Action 2.03

The Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights was developed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) and adopted by all health ministers in 2008. It describes the rights of patients and other people using the Australian healthcare system. These rights are essential to ensure that safe and high-quality care is provided to all people, in all health settings in Australia (including public and private hospitals).

Review or develop a charter of rights

If the organisation does not have a charter of rights, use the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights as a foundation for developing a charter.

Review the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights and, if necessary, adapt it to meet the specific needs of the organisation; however, the seven original rights must remain in place.

If the organisation already has a charter of rights in place, review how it aligns with the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights.

Health service organisations may need to:

• Replace their existing charter with the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights
• Edit the existing charter so that it better aligns with the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights
• Keep the existing charter, noting that it is consistent with the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights but may include modifications to suit the organisation’s services.

Adopt the charter of rights

Support the effective adoption of the charter in the organisation. Strategies may include:

• Allocating responsibility for implementing and reviewing the charter to a manager with decision-making authority
• Including information about the charter during orientation for new members of the workforce
• Running regular education and training sessions for the workforce on their responsibilities for implementing the charter; this includes clinical and non clinical members of the workforce, and, if relevant, volunteers
• Building the charter into organisational processes, policies and codes of conduct
• Developing policies and procedures that outline how the rights in the charter will be achieved at the organisation.

Inform patients, carers and families about the charter, and make sure that they can find it easily. Strategies may include:

• Discussing the charter with patients
• Displaying brochures or posters advertising the charter at reception desks, and in waiting areas, wards, corridors, consulting rooms and other strategic locations
• Incorporating information about the charter into communication with patients, such as on the organisation’s website or in information brochures
• Incorporating the charter into information packs sent to elective patients before admission
• Making information about the charter available to patients at their bedside
• Ensuring that copies of the charter are available in community languages, and providing copies of the charter to any nominated interpreters
• Providing information in a format that is suitable for patients who are visually impaired, such as audio, in braille or on fully accessible websites.

Review the effectiveness of the charter

Measure the impact of the charter to see whether promotion efforts are successful and whether this affects patient experience. Strategies may include:

• Conducting surveys of patients to check whether they have received the charter, and whether the rights in the charter have been respected
• Conducting surveys of the workforce about their awareness of, and attitudes towards, the charter
• Monitoring patient requests for the charter
• Monitoring printing of the charter.

The brochure

Using the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights in your Health Service Organisation

2022

Fact sheet or brochure

This fact sheet provides practical information about how to use the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights in your health service.

is a guide that outlines ways in which health service organisations can provide information about health rights and incorporate a charter in their systems. Resources to assist with the adoption of the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights are available for download.

The Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights was developed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) and adopted by all health ministers in 2008. It describes the rights of patients and other people using the Australian healthcare system. These rights are essential to ensure that safe and high-quality care is provided to all people, in all health settings in Australia (including day procedure services).

Review or develop a charter of rights

If the day procedure service is part of a larger or networked group that has developed a charter of healthcare rights, ensure that the requirements of the charter are being met by the service.

If the day procedure service needs to implement its own charter of rights, use the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights as a foundation for developing a charter for people seeking and receiving health care in the service.

Review the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights and, if necessary, adapt it to meet the specific needs of the organisation; however, the seven original rights must remain in place.

If the organisation already has a charter of rights in place, review how it aligns with the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights.

Health service organisations may need to:

• Replace their existing charter with the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights
• Edit the existing charter so that it better aligns with the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights
• Keep the existing charter, noting that it is consistent with the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights but may include modifications to suit the organisation’s services.

Adopt the charter of rights

Support the effective adoption of the charter in the organisation. Strategies may include:

• Allocating responsibility for implementing and reviewing the charter to a manager with decision-making authority
• Including information about the charter during orientation for new members of the workforce and consumer representatives
• Running regular education and training sessions for the workforce on their responsibilities for implementing the charter; this includes clinical and non clinical members of the workforce, and, if relevant, volunteers.

Inform patients, families and carers about the charter, and make sure that they can easily gain access to it. Strategies may include:

• Discussing the charter with patients
• Displaying brochures or posters advertising the charter
• Including information about the charter in communication with patients, such as on the organisation’s website or in information brochures
• Including the charter in information packs sent to elective patients before their procedure
• Making information about the charter available to patients at their bedside
• Ensuring that copies of the charter are available in community languages, and providing copies of the charter to any nominated interpreters
• Providing information in a format that is suitable for patients who are visually impaired
• Seeking support from external agencies, such as telephone interpreting services.

Review the effectiveness of the charter

Measure the impact of the charter to see whether promotion efforts are successful and whether this affects patient experience. Strategies may include:

• Conducting surveys of patients to see whether they have received the charter, and whether the rights in the charter have been respected
• Conducting surveys of the workforce about their awareness of, and attitudes towards, the charter
• Monitoring patient requests for the charter
• Monitoring printing of the charter.

The brochure

Using the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights in your Health Service Organisation

2022

Fact sheet or brochure

This fact sheet provides practical information about how to use the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights in your health service.

is a guide that outlines ways in which health service organisations can provide information about health rights and incorporate a charter in their systems. Resources to assist with the adoption of the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights are available for download.

Examples of evidence

Select only examples currently in use:

• Policy documents that describe the use of a charter of rights
• Charter of rights that is consistent with the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights in different languages and formats, consistent with the patient profile
• Observation that a charter of rights is displayed in areas that are accessible to the public
• Consumer and carer information packages or resources that explain consumer healthcare rights
• Evidence that patients and carers received information about their healthcare rights and responsibilities, such as audits of patients, interviews or surveys
• Admission checklist that includes provision and explanation of a charter of rights
• Feedback from patients and consumers about awareness of the charter of rights.

MPSs or small hospitals that are part of a local health network or private hospital group should use the established charter of healthcare rights and ensure that the requirements are met.

Small hospitals that are not part of a local health network or private hospital group should use the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights as a foundation for developing a charter. Review the charter and, if necessary, adapt it to meet the specific needs of the organisation; however, the seven original rights must remain in place.

If the organisation already has a charter of rights in place, review how it aligns with the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights. Support the effective adoption of the charter in the organisation. Strategies may include:

• Allocating responsibility for implementing and reviewing the charter to a manager with decision-making authority
• Including information about the charter during orientation for new members of the workforce
• Running regular education and training sessions for the workforce on their responsibilities for implementing the charter; this includes clinical and non-clinical members of the workforce, and, if relevant, volunteers
• Building the charter into organisational processes, policies and codes of conduct
• Developing policies and procedures that outline how the rights will be achieved at the organisation.

Inform patients, carers and families about the charter, and make sure that they can find it easily.

Measure the impact of the charter to see whether promotion efforts are successful and whether this affects patient experience. Strategies may include:

• Conducting surveys of patients to determine whether they have received the charter, and whether the rights in the charter have been respected
• Conducting surveys of the workforce about their awareness of, and attitudes towards, the charter
• Monitoring patient requests for the charter
• Monitoring printing of the charter.

The brochure

Using the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights in your Health Service Organisation

2022

Fact sheet or brochure

This fact sheet provides practical information about how to use the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights in your health service.

is a guide that outlines ways in which health service organisations can provide information about health rights and incorporate a charter in their systems. Resources to assist with the adoption of the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights are available for download.