Expression of Interest
Consumer Representatives for the Consumer Health Information and Communication Committee
The Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) Consumer Health Information and Communication Committee will review, provide feedback and endorse local health district publication material from a health consumer, carer or community perspective.
The committee supports WNSWLHD to meet the requirements of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care and the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standard 2, Partnering with Consumers.
The Committee includes staff from Western NSW Local Health District as well as consumer representatives. Consumer representatives must live in Western NSW.
About the role
The role of consumer representatives includes:
- providing feedback on the reading level of the document
- providing comment on the layout of the document
- providing feedback on the amount of information included in the document
- providing feedback on the messages in the document
The committee meets monthly for one hour via microsoft teams with some pre-reading required. You will be remunerated for your time in line with NSW Health Guidelines.
Orientation and training will be provided.
What is Health Literacy?
Health literacy relates to the skills and ability people have to access, understand and use health information to make informed decisions about their health care.
Health literacy also relates to the ability people have to find their way around the health system.
People with low health literacy are three times more likely to have poorer health outcomes.
What does the Committee do?
The Committee is responsible for making sure that any information an organisation shares with the public is clear, accurate, and easy for the community to understand. They do this by reviewing information provided to patients and the community - such as brochures, letters, website content, fact sheets, and forms.
The goal is to ensure that health information is health-literate, accessible, and meaningful to the people it is intended for.
A key feature of the committee is the involvement of consumer representatives. These members provide a community perspective and give feedback on whether documents are:
- Written in plain language
- Free from unnecessary medical jargon
- Easy to read, navigate, and understand
- Culturally appropriate and relevant
- Clear about what the reader needs to know or do
The Committee worked with the Western Cancer Centre on the development of a brochure that explains what a Whole Body PET CT Scan - the finalised brochures can be found here and here.
Please let us know if you are interested
If you are interested in joining the Health Information and Communication Committee, please complete the Expression of Interest below and we will be in touch with more information.
