Health Consumers Queensland, (HCQ) were engaged by Queensland Health (QH) to provide a consumer perspective on the provision of health services in Queensland correctional centres.
In 2018, HCQ conducted consultation with prisoners in seven correctional centres to inform the Offender Health Services Review Report in October 2018. In 2021, the Office for Prisoner Health and Wellbeing (OPHW) engaged Health Consumers Queensland to revisit the same seven correctional centres to learn from prisoners what has changed and what needs to be improved.
A total of 112 prisoners were consulted in 19 group sessions during March to May 2021. Each consultation was for up to an hour, during which Prisoner Advisory Committee (PAC) members were given an opportunity to express their views about their experiences with prisoner health services, with a focus on access and delivery, and to provide suggestions about what could be done to improve services. The consultations were conducted face-to-face. Only a notepad and biro were allowed to record the prisoner's feedback.
Improving health outcomes for Queensland prisoners
Initiative Type
Service Improvement
Status
Deliver
Added
26 August 2021
Last updated
04 July 2022
Summary
Key dates
Jan 2021
Implementation sites
Brisbane Women's, Wolston, Brisbane, Woodford, Numinbah, Maryborough and Townsville Men's and Women's Correctional Centres
Partnerships
Health Consumers Queensland. Queensland Health, Queensland Correctional Services
Aim
HCQ conducted consultation with prisoners in seven correctional centres to inform the Offender Health Services Review Report in October 2018. In 2021, the Office for Prisoner Health and Wellbeing engaged Health Consumers Queensland to revisit the same seven correctional centres to learn from prisoners what has changed and what needs to be improved in regard to health services provided by Queensland Health.
Benefits
- prisoners feel heard, have opportunity to Give Feedback (Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights).
- provides OPHW and Queensland Corrective Services key issues of concern for prisoners
- training supports both health staff and QCS staff understanding of prisoner concerns and rights to healthcare from an international, national and state perspective
Background
Prisoners are the end users of health services provided to meet their health needs. They are patients and consumers and they have the same rights to healthcare services as those patients in the community.
