Healthcare advocacy service
Do you need healthcare system support?
Do you need healthcare system support?
Our Individual Health Advocacy service is available to anyone in Western Australia. Our advocates will listen to you with respect and kindness.
We provide health advocacy support directly to the person asking for our help, or their legal guardian.
Anyone in Western Australia can contact us for information.
Help! Something has gone wrong
If you’re experiencing problems with the WA healthcare system, Health Consumers’ Council is here to help you.
The Health Consumers’ Council’s Individual Advocacy service is available to anyone in Western Australia. Our small dedicated team of advocates will listen to you with respect and kindness.
Our one-on-one health advocacy service offers support directly to the person who needs help, or their legal guardian.
Reach out to us on (08) 9221 342 or advocacy@hconc.org.au
How will HCC help?
Once you’ve reached out to us via phone or email, we will ask you questions about your situation. This is to get an idea of the kind of support you need, and how we can best support you.
In some cases, we can give you the information you need straight away. We may also refer you to an alternative service which is more suited to support you and your issue.
Sometimes we can’t help immediately, as a not-for-profit we have access to limited resources to offer our services. If we don’t have an advocate to help when you first contact us, we put you on our waiting list, and we will help you as soon as we possibly can.
Our advocates are here to help you, here's what to expect
Once you’ve been allocated an advocate to your case, they will contact you to discuss the issue you are facing and how they can support you. Our advocates will:
- Listen and get an understanding of your issue
- Provide you with information about services, supports, and resources that may help you
- Talk to you about your options, and explain any potential barriers
- Ask you what you would like to happen in your case
- Empower you to make your own choices on your healthcare
- Encourage and support you to stand up for your rights and be heard
- Discuss how they will stay in contact with you
Our small team of advocates are kind and empathetic people, who work incredibly hard each day to help Western Australians navigate the healthcare system and have their health rights respected.
What happens next?
Once you’ve been allocated an advocate to your case, they will contact you to discuss the issue you are facing and how they can support you.
Our advocates will:
- Listen and get an understanding of your issue
- Provide you with information about services, supports, and resources that may help you
- Talk to you about your options, and explain any potential barriers
- Ask you what you would like to happen in your case
- Empower you to make your own choices on your healthcare
- Encourage and support you to stand up for your rights and be heard
- Discuss how they will stay in contact with you
We support people with specific issues and cannot provide ongoing advocacy.
Our advocates will close your case if:
- You ask us to
- You get a positive outcome
- You decide to get help from another service
- We can’t help you because the outcome you want is not achievable
- We can’t help you because we have tried all options available to us
- We’ve tried to contact you several times and you’ve not returned our emails or calls.
We are an independent, not-for-profit community-based organisation with a small, but dedicated, advocacy team.
We do not have the statutory powers to effect change or to require responses from health service providers.
Occasionally, despite the best efforts of our advocacy team, an issue will unfortunately remain unresolved.
We reserve the right to withdraw services. We may also, where appropriate, suggest continuing your action in another forum.
Health Consumers’ Council does NOT provide crisis support.
In an emergency, please call 000.
If you need health/medical information for non-urgent issues, please call Health Direct on 1800 022 222 to speak to a registered nurse.
If you need to talk to someone urgently, or need immediate mental health support:
Crisis Care (24/7): 1800 199 008
Mental Health Emergency Response Line (24/7)
Metro: 1300 555 788
Peel: 1800 676 822
Regional: 1800 552 002
Lifeline (24/7):
Call: 13 11 14
Text: 0477 13 11 14
Crisis Chat Online
Mental Health Advocacy Service for involuntary mental health consumers: 1800 999 057
(Mon-Fri 8.30am-4.30pm)
1800 Respect (24/7): 1800 737 732
Women’s Domestic Violence Helpline (24/7): 1800 007 339
Men’s Domestic Violence Helpline (24/7): 1800 000 599
For translating and interpreter services, please call TIS National on 131 450
