Social Responsibility
and Rights
Committed to Safe and Quality Care
NWRH provides a range of community based and outreach health services throughout rural, regional and remote Queensland, including Townsville, Mount Isa, Longreach, Normanton, Cairns, Doomadgee, Cloncurry, Mackay, Mornington Island and surrounds.
In our commitment to delivering care that is safe and high quality we adhere to the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights and are committed to ensuring that all clients accessing our services are aware of their rights.
We take our social responsibility seriously and want to help you understand what that means for you as a care recipient.
We value Mutual Trust and Respect
NWRH upholds a ZERO TOLERANCE approach to verbal abuse, aggression, intimidation, violence, and unwelcome sexual advances towards our staff, clients, or visitors. Such behaviour is unacceptable under any circumstances and may result in removal from the premises, refusal of future service, and/or notification to police.
All NWRH employees have the right to a safe workplace and may refuse service to any client, carer, family member or support person who poses a safety risk, including those who are:
- Intoxicated or drug-affected
- Verbally or physically aggressive.
- Making inappropriate or sexual advances.
- In a dual or conflicting relationship with the staff member.
Clients who present in these states may be unable to provide informed consent and may present a risk to themselves or others. When determining whether to refuse service, staff should consider the client’s diagnosis, age, capacity, and relevant history (e.g., dementia or intellectual disability). Staff are expected to prioritise both their own safety and that of their colleagues at all times.
Where there is a risk of harm to the client or others, staff must act in accordance with their responsibilities under the Mental Health Act 2016, which may include initiating emergency services intervention or involuntary assessment.
Rights
As a care recipient of NWRH you have the following rights:
Healthcare services and treatment that meet my needs.
- Receive safe and high-quality health care that meets national standards.
- Be cared for in an environment that is safe and makes me feel safe.
- Be treated as an individual, and with dignity and respect.
- Have my culture, identity, beliefs and choices recognised and respected.
- Ask questions and be involved in open and honest communication.
- Make decisions with my healthcare provider, to the extent that I choose and am able to include the people that I want in planning and decision-making.
- Clear information about my condition, the possible so I can give my informed consent.
- Receive information about services, waiting times and costs.
- Be given assistance, when I need it, to help me to understand and use health information.
- Access my health information.
- Be told if something has gone wrong during my and what is being done to make care safe.
- Have my personal privacy respected.
- Have information about me and my health kept secure and confidential.
- Provide feedback or make a complaint without it affecting the way that I am treated.
- Have my concerns addressed in a transparent and timely way.
- Share my experience and participate to improve the quality of care and health services.
Responsibilities
In return, we would ask that you, as our client:
- Treat our staff with courtesy and consideration and respect our staff’s privacy, culture, identity, beliefs and choices.
- Let us know if you can’t keep an appointment.
- Treat others with respect: any kind of violence, harassment or abuse towards staff or other clients is not acceptable.
- Provide feedback to us about the care and treatment you receive from us.
- Provide us with up-to-date contact details and keep us informed if these change.
- Nominate your preferred place of service delivery where this choice is available.
- Actively participate in your treatment to ensure it is appropriate and acceptable (e.g. ask questions about your condition and proposed treatment to ensure that you understand about giving consent).
- Let us know if your circumstances change (such as a need to adjust the amount or type of service, or a change of advocate).
- Accept responsibility for the results of any decisions you have made with our staff about the type or level of service.
- Respect the rights of staff to work in a safe environment.
- Pay agreed fees on time.
- Infectious Disease – Advice to clients with existing appointments:
Please do not attend your appointment if you are unwell (including but not limited to fever, cough, difficulty breathing) please notify NWRH before the appointment. Our staff may re-schedule the appointment or request that you wear an appropriate mask for your appointment.