Australia - Consumers Health Forum of Australia: Enabling health service consumers to have an active role throughout the health system.

Abstract

Patients are recognized as active consumers within the Australian health care system which is a universal health care system funded nationally, with state-level responsibility and local delivery. Patient engagement with hospitals is therefore focused on making services more patient-centred. As a national body representing the views of patients in Australia the Consumers Health Forum (CHF) helps affiliates to improve local and regional engagement. Initially, engagement was driven by local relationships with administrators and clinicians, whereas now there is more systematic patient representation on committees and boards - although local involvement can still be a challenge. Advocating for the application of national standards to different local contexts is ongoing and these are important because collecting, measuring and responding to patient views and involving them in decision-making can have a tangible impact on a hospital's "bottom-line" performance and funding.