Consultation Paper - Participation in your health service system

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Executive Summary

The decision to develop a consumer, carer, and community participation policy for Victoria arose from a belief in the value of participation in the development of the Victorian health care system. Participation enables a health service to be part of the community and the community to identify its health needs and to work together to better meet those needs.

The aim is that the policy will guide participation across four levels:

• the Department of Human Services level
• the health service organisational level
• the department/ward/program within the health service level
• the individual consumer or patient level.

This consultation paper provides a review of the literature, existing policy documents, electronic information and other resources. The review’s purpose was to develop a series of recommendations for consultation with stakeholders across the four levels. Feedback from the consultation about the recommendations will form the basis of the policy.

The Policy Reference Committee has approved the recommendations. The committee comprises consumers, carers, community members, health service providers, Department of Human Services representatives, and representatives from non-government organisations and research groups.

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Consultation Paper - Participation in your health service system : Victorian consumers, carers, and the community working together with their health service and the Department of Human Services - March 2005 (363kb, pdf)

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