Your rights and responsibilities

Your rights

It is our philosophy to respect your individuality and dignity, and to care for you hospitably and compassionately.

1. We support your expectation to know about your illness and to participate in the decisions which affect your well-being. As a patient, you can expect to be treated with care, consideration, dignity and respect.
2. St John of God Hospital Ballarat is accredited with the Australian Council of Health Care Standards.  This assures you that our hospital environment and practices equal or exceed industry standards, and that your caregivers are competent and appropriately qualified.
3. You can expect complete confidentiality of personal and medical records, unless required by another health worker involved in your care, or when law requires access by another authority.
4. You can expect to be treated with courtesy and to have your beliefs, ethnic, cultural and religious practices respected.
5. You can expect to know the names and roles of the caregivers involved in your care.
6. You can consent to or refuse treatment at any stage, and will receive a full explanation of the consequences.

Your responsibilities

To enable the hospital to continually improve our service to you, your responsibility is to:

1. Discuss your medical history with the caregivers involved in your treatment.
2. Discuss changes in your medical condition, including problems with treatment.
3. Follow treatment instructions, or discuss with your doctor if you are unhappy or unwilling to do so.
4. Extend respect and co-operate in the process of the provision of care so that the caregiver does not injure themselves.
5. In line with our Mission and Values we encourage you to let the Quality and Complaints Officer know if you have any comments on any aspect of your care to enable us to learn from your experience and to implement change as necessary.

A copy of the The Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights brochure, (a guide for patients, consumers, carers and families), and the Private Patient’s Hospital Charter pamphlet, (a guide to what it means to be a private patient) are available from the hospital reception, Emergency Department, Admissions and Day Surgery Unit and Day Oncology.