Victoria's Public Hospital Patient Charter - Department of Human Services Victoria Australia Patient Charter Home << Putting Patients First (1995) Public Hospitals: What Do They Offer You? ACCESS A Wide Range of Public Hospital Services ● As an Australian resident you have access to a wide range of public hospital services. If you are away from home, any public hospital in Australia will provide quality care for you. ● Public hospitals provide different types of care depending on their size and role. Some common services such as general surgery and obstetrics will be available in nearly all hospitals. More complex services such as heart surgery and burns units are usually only available in teaching and/or specialist hospitals. ● Patients requiring specialised inpatient care that is not available locally will be transferred or referred appropriately to another hospital. ● In an emergency patients will usually be taken to the nearest public hospital with the necessary services. Some private hospitals in the city can also treat emergency patients. ● Doctors have admitting rights at certain hospitals. Patients who want to receive care at a particular public hospital should speak with their doctor about whether they can be treated in that hospital. Treatment Regardless of Ability To Pay or Health Insurance Status ● Public hospitals treat both public and private patients Admission to public hospitals and treatment in emergency departments is based on health needs of patients. ● Where urgent treatment is required to prevent loss of life in an emergency, immediate treatment will be provided in a public hospital. Non-emergency health needs will be treated in a reasonable time, according to the condition. ● Public hospitals have introduced improved ways of managing waiting lists. If you are put on a waiting list, the doctor/hospital may be able to tell you the estimated waiting time and whether there are shorter waiting times at other hospitals. ● In emergency departments, hospital staff will advise patients of the approximately waiting time before receiving treatment. However waiting times may change suddenly if patients with more urgent requirements arrive. ● People should use emergency departments responsibly. Local GPs provide efficient and effective health services to meet most primary or initial health needs. file:///C|/DATA/PDF%20TEMP/Putting%20patients%20first.htm (1 of 5) [6/11/2003 11:36:48 AM] Victoria's Public Hospital Patient Charter - Department of Human Services Victoria Australia CHOICE AND PARTICIPATION Participation in Making Decisions About Your Treatment ● Patients will be asked to sign a consent form on admission to hospital or before an operation. Patients should receive all necessary information on their treatment options including the benefits, side-effects and any risks, before signing consent forms. ● There are some limited cases where hospital staff may not seek your consent for treatment. This includes emergency situations and people with a mental illness who are being admitted on an involuntary basis. When a patient is incapable of giving consent, this will be sought from an Enduring Power of Attorney (Medical Treatment) or next of kin. Consent for procedures involving children will be sought from parents/legal guardians. ● Although patients will generally be asked to sign a consent form only once during their hospital stay, patients should be aware that they can change their mind at any time. Patients refusing medical treatment may be asked by the hospital to sign a form accepting responsibility for their decision. ● Medical research and health student education are important elements in maintaining and improving the standard of health care and health services in Victoria. The consent of patients will be sought if staff wish to bring in medical or other students. Patients can also decide whether to participate in medical research. Your co- operation would be highly valued, although there is no obligation on you to take part in these activities. Participation in Decisions and Information About Your Discharge From Hospital ● Doctors, together with nursing and allied health staff, make the decision to discharge patients. Decisions about discharge and continuing health needs will be made in consultation with patients. While patients can discharge themselves from hospital against the advice of hospital staff, they may be required to sign a form accepting responsibility. ● Before patients are discharged from hospital a decision will be made about their continuing health needs. Information will be provided on the need for further medical care including any necessary medicines, or services such as physiotherapy, and where services such as home nursing and delivered meals can be obtained. ● An Aged Care Assessment Team will assess patients who may be suitable for nursing home care. The Team will decide whether patients are eligible for nursing home admission. Admission to a nursing home can then be arranged in consultation with the individual patient/guardian. ● On discharge, public hospitals will send information on each patient’s medical condition and hospital stay to the patient’s GP and/or specialist, unless specifically advised by patients that this should not happen. Treatment as a Public or a Private Patient ● On admission the hospital will offer you the choice to be treated as a public or a private patient. People with private health insurance can be treated publicly. Similarly, people without private health insurance can be treated privately, if they so choose. ● Patients choosing public care will be treated by hospital doctors and will normally receive care in a shared ward. The hospital will provide all your medical and hospital care free of charge, including any medicines, x- rays or physiotherapy. There may be a charge for some personal services such as telephone calls and the use of crutches or other appliances which are supplied by the hospital for patients to use at home. ● Patients choosing private care will be treated by the doctor of their choice, providing that the doctor has the right to practise at that hospital. Services for which patients will be charged include hospital accommodation, medical fees including pathology and radiology and any prostheses (such as heart pacemaker). Patients are file:///C|/DATA/PDF%20TEMP/Putting%20patients%20first.htm (2 of 5) [6/11/2003 11:36:48 AM] Victoria's Public Hospital Patient Charter - Department of Human Services Victoria Australia advised to check the level of these charges and, where relevant, the benefits paid by their health fund. People who are private patients but without health insurance are responsible for all bills. ● The process to decide whether to receive care as a public or private patient may be postponed when patients are admitted on an emergency basis or require assistance with this decision. Once a decision is made, it is expected that the status of the patient will remain the same throughout the admission. INFORMATION Information About Which Hospital Staff Will Provide Your Care ● To improve communication, public hospital staff will introduce themselves when providing care to patients. Patients should also treat hospital staff with respect. ● Patients will be seen by a range of doctors including specialists and doctors who are in different stages of training ● Public patients will be under the supervision of specialists, although most daily care will be provided by another doctor, often a registrar who is a fully qualified doctor training to be a specialist. Public patients will be informed about which doctors are responsible for their care. ● Private patients receive care from the doctor of their choice but may also be seen by other hospital doctors, depending upon the availability of their private doctor. ● Doctors in public hospitals make regular visits at scheduled times. They may also visit patients immediately before or after an operation or if a complication arises. Patients wanting to speak to their doctor outside these times should first ask the nurse to contact the doctor. Information About Your Health Care and, Where Necessary, a Second Medical Opinion ● The medical staff provide full information about your medical condition and the treatment options including the benefits, side-effects and any risks. They will also give you sufficient time to ask questions, get more information and talk with family and friends, before making a decision. ● To help hospital staff provide the best possible care, patients should provide full information about their current medical problem, previous illnesses, medicines, visits to hospital, allergies and other health related matters. ● Private patients can ask for a second medical opinion, and , if desired, change their doctor. ● Public patients are assigned doctors with appropriate training and experience from a team of hospital doctors. In the event that a public patient wishes to obtain a second opinion, the hospital will arranged for the patient to be seen by another appropriately trained and experienced doctor for an independent opinion and/or management. ● Patients cannot refuse treatment from specific doctor, nurse or other health professional, because he or she is of a particular gender, race or ethnic group or any other factor related to discrimination. However patients can request that care be provided by another health profession if there is a major breakdown of trust between the patient and the health professional. Access to Your Medical Records and Confidentiality for Your Personal Information ● Under the Freedom of Information Act patients are entitled to see and get a copy of certain public hospital records about their treatment. This includes hospital records, but does not cover records held by private doctors which are not part of the hospital record. Access to records unde FOI may not be immediate and may involve some charges. file:///C|/DATA/PDF%20TEMP/Putting%20patients%20first.htm (3 of 5) [6/11/2003 11:36:48 AM] Victoria's Public Hospital Patient Charter - Department of Human Services Victoria Australia ● In many public hospitals, patient charts are kept at the foot of each bed with details of medicines, tests and the results of treatment.