Health Consumers' Council WA

Everyone deserves to feel safe, respected and supported when they receive healthcare. 💜📢

Young people in WA have the right to have their identity, beliefs and choices recognised and respected.

On Wear it Purple Day, and every day, HCCWA stands with LGBTQIA+SB young people and supports a future where everyone can be themselves, including when they need healthcare.

This year’s theme, “Colours of Courage”, recognises the many ways LGBTQIA+SB young people, allies and communities show courage every day.

We found a particularly delicious way to mark the occasion, with cupcakes from Sugar Rush Bakery, who are donating a portion of proceeds from the cupcakes to WAAC to support programs for LGBTQIA+SB young people across WA.

What does inclusive healthcare look like to you?

FREE MORNING TEA 📢 Join consumer, carer, family and community representatives from across WA for our next Consumer Representative Networking session.

Thursday 3 September 2026
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Register 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/6ptctuwilr

Being a consumer representative doesn't mean you have to figure everything out on your own, our morning tea is a chance to:

🔸Meet your HCCWA team
🔸Share experiences, challenges and ideas
🔸Hear updates for WA health consumers
🔸Build your skills through discussion
🔸Find out about opportunities to get involved
🔸Meet other people who also want to make WA healthcare fair for all

New to consumer representation? You're welcome too.

You can join us in person at HCCWA HQ in Mount Lawley or online from anywhere in WA.

Know a consumer representative who would value meeting others doing similar work?
Send this to them.

FREE workshop 📢 Aboriginal Patient Advocacy Training, is designed for healthcare professionals & people who work alongside Aboriginal people and communities.

Help strengthen advocacy for Aboriginal patients in the WA health system.

You’ll build practical skills and confidence to:
🔸 understand healthcare rights in WA
🔸 recognise the impacts of racism in healthcare
🔸 navigate referral and support pathways
🔸 strengthen culturally safe practice
🔸advocate more effectively for Aboriginal patients

You’ll leave with knowledge and advocacy skills you can use in your work straight away.

Wednesday, 2 September
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
HCCWA HQ, 4/434 Lord Street, Mount Lawley

Places are limited 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/83grpwvv0m

Register now, or share this with a colleague who works alongside Aboriginal people and would benefit from stronger advocacy skills.

Public health decisions affect every person in Western Australia 📢 From disease prevention and environmental health to reducing health inequities and improving community wellbeing, these decisions are stronger when they are shaped with the people they affect.

We were pleased to meet with WA's incoming Chief Health Officer, Dr Clare Huppatz, to discuss how health consumers, carers, families and communities can play a meaningful role in public health decision making.

As WA's independent peak body for health consumers, we know better health outcomes happen when consumer voices are heard early, often and with purpose.

We look forward to working alongside Dr Huppatz and her team to help ensure the public remains at the heart of public health.

Read more 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/peqehpriyk

Consumer voice wanted on the Pharmacy Registration Board of WA 📢 Help represent the interests of health consumers in Western Australia.

Expressions of interest are invited for a Consumer Deputy Member on the Pharmacy Registration Board of WA.

The Board is seeking someone with knowledge of, and experience in, representing the interests of consumers. This role helps ensure the consumer perspective is considered in the regulation of pharmacy businesses across Western Australia.

If you have governance experience, a strong understanding of consumer advocacy, or have represented community interests in healthcare, we encourage you to apply.

Read more and submit your application BEFORE 8:00AM, TUESDAY 4 AUGUST 👉 https://www.hconc.org.au/board-appointment-pharmacy-registration-board-of-wa/

OUT NOW! eNews 📢 Help shape healthcare in WA, your voice needed. - https://mailchi.mp/hconc.org.au/enews-p8wk2

Healthcare should be a place where every person feels respected, listened to and involved in decisions about their care 📢 That's why Disability Pride Month matters.

Disability Pride celebrates disability identity, challenges ableism and reminds us that disability is a natural part of human diversity.

For many people with disability, the biggest barriers to good healthcare aren't medical, they're barriers created by the way healthcare is designed and delivered.

Accessible healthcare means more than ramps and accessible parking.

It means clear communication.
Enough time during appointments.
Being listened to.
Receiving information in ways that work for you.
Being treated as a partner in your own care.

In our latest blog, we explore the history of Disability Pride, why lived experience improves healthcare, and how we can all help create a fairer health system.

We'd love to hear from you.

What does respectful and accessible healthcare look like from your perspective?

Read the article here 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/vhlfwrcvyk

LAST CHANCE 📢 FREE flu vaccination!

WA’s free flu vaccination program ends this Friday, 31 July. Everyone in Western Australia aged six months and older can receive a free flu vaccine through participating providers. You do not need a Medicare card.

Vaccination can help reduce your risk of severe illness, complications and hospitalisation. It also helps protect people in your family and community who are more vulnerable to becoming seriously unwell.

Free flu vaccinations are available through participating:

🔸 GPs
🔸 pharmacies
🔸 Aboriginal Medical Services
🔸 community health clinics

Availability can vary. Some providers may also charge a consultation or service fee, so CHECK when booking.

Read more here and book ASAP 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/ujrmknerwj

Share this reminder with your family, friends and networks.

Be Wise. Immunise - Free influenza vaccines extended to 31 July and FluMist age eligibility expanded All Western Australians aged 6 months and over will now have until 31 July to access free influenza vaccines, giving them more time to protect themselves and their families.

6 MIN SURVEY 📢 If you've visited a GP, hospital, emergency department, specialist, or another health service this winter, we'd love to hear from you.

We're asking people across Western Australia to complete a short 6 minute survey about accessing healthcare this winter.

Your feedback will help ensure real consumer experiences are heard when we work with health services, government and decision makers.

Take the survey now 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/khmjrdccsr

Please share with your family, friends and community.

Medicine safety update 📢 Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration has updated safety information for GLP-1 medicines, including Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Saxenda and Trulicity.

The update relates to a very rare but serious eye condition that can cause sudden vision loss.

The TGA is not advising people to stop taking these medicines. Instead, consumers should know the symptoms and seek urgent medical attention if they experience sudden or partial vision loss.

If you take a GLP-1 medicine, read what this update means and when to seek help.

Read more 👉

GLP-1 RAs and rare, but severe, eye disorders Product warnings across the GLP-1 RA class of medicines have been updated due to the potential for these products to cause a rare, but severe, form of eye disorder.