Rights and Safety in Healthcare

Rights and Safety in Healthcare

The World Health Organization is focusing global attention on the issue of patient safety and launched a campaign in solidarity with patients on the very first World Patient Safety Day on 17 September. Greater patient involvement is the key to safer care. On the very first World Patient Safety Day WHO is prioritizing patient safety as a global health priority and urging patients, healthcare workers, policy makers and health care industry to “Speak up for patient safety!”.

On a related note, in August, the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights was launched and encourages people receiving health care in Australia to actively engage in decisions about their care with their healthcare provider. The second edition of the Charter, developed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, describes rights that apply to people in all healthcare settings across Australia. The Charter outlines what every person can expect when receiving care and describes seven fundamental rights including: access, safety, respect, partnership, information, privacy and giving feedback. You can View the second edition of the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights

 

Thank you to the Council on the Ageing (COTA) Queensland for this article which appeared in their enewsletter.  To receive news directly from COTA, sign up to their newsletter at https://cotaqld.org.au/get-involved/sign-up-for-e-news/