Patient Rights & Responsibilities

BRHS supports patients and the users of our services to understand their rights and responsibilities.

The Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights was developed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare with input from a wide range of sources including health sector, government and health consumer groups.

The aim of the Charter is to provide a consistent understanding of, and approach to, healthcare rights across Australia.

• 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.

BRHS encourages all community members using the service to be respectful of staff and other visitors and support our commitment to an aggression free environment.

We also encourage all users of the service to be patient when the wait time is longer than you would like – we appreciate that this can be frustrating and appreciate your understanding at these times.

To help achieve the best outcomes from your hospital stay, it is also important that you:

• Provide accurate and complete information.
• Understand your treatment.
• Be aware of your rights.
• Follow the prescribed treatment, and to ask questions if unsure and report any changes in your condition.
• Tell staff about any special needs that are important to your culture or religion/spirituality.
• Respect those around you.

We encourage you to speak with a staff member if you have any questions.