advocacy for Victorians
healthcare system
advocacy for Victorians
healthcare system
FairCare
FairCare is the first charity in Australia to arrange direct support for patients and families affected by medical treatment injury or death. FairCare exists to advocate for reform on their behalf.
FairCare is based in Melbourne and was born out of the journey of one injured patient. At the end of that journey, the patient and her lawyer felt compelled to do more for people tragically harmed, or coping with a loss resulting from healthcare.
Why is FairCare needed?
The current journey through siloed complaint and compensation systems is arduous and uncoordinated for injured patients and their families.
The Victorian Managed Insurance Authority (VMIA) insures all public health services in Victoria and estimates that 10% of admitted patients anywhere could be affected by one or more adverse events. Half of these are considered preventable.
Although health services must report adverse incidents to the insurer, only 8% of claims data correlate with an incident report. The average delay to report an incident to VMIA is 3 years, which means the healthcare system is missing out on vital information to learn from its mistakes, or the lessons are learned too late to be of use to people who are injured in the meantime.
“Late and non-reporting [by hospitals] both make it difficult to identify patterns in medical indemnity claims and work with health services on early intervention and support”.
Only a small proportion of adverse incidents result in a successful claim for compensation. “…which means that patients and health care organisations are bearing the financial burden. For patients, this means their capacity to participate fully in social, cultural and economic life is reduced as their health and finances suffer.”
Our Vision
Fair and coordinated support for Victorians harmed in the healthcare system.
Subscribe to FairCare and receive this free guide to help you navigate the Victorian complaint and legal systems following medical treatment injury
Need support?
If you have been injured by healthcare provided in Victoria, or are a supporting or surviving family member, join our private Facebook group for support, information and more.
FairCare enabled support
FairCare Alliance is working on arrangements for other types of health and social support for our valued members.
Crisis support
For urgent care or advice please click on the button below. It will take you to the Victorian Department of Health services contact details. Please select the most appropriate services for your situation.
Meet the Founders of FairCare.
Vickie Veitch and Nick Mann are the Founders of FairCare Alliance. Nick is an awarded personal injury lawyer and Founder of Polaris Lawyers. He interviews Vickie about her career in patient safety, her personal experience as an injured patient, and why FairCare is needed.
