It shouldn’t be this hard to be heard…

Posted on July 19, 2023

By Clare Mullen, Executive Director

It was heartbreaking to hear about the experiences of the the family of baby Ashlee, who died in 2019. We were asked to speak about this on the ABC Drive show this week after the Coroner found that Ashlee’s death was preventable.

Ashlee’s dad spoke about how difficult it was to have their voice heard in the health system. He described how they had to resort to getting lawyers involved just to get answers, and to get an acknowledgement that something had gone wrong.

Sadly, the experience of trying to get answers from the health system, or an acknowledgement or an apology from health services after something has gone wrong, can often be a distressing experience – adding more pain to an already terrible situation.

Let’s be clear – this experience, and other incidents like it, should not happen. 

We want no family to go through this situation.

That’s why we advocate for a patient safety culture in our hospitals. A big part of that is listening to families and patients when they raise concerns.

We know people believe that safe care is care where they feel heard by the treating team.

We believe that part of that safety culture would see consumer perspectives being taken on board at every level of decision making that impacts on patient – from bed level to Board level. We believe this is critical to making sure that decisions that affect safety and quality – such as resourcing and staffing levels – in hospitals are made with consumer perspectives front and centre.

Use Aishwarya’s CARE Call to speak to a senior staff member

Thanks to the advocacy of another family who also experienced a tragic death in a hospital, people in WA public hospitals have another way to have their voice heard in the health system.

If you are concerned about a loved one’s condition when they’re in hospital, and you feel you’re not being heard when you speak to staff, you can An image of a heart with wings, next to the title Aishwarya's CARE Call. A speech bubble with "Are you worried?". We need to know.use Aishwarya’s CARE Call.

This is a number in the hospital where you can speak to a senior staff member who will listen and action your concerns there and then.

If things go wrong

Where something has gone wrong in health in WA, and if you’re having trouble getting answers, Health Consumers’ Council can help by walking alongside you. We can help you to get information about what happened so you can decide what action you might want to take. That could be asking to meet with the hospital team, submitting a complaint, accessing your health records, etc. Our team can advise on writing letters, or accompany you to appointments if you would like.

We also have information on our website to help you navigate the process of making a complaint if that’s what you want to do.

Health Consumers’ Council is an independent charity that was set up to provide a way for consumer, patient, carer, and family voices to be heard at every level of the health system. We were set up almost 30 years ago by people who wanted there to be an independent body that speaks up for consumers in health. We offer an independent advocacy service that can walk alongside consumers, patients, and families who are seeking answers and redress when things go wrong in health.

Unfortunately, limited resources mean we’re not able to be available to everyone that could benefit from our support.

WA needs more “in the moment” advocacy

Ideally, people would be able to access individual advocacy support where and when it’s needed. We’d like to see independent advocates available on site in our hospitals. We would rather be able to help people assert their rights in the moment, to avoid things going wrong.

As Ashlee’s family commented – you should haven’t to resort to lawyers to get your voice heard in health.