Health Consumers' Council WA

Health Consumers' Council WA An independent, not for profit organisation helping you navigate the WA health system.

We are a positive partner in healthcare reform, ensuring the consumer voice is heard. We can help you navigate the WA health system and help you to understand and support your healthcare rights. HCC can support you to be a positive partner in healthcare reform, working with health services to improve patient experiences in Western Australia. We believe in empowering health consumers to become effective self-advocates. We have complied key resources and important information that can help you navigate the health system and provide feedback on health services. It is important to be well informed so that you can make the best health care choices. You can find these resources at https://www.hconc.org.au/consumer/being-involved-in-your-own-health/self-advocacy-resources/

Patients and carers tell us what the WA healthcare system feels like, we listen, we amplify 📢Many people have good exper...
28/01/2026

Patients and carers tell us what the WA healthcare system feels like, we listen, we amplify 📢

Many people have good experiences in WA’s public health system, some do not. When something goes wrong, it can feel overwhelming, isolating, unsafe. This is where individual advocacy matters. Independent individual health advocacy changes outcomes, sometimes it saves lives.

We work alongside consumers, families, health services, and government. We believe the system improves when people with lived experience are treated as partners in the continuous improvement of our healthcare system.

Our approach is grounded in equity, courage, and collaboration. We speak up when healthcare consumer rights are at risk. We also acknowledge and amplify what is working well. Both are essential for lasting change.

That is why we call for more access in WA to independent health advocates. Every West Australian should have support when they need help navigating care. This is how together West Aussies can build a safer, fairer healthcare system.

Visit our website to learn more about what we're doing to make healthcare fair 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/jlszbcsnax

PAID opportunity for consumer leaders 📢 This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve how care is delivered in W...
25/01/2026

PAID opportunity for consumer leaders 📢 This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve how care is delivered in WA.

Expressions of interest are open for Western Australians who are experienced in representing consumer perspectives to join a pool for the following roles:

🔸Standing member of an EMR Clinical Advisory Group (CAG), or other relevant committee or working group

🔸Participation in short-term or topic-specific meetings, where your lived experience or expertise is particularly relevant

Participation is paid in line with agreed consumer payment arrangements ($75/hour for consumer advisory roles and $37.50/hour for consumer representative roles.

Know someone who should see this? Share or tag them.

Apply now 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/dlkqctanvh

Why our office stays open on Australia Day.January 26 carries different meanings for different people. For many Aborigin...
23/01/2026

Why our office stays open on Australia Day.

January 26 carries different meanings for different people. For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, it marks invasion, dispossession, and ongoing harm. Those impacts are not historical. They shape health outcomes and lived experience today.

For many years, our office has stayed open on the Australia Day public holiday. Staff can choose to work and take another day off, or take the holiday if they prefer.

We make this choice as an act of solidarity.

We believe it is possible to acknowledge what there is to value about Australia, while also being honest about the harm linked to this date and the ongoing impact of colonisation.

As healthcare advocates, we see discrimination and exclusion in the health system every day. This decision aligns with our broader commitment to equity, cultural safety, and Aboriginal leadership.

We share this to encourage reflection and discussion.

Read the full blog on our website 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/rsqtwgciaa

We are hiring đź’Ľ We are looking for a Systemic Advocacy Engagement Lead to work alongside consumers and communities to en...
19/01/2026

We are hiring đź’Ľ We are looking for a Systemic Advocacy Engagement Lead to work alongside consumers and communities to ensure their experiences inform health policy, planning, and reform.

This part time role involves listening to lived experience, working with evidence, and sharing consumer perspectives in ways decision makers can act on.

Part time, four days per week, fixed term to December 2026, with a possible extension.
Based in Mount Lawley, with up to 50 percent work from home once settled.

Applications close 8am Thursday 29 January 2026. We may appoint earlier.

Read the position description and apply now 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/fevrzppubv

Did you know over 2m West Australians over 15yrs see a GP each year, and over a million of us access specialist care eac...
16/01/2026

Did you know over 2m West Australians over 15yrs see a GP each year, and over a million of us access specialist care each year?!

HCCWA exists to make sure that everyone in WA who uses the health system each year has a voice – in the care they receive, when things don’t go to plan, and how future services are designed and delivered. We’re pushing to make healthcare fair – for everyone in WA. Our 2.1M voices together are power. And power, when shared, can shape our health system to fit the people who use it. So, here’s our New Year’s Resolutions for 2026:

Fewer people feeling powerless when something goes wrong. We are stepping up our work to expand access to independent advocacy.

Clear information about rights and options. We’ll keep pushing for information that matches the person’s needs, including format, language, and setting.

Health costs explained before care starts. Clear information is an act of care. we’ll be helping West Aussies understand they have a right to this information and how to assert it.

Our health should not depend on our wealth. We will continue working to make healthcare fair.

WA patients, people and health consumers are not an add-on. We’re knowledge holders, we’ll keep ensuring diverse voices are at the table at every stage of policy and decision making.

In 2026 the focus will be building opportunities for WA health consumers and community to work together to LEARN, ACT, LEAD. Because the need for collective consumer voices is real and our voices together are powerful.

Add your voice to our community of patients, families and community members to learn, act, and lead health system change 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/kyyfgozwtn

HCCWA x Healthway 📢 Working together to keep Western Australians healthy! Our Executive Director, Clare Mullen, recently...
13/01/2026

HCCWA x Healthway 📢 Working together to keep Western Australians healthy! Our Executive Director, Clare Mullen, recently met with Carina Tan-Van Baren, Executive Director of Healthway, to talk about how health consumers and community members can play a stronger role in prevention, wellbeing, and health promotion across WA.

Clare shares her reflections on The WELL Collaborative, HCCWA’s approach to bringing lived experience, practitioners, and researchers together to shape system change.

Read Clare's reflections on our website now 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/razniildgm

MEDIA RELEASE 📢 GP out-of-pocket costs up nearly 10%, to $46.63. “Consumers tell us every day about the stress and hards...
12/01/2026

MEDIA RELEASE 📢 GP out-of-pocket costs up nearly 10%, to $46.63. “Consumers tell us every day about the stress and hardship caused by limited access to GPs. We need urgent, coordinated action to ensure that incentives translate into real improvements for WA communities, not just on paper.”

New data shows WA continues to lag behind the rest of the country on bulk billing, and out-of-pocket costs keep rising. For many people, higher costs lead to delayed care, skipped appointments, or going without household essentials. Our concern is that when early care is delayed or missed, pressure shifts onto emergency services further down the line.

We're calling for:

🔸Greater transparency on GP pricing and availability.

🔸Targeted support for clinics in WA to adopt bulk billing practices.

🔸Consumer voices at the centre of policy decisions to ensure reforms meet community needs.

Read our full media release to learn what the data shows and why we’re calling for urgent action 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/srubugxziz

If you’ve used the MedicineWise app, you need to know about this important change ⚠️The app is being decommissioned on T...
11/01/2026

If you’ve used the MedicineWise app, you need to know about this important change ⚠️

The app is being decommissioned on Tuesday 10 February.

Head to our blog to read our update on what’s happening and where to find trusted medicine information moving forward.

Read more 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/xgwjqipnsk

Independent individual advocacy saves lives. It can transform someone’s experience of healthcare. We know from our daily...
08/01/2026

Independent individual advocacy saves lives. It can transform someone’s experience of healthcare. We know from our daily conversations with a wide range of people that many have positive experiences in our public health services — and many take the time to share those experiences on Care Opinion Australia. But we also know that too many people don’t.

In the 12 months to June 2025, our Individual Advocacy Team responded to more than 1,200 enquiries from people seeking support. We supported people in 115 meetings, whether that meant accompanying them to meet with hospital staff, or helping them plan and lead their own advocacy.

That’s why we continue to advocate — locally and nationally — for increased access to independent health advocacy, so that West Aussies who need it can access healthcare system help.

We're guided by values of equity, courage, and collaboration, we're not afraid to stand up for consumer rights in healthcare, or applaud the great things we see shaping change in our healthcare system. We seek to ensure patients, families, and people with lived experience are active contributors and collaborators in healthcare planning and decision-making.

Visit our website to learn more about what we're doing to make healthcare fair! 👉 www.hconc.org.au

📸 Nathan Hurst

30/12/2025

Your tax-deductible donation helps someone:

âś“ Understand their healthcare rights
âś“ Navigate complex systems
âś“ Speak up with confidence
âś“ Feel heard and supported

Every dollar makes a difference.

Please donate 👉 www.hconc.org.au/donate-now

One day, you or someone you love might need us 🧡 When healthcare gets complicated and you can't get the answers or suppo...
24/12/2025

One day, you or someone you love might need us 🧡 When healthcare gets complicated and you can't get the answers or support you need, we're here.

We’ll help you understand your rights, resolve problems and get the care you need.

Your donation today helps us be there tomorrow.

Please donate 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/dexbmoneqg

Address

434 Lord Street
Perth, WA
6050

Opening Hours

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Tuesday 9am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 4:30pm
Thursday 9am - 4:30pm
Friday 9am - 4:30pm

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Health Consumers’ Council - supporting positive change in health care

An independent organisation supporting equitable, person-centred health care

Since 1994, the Health Consumers’ Council has ensured the consumer and community voice is included in health policy, planning, research and service delivery in Western Australia.

We are proud to be an independent, community-based organisation helping to create a kinder, more person-centred health system for all Western Australians.

Our Vision