Our Mission
It’s challenging to come to terms with a healthcare injury while trying to recover, grieve and understand what happened. Navigating the complaint and compensation systems without adequate support is even more stressful.
FairCare aims to reduce that burden with targeted support and reform. The following constitutes the cornerstone of our strategy.
- A positive community that connects injured patients and values their shared experiences.
- Improved public awareness.
- Partnerships that provide free advice, advocacy and subsidised support.
- Structural reform that protects the interests of injured patients.
Our Vision
Fair and coordinated support for Victorians harmed in the healthcare system.
FairCare: How it started...
Watch this video to discover Vickie's story and the nucleus behind how FairCare started.
Aim 1 : Build our community
Work with leaders and organisations with the knowledge, resources or influence to improve the health and legal pathways for injured patients and their families.
Provide a safe, positive support group for Victorians affected by healthcare treatment injury or death, that:
- supports and connects,
- has a strong patient/consumer voice,
- defines the issues and priorities that matter,
- reflects the lived experience,
- challenges the systems that prevent their empowerment, and
- demands improvement.
Aim 2 : Improve public awareness and information
Impact
Promote better understanding of the impact of medical treatment injury or death on injured patients and their families.
Research
Campaign for research into the experiences and needs of injured patients.
Eradicate
Eradicate the stigma experienced by injured patients and their legal representatives, who make a complaint or seek to access compensation for financial loss or future treatment.
Report
Call on Australian governments to improve public reporting of healthcare complications, adverse clinical events, and medical negligence claims data (ceased in 2015).
Aim 3 : Support and Advocacy
Support
A private, on-line Facebook support group for members to connect, share experiences and information.
Collaboration
Work with partner organisations to arrange subsidised psychological support, financial counselling, and free legal aid and advocacy.
Connect
Peer support and information to help individuals:
- understand the Victorian Healthcare system in relation to medical injury,
- access appropriate medical, legal and social support services,
- navigate the Victorian complaints process, and
- navigate the medical negligence compensation system.
Aim 4 : Reform
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FairCare calls for:
- The health, insurance and legal sectors to work together to learn from all harm, improve patient safety and fairness.
- Australian governments and regulators to improve response times for complaints made against Victorian health professionals and healthcare facilities.
- A review of the system and culture of mandatory reporting of health professionals by peer colleagues.
- The Victorian acute hospital system to introduce an alternative care pathway for harmed patients that prioritises their unique needs and interests. This includes securing complete health information without cost or delay.
- An impartial observer of the process to ‘establish the facts’ in medical litigation cases, which often takes 2 to 3 years or more.
- An end to “confidentiality agreements” which protect bad apples from using the legal system as a shield to accountability.
- Health services to seek input from injured patients when they are investigating serious clinical harm or incidents, and to disclose the medical review outcomes and findings which are directly relevant to injured patients who seek this information.
- The Australian government to consider the merits of a national redress scheme for injured patients or surviving loved ones to seek and access financial support for losses.
Need support?
If you have been injured by healthcare provided in Victoria, or are a carer or surviving family member, join our private Facebook support group.
