Getting the most out of health services

You use health services when you see your family doctor or General Practitioner (GP) or visit a specialist. The emergency department and treatment like physio and occupational therapy are health services, too. Here, you'll find advice to help you get the most out of health services. The advice is for everyone, including people who need help after violence or abuse.

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Barriers to health care

People with disability may face challenges when using health services, like:

Information that's hard to read or understand.
Physical barriers to getting help, like a GP's office with steps.
Tension over who should make choices, like family members who want to decide.
Worries about privacy.

For people experiencing violence, the situation can be even more complex. However, people with disability and people experiencing violence have the right to access the best health care available in Australia.

We all deserve to have good health and to feel safe. Health services can help you:

Get treatment for health problems
Understand all the options
Know what supports are available.

People with cognitive or intellectual disabilities can face specific challenges around health services, like not being allowed to make choices about their own health.

All people with disability have a right to information about health that they can understand.

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You have the right to feel safe while using health services. You should be able to trust that the health service will respect your privacy. You deserve to have your questions answered in a way you understand. You should be treated as a whole person.

Benefits of getting help

Some people delay going to a health service because they:

Feel embarrassed.
Have had bad experiences in the past.
Worry about what the doctor will tell them.

However, seeing a health service can:

Improve your quality of life.
Fix symptoms, like pain or trouble doing a task.
Stop things getting worse.
Make you worry less, since you will be dealing with facts rather than fears.
Help keep you healthy and safe.

If violence is a problem in your life, talking to a health professional can help. They can:

Help you cope with the physical and emotional impacts of violence.
Tell you about resources and services that help people who have been hurt by someone close to them.
Teach you how to keep yourself and your loved ones safer.
Help you plan how to leave the violent situation if that is what you want to do.
Tell you how violence impacts health and wellbeing, including if you are pregnant.

How to get the most out of health services

You're likely to get the most out of a health service if you feel comfortable while you're there, understand the advice, and think that the health professional has understood your situation.

If you need more support, you could ask for:

The doctor to explain the issue again, using simpler words.
Extra time with the doctor.
Printed information about the appointment, medications or treatment.
A support person or advocate to attend the appointment with you.
A language translator or Auslan interpreter to attend the appointment. You may have to book this support person yourself.
A room that you can access in a wheelchair.
A room with equipment that suits your disability, like a bed that moves up and down.
A female doctor.
A health worker trained in family violence situations.
Anything else that you need to feel safe and comfortable, and understand the advice.

Know your rights in the health system

The Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights explains the rights of everyone using health care in Australia.

People with disabilities have these rights. So do people who have been hurt through violence.

The Australian government says you have a right to:

• Get high-quality health care in a way that makes you feel safe.

This means you can ask for a new doctor if you don't like the first. Or, you might want to choose the gender of the doctor you see, like asking for a female doctor.

• Be treated with dignity and respect.

You should be able to easily get to your appointment. The service should offer the supports you need to feel comfortable while you attend.

• Ask questions and get honest answers.

You have the right to ask for information about your health care, disability, medical history, and medication. You can also ask practical questions, like whether an appointment will be bulk-billed. This means that the bill is sent to Medicare so that you do not have to pay.

• Make decisions with health workers that reflect your abilities and wishes.

Think about what outcomes matter to you most. Do you want to get fitter? Reduce pain? Regain some kind of function? Make sure you're able to have children in the future?

Knowing what you need and want helps you stand up for yourself in the doctor's office. Read more on the Neve page Standing up for yourself (internal link).

• Choose whether others like friends, family and supporters are involved in making plans and choices.

You don't have to take a support person or family member to your medical appointments. If you choose to bring a support person, tell them beforehand how they can help you most.

• Have privacy.

You have the right to keep your medical information private. For example, you have a right to ask your GP questions about sex and birth control and know that they won't tell your carer unless you agree.

• Get help to understand and use health information.

Medical information and advice can be confusing. It's good to check whether you understand what the doctor has told you. If you are unsure, ask them to repeat themselves using plain English.

• Give feedback or make a complaint without bad consequences.

You can offer feedback on the healthcare you receive. It could be a compliment or a complaint. You could talk directly to the service about your concerns. You could also speak to the Health Ombudsman in your state or territory. You could submit a concern by using the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency website (external link).

What to expect when you talk about violence with a health service

To start a conversation about violence, health workers may ask questions like:

Do you feel safe where you live?
Could there be another way you got this injury?
Did someone hurt you on purpose?

If you are ready to talk, these questions invite you to speak openly about what has happened to you.

Or, you might have questions of your own first. You might want to ask the health worker:

What they do if someone tells them that they have been hurt by violence, like if they have to report it to police.
How patient-doctor confidentiality works when a patient talks about domestic violence. Will what you say stay private?
Whether they will tell the person who hurt you about the conversation.

It's okay to ask questions before confiding in anyone, including a health worker. That way, you can make an informed choice about what you want to do.

If you're thinking about talking to someone about violence but don't know where to begin, you can contact 1800 RESPECT for advice. Call 1800 737 732 or chat to someone online on the 1800RESPECT website (external link).

Our rights

We all have the right to live free from violence and abuse, and make choices that matter to us. This section looks at the history of human rights and United Nations conventions. We outline the rights of women and gender-diverse people with disabilities in Australia.

Find out more

Sexual and reproductive health rights

Sexual health is the ability to have safe and respectful sexual experiences that feel good. To have good sexual health, people need healthcare for reproduction and contraception. They need advice about sexually transmitted diseases and genital health. They should be able to express their gender.

Find out more