Your rights and responsibilities

Your rights

• Access – to access the health services and treatment you need.
• Safety – to receive high quality care in a safe environment.
• Respect – to be treated with dignity and respect regardless of your culture, religion, beliefs, values, sexuality, age, gender, or ability.
• Partnership – to ask questions and be involved in decisions about your care. To include the people, you want involved in those discussions and decisions.
• Information – to receive information about your health care, and the risks and benefits of different tests and treatments. To receive this information in a way that you can understand, so that you can give informed consent. To be told if something has gone wrong during your healthcare, how it happened and what is being done to make care safe.
• Privacy – to respect your personal privacy, and to keep information about you and your healthcare secure and confidential.
• Give feedback – to provide feedback or make a complaint without affecting the way you are treated. To have your concerns addressed in an honest and timely way. To share your experience and to help us improve the quality of the care and services we provide.

Your responsibilities

• Access – if you’re unable to make your appointment, let us know and we can arrange a new appointment.
  • Coffs Harbour AOD service reception – 02 6656 7936
  • Kempsey AOD service reception – 02 6562 0502
  • Port Macquarie AOD service reception – 02 6589 2405
• Safety – by telling us about your medical history, any medication you take and allergies you have, helps us to provide you with safe care. If you’re unsure about the care you’re receiving talk to your health care worker.
• Respect – be courteous to our staff and other patients. Respect the policies and practices of the facility, such as smoke free zones and zero tolerance to violence.
• Partnership – we encourage you to be involved in the decisions made about your care by talking to your healthcare worker and asking questions.
• Information – be open and honest with us. Please ask questions if you need more information. If you need an interpreter ask the staff to organise one for you.
• Privacy – respect the privacy and confidentiality of others.

Giving feedback

To find out how to give us feedback please ask our staff. You can request a Compliments and Complaints brochure or visit the feedback, complaints and concerns page on our website.