Training and Skills Building
Our role in providing training is to enable consumers to effectively partner with healthcare providers, hospitals and health services, clinicians, researchers and others to provide improved outcomes for the benefit of all Queenslanders
We also ensure consumers are informed and educated about their rights and responsibilities when interacting with the health system. Meanwhile the training we carry out with health service staff supports their skills in understanding and implementing consumer engagement within their organisations.
What do we offer?
Based on the fundamental idea that the people affected by a decision have a right to participate in making that decision, HCQ offers free training to enable consumers to play a part in the way health organisations plan, develop, deliver, monitor and evaluate their services.
Through training sessions that are friendly, informal, inclusive and supportive, we help consumers add to their knowledge and understanding of the healthcare system while building their confidence to share ideas, thoughts and feedback in a variety of ways.
Following completion of training, consumer representatives may apply to join committees, provide feedback based on patient or carer experience, participate in focus groups or workshops, attend forums, meetings or symposiums, review information, promotional materials and policy documents, or to be engaged for other opportunities.
Foundations of Consumer Partnerships training
This free program introduces participants to the fundamentals of becoming a consumer representative and is suitable for anyone who would like to play a more active part in decision-making on behalf of all consumers of the health system.
In this session participants will learn:
- What is a consumer representative?
- How to navigate the health system
- The benefits of consumer partnerships
- The many ways consumers can be involved
- The rights and responsibilities of a health consumer
- How to apply for roles as a consumer representative.
HCQ continually reviews training programs in response to current needs and feedback from our consumer network to update our suite of offerings.
Who can join our training?
Training is free of charge for consumers who are members of our network.