Within Australia, the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights (ACHR) applies to the entire healthcare system, and it allows patients, consumers, families, carers and healthcare providers to have a common understanding of the rights of people receiving healthcare. The rights included in the ACHR relate to access to appointments, safety, respect, communication, participation, privacy and comment. Happy Dentistry has developed the following Charter of Patient Rights consistent with the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights.
1. Access
We will assist you in scheduling a suitable appointment and provide reminders by phone call, SMS, or email to help you attend or reschedule on time. If you cannot attend, please notify us at least 24 hours in advance so we can offer the appointment to another patient in urgent need. If appointments are cancelled without the required notice, the dentist may, at their discretion, charge a cancellation fee. We keep a cancellation list — if you prefer a specific day or time, we will contact you if a suitable appointment becomes available. Each day we set aside time for emergency appointments to ensure both existing and new patients can receive urgent care when needed.
2. Safety
It is important that we keep you safe. Please fill in our medical history form and also bring in your list of medications each visit so we can keep our records up-to-date. If something ever goes ‘astray’ we are in communication with a network of trusted specialists so we will help you with professional care. Our primary concern is your health and wellbeing and we are honest in our communications as we seek to offer support and advice with regard to how the situation can best be resolved or managed. We conform with the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare’s Open disclosure framework.
3. Respect
We respect every patient’s background, values, and personal choices, and we strive to provide a welcoming, non-discriminatory environment. Our diverse team is fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog, and Bahasa Melayu, enabling us to care for international students, young professionals, families, and the LGBTIQA+ community in the language they are most comfortable with.
4. Partnership
We encourage you to ask questions at any time. Treatment planning and decisions are made together with you. We value open, two-way communication so that you clearly understand the purpose and options at every step.
5. Information
We will explain the available treatment options, including risks, benefits, and costs. Before starting treatment, we will provide a consent form and go through it carefully with you, ensuring you fully understand before proceeding. Our goal is to empower you with reliable information so that you can confidently make the best choice for yourself.
6. Privacy
All patient records are kept strictly confidential. If you wish to access or transfer your records, please let us know and we will assist you. More information about privacy policy can be found here: https://happy-dentistry.com.au/privacy-policy-2/
7. Feedback
We value your voice. You are welcome to share feedback directly with us, or by email or letter. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may write to the Principal Dentist, and we will address your concerns within a reasonable timeframe.
The Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights is about high quality and safe healthcare. It was developed by Australia’s leading organisation in quality and safety in healthcare – the Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Healthcare.
We have included this in our website to help you understand the rights we have using the Australian healthcare system. This particular document of healthcare rights was endorsed by each State Health minister in 2008. Prior to this each healthcare state and hospital had its own statement of rights.
The Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights describes the rights of patients and other people using the Australian health system.
The Charter recognises that people receiving care and people providing care all have important parts to play in achieving healthcare rights. The Charter allows patients, consumers, families, carers and services providing health care to share an understanding of the rights of people receiving health care. This helps everyone to work together towards a safe and high quality health system. A genuine partnership between patients, consumers and providers is important so that everyone achieves the best possible outcomes.
Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights
The Australia Commission for Safety and Quality in Healthcare website has a number of resources available
Different Languages
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare has the Charter available in 29 different languages. Check it out here.