Health Consumers' Council WA

28/10/2026

The wait. The cost. The care. How was it for you? 📢 If you’ve needed healthcare in WA since May 2026, tell us what worked and what needs to change.

Your feedback will inform HCCWA’s advocacy with WA Health and decision makers.

Take our 10-minute survey by 4 November 👉 You'll find the link to our survey in the first comment below.

27/10/2026

Interpreters in healthcare 📢 Interpreter access, patient safety and health equity.

We came across this interesting article in InSight+ (The Medical Journal of Australia), the article highlights the critical role of professional interpreters in improving patient safety, informed decision-making and health equity. Without effective language support, consumers can miss important information about their diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care.

Join HCCWA and NAATI on Tuesday 24 November for a panel forum exploring interpreters in healthcare, and be part of the conversation about creating a more inclusive health system.

Register for the forum 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/kq8rj5ut7s

Many clinicians think booking an interpreter or using an AI translation app is enough. New Australian research shows why this approach falls short.

26/10/2026

LAST CHANCE free workshop 📢 This Wednesday: cultural diversity training for WA health staff: clinical, administrative and support staff working across healthcare.

This Wednesday, HCCWA is holding a workshop to help health staff provide more accessible, inclusive and culturally responsive care.

The workshop will explore communication, unconscious bias, barriers to healthcare and practical ways to better support people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Clinical, administrative, reception, coordination and support staff are all encouraged to attend.

Wednesday 28 October
10.00 am to 2.00 pm AWST
HCCWA, Mount Lawley
Light lunch provided
Includes certificate of completion

Register while bookings remain open 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/fd8dja57co

FREE in-person training for WA health staff on culturally responsive communication, inclusive care and reducing barriers for culturally diverse consumers.

23/10/2026

FREE TRAINING 📢 You’ve been asked to involve consumers in a healthcare project. Where do you start? Who should you invite? When should they get involved? How do you make sure their input can influence decisions?

Our introductory workshop, Partnering with Consumers, will help you work through these questions.

Join HCCWA’s Tania Harris to explore:
🔸 Who to involve and different ways to engage.
🔸 Choosing an approach that suits your project.
🔸 Barriers to participation and how to avoid tokenism.

For people working in healthcare planning, quality and safety, research, policy, communications or clinical services. No previous engagement experience needed.

Wednesday 4 November
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Online via Zoom

Build your confidence before your next project begins.

Register your free spot 👉

This intro workshop will give you a practical foundation for engaging health consumers, carers, families, community members & people with lived experience.

23/10/2026

FREE TRAINING 📢 Want to involve patients, carers and community members in your healthcare work, but unsure where to start?

Join HCCWA’s introductory workshop, Partnering with Consumers, to learn who to involve, how to choose an engagement approach and how to make participation meaningful.

Whether you’re planning a service, improving care or starting a research project, this workshop will help you take the next step.

No previous consumer engagement experience needed.

Wednesday 4 November
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Online via Zoom
Presented by Tania Harris

Build your confidence before your next project begins.

Register your free spot 👉

This intro workshop will give you a practical foundation for engaging health consumers, carers, families, community members & people with lived experience.

22/10/2026

Congratulations, Michael Elwan! 📢 Michael received the 2026 Australian Mental Health Prize in the Lived Experience category, recognising his leadership and contribution to mental health reform.

Our CEO, Clare Mullen, works alongside Michael on the Sustainable Health Review Recommendation 4 Steering Group, where he champions consumer and carer voices, including perspectives from multicultural communities.

At HCCWA, we want people’s experiences of healthcare to influence the decisions that shape it. We’re pleased to celebrate Michael’s work and this national recognition.

Read more 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/905dr71uut

21/10/2026

FREE WORKSHOP 📢 Do you work in healthcare? Whether you work in clinical care, reception, administration, coordination or support, you can influence whether someone feels welcome, understood and able to access the care they need.

Join our workshop to build practical skills for supporting culturally and linguistically diverse consumers.

You will explore cross-cultural communication, unconscious bias, barriers to healthcare and ways to make services more accessible, inclusive and person-centred.

Wednesday 28 October
10.00 am to 2.00 pm
HCCWA, Mount Lawley
Light lunch provided

Places are limited and priority will be given to health staff.

Register now: https://f.mtr.cool/ws4xz7pa9u

18/10/2026

We’re hiring 📢 Help us make healthcare fairer for Western Australians. We're looking for a CRM, Membership and Digital Engagement Officer.

If you enjoy organising information, improving systems and helping people use technology confidently, we’d love to hear from you.

You’ll manage CRM data, support membership administration, help deliver newsletters and digital campaigns, and use engagement data to recommend improvements.

🔸 Mount Lawley, Perth
🔸 Full time
🔸 Applications close 8am AWST, Monday 26 October 2026

Find out more and apply 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/brxkhw2k6o

15/10/2026

Making healthcare fairer means addressing poverty 📢 Poverty has a profound impact on health and access to healthcare. Everyone deserves to get the care they need, regardless of their income.

This Anti-Poverty Week, our CEO Clare Mullen is adding her voice to No Place for Poverty’s Voices for Change campaign.

Poverty isn’t inevitable. We can change the systems and conditions that shape people’s lives. Organisational leaders can help build support for those changes by speaking up and challenging assumptions.

We encourage our partners across health and community services to add their voices. Share the campaign, start a conversation within your organisation and visit No Place for Poverty’s website to explore practical action.

Let’s make healthcare fair for all.

12/10/2026

📢 Let's make healthcare fair for all.

Everyone in Western Australia deserves healthcare that is accessible, safe, compassionate and centred around their needs.

But fair healthcare is also about what happens when we seek care.

🔸 Are we listened to?
🔸Do we understand our healthcare options?
🔸Do we have a say in decisions about our care?
🔸Are our individual needs, backgrounds and experiences respected?

Good healthcare starts with listening, everyone deserves to be heard, understood and included.

At Health Consumers' Council WA, we work to make sure the voices and experiences of patients, carers and communities help shape better healthcare across our state.

Find out more about making healthcare fair for all 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/kwgfjmacbz