Your Rights and Responsibilities

Tell your healthcare team as much information as possible about your health, including allergies, medical conditions or disabilities. We need to know which medicines you are using including herbal or traditional medicines. We also need to know whether you smoke, drink alcohol or use recreational drugs.

We will ask about:

• If you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person
• Your language and if you need an interpreter
• Your religious or cultural needs
• Changes to your condition and any reactions during treatment
• Who else is treating your condition
• Your understanding of your condition, tests, procedures or treatments
• If you want to be a private or public patient.

 Many health professionals will provide you care and we need to make sure you are receiving the correct treatment. We may ask you a few times to tell us:

• Your name
• Your date of birth
• Why you are here

Asking these questions ensures our staff have your correct details. If you are staying overnight or a day patient, you will need to wear an arm band with your personal details.

You must give consent before receiving treatment. In most cases this will be verbal consent. You need to sign a consent form for some procedures, such as surgery. You have the right to withhold consent. In this case, you will not receive the procedure. If you are unconscious or too ill to give consent, we will ask your relative, carer or another person close to you to give consent for the procedure. If this person is unavailable, the Guardianship Division of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal may give consent. You do not need to give consent in a life-threatening emergency where you are unconscious or too ill.