injuries for people receiving care in hospital.  

This committee meets monthly and will conclude in June 2027. The next meeting will be held on 18 November. 

Read the Terms of Reference for this committee. 

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

Applications close on 31 October. 

The Clinical Risk and Audit Committee works to improve the quality of diagnostic imaging services and patient care at Canberra Imaging Group (CIG). CIG will do this through regular review and assessment of their clinical practices. 

The consumer representative will help make sure CIG’s policies, procedures, quality and safety practices meet both regulatory standards and the needs of patients and healthcare partners. 

This role is suitable for a representative who is confident or willing to develop their skills in system oversight, as well as engaging in discussions about what is working well and what could be improved to support better patient care. 

Read the Terms of Reference for this committee, which includes the CIG Consumer induction manual. 

This committee meets online four times a year. The next meeting is on 2 December from 5:30-7:30pm. 

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

Applications close on 8 November.  

Canberra Health Services (CHS) are looking for consumer, carer or community members to join the Consumer, Carer and Community Engagement in Research (C3ER) Sub-Group. 

This group will provide advice on: 

• how people find out about research opportunities, 
• how consent is requested, 
• how information is written, 
• the time and costs involved in taking part,
• how people give feedback or raise a concern, and 
• how research results are shared with the community. 

CHS is interested in hearing from people who have: 

• taken part in research, such as a clinical trial 
• supported someone who has participated in research, or 
• worked as a consumer or carer partner on a research project team. 

Read the Expression of Interest and Terms of Reference for more information 

The C3ER sub-group will meet online for 90 minutes on the fourth Wednesday of each month, expecting to start February 2027. 

To submit an Expression of Interest, please send a brief (no more than one page) outlining your interest to Leah Matthews at [email protected] by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, 4 November 2026.

Members Spotlight

commitment to improving healthcare and ensuring consumer voices are heard. That shared purpose continues to drive Diane’s involvement today.

One initiative Diane is particularly passionate about is HCCA’s Chronic Conditions Network. Working alongside HCCA staff and other chronic condition organisations provides an opportunity to advocate collectively for changes that better support people living with chronic conditions.

For Diane, one of the highlights of HCCA membership is meeting fellow members and hearing their stories of resilience and consumer advocacy.

“Consumer voices are essential because people navigating healthcare understand its everyday challenges in ways that systems and services can sometimes overlook,” she says. “Their experiences should help shape decisions, so care reflects what matters to the people receiving it.”

Her advice for anyone thinking about becoming a member is simple: get involved, listen and bring your perspective. You do not need to have all the answers to contribute to positive change.

Outside of work, Diane has some interesting stories of her own. She lived in Montreal, Canada, for nearly 20 years and speaks French. She also plays in a women’s ice hockey league in the ACT with the Canberra Foxes!

Items of Interest

The recording of Health Consumers Queensland webinar, Healthcare Meets AI: What It Means for You, is now available.

The webinar explores what AI means for patients and consumers. It also explores the potential benefits, risks and the importance of ensuring consumers have a voice in how AI is developed and used in healthcare.

To view the recording, visit the Health Consumers QLD YouTube channel.

Health services are starting to use AI to write and edit health information. Researchers want to know what consumers think health services should tell them, when AI has been used.

For more information and to fill out the survey, please go this this linked Microsoft form.

The Healthy Environments and Lives (HEAL) conference is from 3 - 5 November. It will address the urgent health, climate, and environmental challenges facing Australia, the Asia-Pacific region, and the world. All events are free and in a hybrid format. You simply need to register.

Some sessions of interest include:

• Wildfire, Smoke and Health: Protecting Communities in a Changing Climate
• Indigenous Knowledges and their impact in addressing climate change and its impact on health
• Health systems sustainability and resilience to climate change

To view the full program and to register, please go to the HEAL network website.

Give us Your Feedback

What did you think of this issue? Give us your feedback through this linked microsoft form.

Would you like to chat about any of these things? Please email us at [email protected] for your feedback. We would love to hear from you!

**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.

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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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