Rights and Responsibilities - Information for Patients and Clients

All clients, patients and visitors have rights and responsibilities when accessing health services. We encourage you to ask questions so that you can understand your rights and responsibilities.

The Hunter New England Health brochure 'Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Client, Patient or Visitor' (pdf 90KB) incorporates the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights. This Charter describes the rights of patients and other people using the Australian health system.

We know that families play a vital role in supporting children and young people receiving healthcare. Our staff work together with parents and families and will include you as part of your child's healthcare team. For more information see the Kaleidoscope Children's Health Network website, including the brochure Your Rights and Responsibilities.

Hunter New England Health actively supports these rights and has developed a suite of information and tools to guide staff in providing this important information to patients and their family or carers, and to monitor this occurs. Performance is reported back to the Area Executive on an annual basis.

It is acknowledged that informing consumers about their rights and responsibilities is an important part of quality of care, patient safety, and consumer participation and engagement. All staff have a role to play in ensuring this information is available to people accessing Hunter New England Health facilities and services.

The information is also available in recorded format. To listen to information about your rights and responsibilities as a client, patient or visitor of a Hunter New England Health facility, follow the links below:

Hunter New England Health invites your feedback if you think your rights have not been supported.

Related information

Other relevant information is available on our internet. Click here to link to the site index.