Healthcare rights in Victoria

Page content: Healthcare rights and human rights | Consumers, patients and providers | Your rights in the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights

The Victorian government has adopted the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights and produced a brochure especially for patients and consumers, giving specific, easy-to-understand examples of the seven rights in the Australian Charter.

The text below and on the linked pages under each right – access, safety, privacy and so on – is a slightly expanded version of the brochure in Braille, in the audio file, the printed and the downloadable documents in English and 25 community languages and accessible formats.

This website and the Australian Healthcare Rights Charter in Victoria brochure include information about the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights and what it may mean to you as a patient, consumer, family member or carer using the Victorian healthcare system.

The rights described in the Charter apply to people seeking or receiving care from all healthcare services in Victoria. This includes people using public and private hospitals, GP clinics, medical specialists, aged care and disability services, mental health services, community health centres and allied health providers such as psychologists, dentists, naturopaths and occupational therapists.

Healthcare rights and human rights

The Australian and Victorian governments are committed to several international human rights agreements that recognise everyone’s right to the highest possible standard of physical and mental health. They recognise your right to health care and to other services essential to health, including safe water, housing and health-related education.

In Victoria, publicly-funded healthcare services must legally comply with the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006, which protects a range of human rights, a number of which are relevant to people seeking or receiving health care.

Consumers, patients and providers

Consumers are people who are current or potential users of health services, including hospital patients. This includes children, women and men; people living with a disability; people from diverse cultural backgrounds and faiths, socioeconomic status and social circumstances, sexual orientations and health conditions.

The healthcare provider is the trained health professional providing your care. The healthcare service is the organisation responsible for providing healthcare services.

Your rights in the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights

• Access – a right to access health care.
• Safety – a right to receive safe and high quality health care.
• Respect – a right to be shown respect, and to be treated with dignity and consideration.
• Communication – a right to be informed about services, treatment, options and costs in a clear and open way.
• Participation – a right to be included in decisions and to make choices about your health care.
• Privacy – a right to privacy and confidentiality of your personal information.
• Comment – a right to comment on your health care, and to have your concerns addressed.

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