Get involved and make a difference

Be part of the solution and get involved in your health service district...The Gold Coast Health Service District (GCHSD) is committed to engaging the district about service planning, delivery and assessment of health services in our community. As a previous health care consumer or a potential consumer of health care services on the Gold Coast, you can help to shape health care by being involved in your health service district.

Consumer engagement and you

Community engagement means better outcomes through sharing of ideas... Consumer engagement (CE) involves the community participating in an advisory capacity to improve our health service. Areas of focus include quality and safety, communication, service planning, delivery and assessment.

Health Community Councils (HCC) 

HCC's work in partnership with Queensland Health district managers...The Queensland Government is committed to reforming the public health system and improving health service delivery for all Queenslanders. A key component of the reform process is the establishment of Health Community Councils.

Health Community Councils strengthen community input and help ensure that the delivery of public sector health services are highly responsive within their local district. Councils do this by:

  • undertaking community and consumer engagement activities
  • monitoring the quality, safety and effectiveness of health services delivered within the district
  • enhancing community education about the delivery of health services and
  • advising and making recommendations to the district manager.

What is in it for you?

People who participate can get great satisfaction knowing that they are helping to improve our health service. You can meet people with like endeavours and see your efforts help to influence tangible change. You can also benefit by being actively involved and knowing you are making a difference by representing the wider community to bring new ideas and suggestions to the table.

What is in it for GCHSD?

GCHSD service areas can benefit directly via:

  • effective decision making – CE helps to highlight needs and priorities from a community perspective
  • increased accountability
  • the expertise and energy that emerge from CE as individuals provide ‘lived experience’ to local issues
  • improved relationship between the hospital, service providers and consumers
  • increased public confidence in the health system.

Registration and participation on the Community Advisory Group (CAG) 

People who wish to participate on the CAG should complete a registration form and return it to the Community Engagement Officer. On receipt this form is processed and a short informal meeting is arranged so we can get to know each other and discuss expectations.

Some of the activities you could expect to be involved in include:

  • visits to hospitals
  • participating in focus groups and surveys
  • reviewing material prior to the wider community to supply feedback
  • participating on working groups/committees to represent the community.

No formal skills are required however our expectation is that members bring more than an opinion to the table.

We hope members could represent a broader community group and/or experience in a particular health service as a health consumer or previous employee in the health sector on the Gold Coast.

Working on committees

Participation on the CAG is voluntary and in an advisory capacity only. CAG members working on committees and or working groups as consumer representatives go through an informal recruitment and section process.

The project area requests a consumer representative and provides an Activity Brief. Detail is supplied on the proposed involvement of the consumer and the outcomes of the committee.

CAG members who wish to be considered advise the Community Engagement Officer, who then sends their registration/profile to the committee for consideration and selection.

Further information