July 2002

Update for patient charter

An updated charter of rights and responsibilities for public hospital patients will help improve the quality of care provided in Victorian hospitals.

Launching the Public Hospital Patient Charter, Minister for Health John Thwaites said the document was first released in 1995 and had been updated to reflect patients’ needs in the 21st Century.

‘Patients are entitled to expect and receive high quality services in our public hospital system.

‘The Government recognises patients’ rights to good health care and has enshrined them in the charter.

‘It clearly explains the standard of care patients should expect from hospitals and their own responsibilities while in hospital.

‘The charter encourages patients and hospital staff to communicate and work together to ensure the best treatment possible.’

A patient’s rights include:

• Treatment based on clinical need regardless of ability to pay or health insurance status;

• Participation in making decisions about their own treatment and care;

• Access to information about health care and, if desired, a second medical opinion;

• The ability to make a complaint to an independent complaints body.

‘In the past, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds sometimes struggled to understand their rights and responsibilities when entering hospital,’ Mr Thwaites said.

‘But this charter is available in many languages to ensure people from multicultural communities are well-informed and know they can access the charter and accompanying information package—poster, fact sheet and pamphlet—will be translated in 16 languages and distributed through hospitals, community and health organisations, GPs and councils.

• The charter and accompanying information is also available via the Internet at http://patientcharter.health.vic.gov.au