When anyone is unsafe, everyone is unsafe by Kate Gorman
24 June 2019
HCCA welcomes the news that a pilot program, known as SafeWards, will be implemented in the ACT’s secure mental health facility Dhulwa. Safewards is a program originally developed by Professor Len Bowers and colleagues in the UK, which has been shown to be effective in reducing the rates of conflict and containment in psychiatric wards and facilities. The ACT […]Finding freedom via a support group – part 2: types of groups by Suzanne Newnham
4 June 2019
Continuing from my previous article the following looks at the types of support groups that are available and potential challenges in joining a group. Again, this article is from my own experience and based on two questions on pain in 2012: Are support groups necessary? Aren’t they just a stagnant group consisting of a stream […]Finding freedom via a support group – part 1: my story by Suzanne Newnham
Are support groups necessary? Aren’t they just a stagnant group consisting of a stream of complaints, commiseration, and occasional messages of hope and encouragement? These are two questions that headed a discussion on pain in 2012. My comment then about the wonderful freedom that a support group can offer is still applicable. I am a […]
Report on National Forum on Mesh Implants by Kate Gorman
30 April 2019
Melbourne, April 5 2019 People came from all over Australia. They came with walking sticks and wheelchairs. Mesh injured women and men, their loved ones, health professionals, consumer advocates and government policy and regulation people. There were trauma counsellors on hand. There were couches at the front. There were private rooms with a place to […]Drawing on One’s Strengths by Claudia Cresswell
15 April 2019
Reuben is a young man and musician. A few years ago, he started to lose weight despite eating all the time. He was also chronically tired and had no idea of what was happening, “I carried on as blokes do”. Eventually blood tests led to a doctor calling early one evening “Get to the hospital […]Best of health for Australia: The experts’ priorities for the 2019 Federal Election by Shelley McInnis
1 April 2019
We thought we might be sprinkled around the Press Club lunch tables, so that we could schmooze with all the veteran journalists but, no. We, Wendy Armstrong, Linda Tromp, Indra Gajanayake and I, your faithful correspondent Shelley, were all shoulder-to-shoulder at Table 5. Nutritionist Rosemary Stanton was with us, too, and, intriguingly for me, especially, […]Improve the health system one question at a time by Kathryn Dwan
19 March 2019
I’ve always been one to ask questions. I spent my early childhood bombarding my poor mother with questions. My fellow uni students would hold their breath at the end of class when the lecturer would ask “Any questions?” I have even been accused of being “insufficiently deferent” simply because I ask questions. Undeterred, I continue […]Have you ever been called a ‘CONSUMER EXPERT’? by Trish Lord
5 February 2019
Several of us (HCCA reps) played this role in mid-December, as part of the Chronic Disease Management Symposium in December 2018. This is an education and development opportunity for all Canberra Health Services staff. It’s an annual event run by the Chronic Disease Management Unit (CDMU). It was entitled “The Stigma of Obesity: Exploring the Barriers […]Do you take a list of issues to your health appointments? by Kathryn Briant
29 January 2019
Many consumers prepare for a medical appointment by making and taking with them a list of issues, symptoms, concerns, treatments tried, or medical history. This approach helps make sure you remember what you want to tell your doctor or health professional, and remind you of what questions you want to ask. Lately I have been […]Consumers advocacy saves lives! by Kathryn Dwan
11 December 2018
Consumer advocacy rarely achieves quick wins. It can take some time before collective effort bears fruit. But never doubt its power! Last week the Public Health Association launched a report entitled Top 10 public health successes of the last 20 years. So many successes achieved through so much hard work, and so many lives saved! The […]Page 5 of 6