Safety and care on ConnectWell
Quick Summary
Sometimes things don’t go as expected when we use health services. If something negative happens and causes harm to you, you have a right to know what will be done to try and stop it happening again. This is called Open Disclosure, and it’s an important conversation about safety and care.
You have the right to be treated with care, consideration and respect
We respect this right, and we’re committed to improving the quality and safety of the care we deliver. That’s why we have a disclosure policy to help patients who have been harmed during their healthcare treatment.
What can I expect if something goes wrong?
If something goes wrong during the time you’re receiving care from the ConnectWell service, a member of our team will talk to you about what happened. You can have a family member or support person with you for this conversation. You can also discuss any changes to your care that might be needed.
Who should I choose as a support person?
The person you choose should be:
- someone you are comfortable with and can talk to easily
- someone to whom we can give personal information about you
- someone able to, if necessary, be with you.
Who else will be there?
The healthcare team member who will be discussing what happened may also have someone from Lives Lived Well there to assist and support them. When something goes wrong, it is not only distressing for the patient and family, but also for the healthcare team involved.
What will happen next?
When something does go wrong, steps are taken to try to prevent it from happening again:
- 1. The healthcare team will investigate what went wrong.
- 2. You’ll be informed of the results and changes that will be made to try to prevent the same thing from happening to someone else.
- 3. If the investigation takes a long time, you’ll be kept up to date with its progress.
- 4. If you like, a meeting will be arranged for you to discuss what actions have been taken to try to prevent a similar incident from happening again.
Who will talk to me?
The person who talks to you about what happened will be someone who:
- has been involved in your care and knows the facts
- you are comfortable with and can talk to easily
- can contribute to action to try to stop the problem from happening again.
I have a question about this
Contact the ConnectWell team at connectwell@liveslivedwell.org.au if you have any questions about our Open Disclosure policy.