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Patient Rights & Responsibilities

Every patient has rights and responsibilities. These apply to all our patients without regard to age, ancestry, colour, culture, economics, education, gender, language, presence of a mental or physical disability, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation.

Click here to download our Patient Charter.

Patients have a right to:

• Be treated with respect and dignity, and have your privacy respected.
• Information about your condition, treatment options and risks.
• Information about effects on your health if you decide to withdraw your consent or refuse further treatment.
• Be involved in decision making about your treatment, discharge or transfer.
• A second opinion, if you request.
• Free, professional, confidential interpreters (including sign language).
• Access your medical records.
• Decide whether or not you will take part in clinical research, and/or student education.
• Choose to be treated as a public or private (chargeable) patient, and be provided with an estimate of costs (on request) before treatment begins. 

Patient responsibilities are to: 

• Treat staff and others with respect.
• Know your own and your family’s medical history if possible.
• Tell staff of any medicines that you are (or have been) taking, and any medicines that you are allergic to or cannot take.
• Tell staff about your health and anything that you think may affect your health.
• Tell relevant staff if you are unable to attend your appointment(s) or if you need to leave the unit at any time.
• Participate in negotiating your treatment by St Vincent’s health care providers.
• Tell your doctor if you are receiving treatment from another health practitioner.
• Discuss with your doctor before reviewing or stopping treatment.
• Understand that if you are not covered by Medicare or overseas reciprocal arrangements, you will be liable to pay all relevant fees and charges. 

Occupational Health and Safety
St Vincent’s Hospital is committed to ensuring the health, safety and welfare of all patients and visitors. It is important that patients and visitors support the St Vincent’s Hospital Occupational Health and Safety system.

Patient responsibilities are to:

• Cooperate with safety rules.
• Tell staff about safety concerns.
• Understand that staff need to use equipment for patient care (including equipment to move patients).
  

Help with travel
NSW Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS) provides some financial assistance to those who need to travel more than 100kms one way to the nearest appropriate specialists. For further information telephone (02) 8382 2213.

Making compliments & complaints
We appreciate compliments and complaints. If you have any concerns, please contact your nurse, doctor, or department manager or complete a Patient Verbal Feedback Form. You can also contact the Patient Liaison Officer on telephone (02) 8382 2250.

Alternatively, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   or write to: 
Executive Support Manager
Executive Office
St Vincent’s Hospital
390 Victoria Street
Darlinghurst NSW 2010

If you are not satisfied with how your complaint was managed,
you can write to:
Office of the CEO
St Vincents & Mater Health Sydney
St Vincent’s Private Hospital
406 Victoria Street
Darlinghurst NSW 2010

You may also contact the Health Care Complaints Commission:
Locked Mail Bag 18
Strawberry Hills NSW 2012
T 02 9219 7444
Toll free 1800 043 159
TTY service for the hearing impaired (02) 9219 7555.

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