What are the rights and responsibilities of HACC clients?

Your rights as a HACC client

Services funded by the HACC Program are required to meet certain standards in quality care. The Rights and Responsibilities described here are all related to
those standards. As a person receiving a HACC service you have a right to:

• privacy and confidentiality, and to access all.
• personal information kept about you by your service.
• be treated with respect and courtesy.
• receive good quality services.
• be informed and to be consulted.
• be part of decisions made about your care.
• have another person of your choice to support you and advocate (speak) on your behalf.
• have your comments valued and to make a complaint if you are not happy with the support you receive.

Privacy and confidentiality
You have the right to privacy and confidentiality, and to understand what information is held about you on a service provider’s files. This means the service
provider will:

• explain what personal details they keep about you and where this information is stored.
• explain what this information is used for and seek your consent to share relevant information to support your continuity of care.
• offer you information about whom you can contact to discuss any concerns you may have regarding privacy and confidentiality.
• Be treated with respect and courtesy.

Service providers should respect the decisions you make about your lifestyle.
They should listen to what you have to say and show courtesy to you. This means the service provider will:

• involve you in the development of your support plan.
• respect your cultural and religious beliefs.
• offer you information about who you can contact to discuss any concerns you may have about your care.

Receive a quality service
Service providers should inform you about what support they can and cannot provide. They should also provide you with planned and reliable support. This means the service provider will:

• inform you about the type of support they are able to provide.
• provide appropriate support services based on your assessed needs.
• provide you with a copy of your agreed support plan.
• consult you about any proposed changes to the support that you receive.
• wherever possible, be flexible about adapting support to meet your needs.

Be informed and consulted
Service providers should inform you about the support available to you and about your rights as a client. This means the service provider will:

• conduct an assessment to identify your support needs.
• involve you (and or a family member) in the assessment process.
• discuss the level (amount) of support you can receive from HACC.
• provide you with information about the WA HACC fee policy and discuss your ability to pay.

Participate in decisions about your care
Service providers should involve you, and your carer, in decisions about the support provided to you. This means the service provider will:

• involve you and/or a family member/friend in any decisions including developing and reviewing your support plan.
• discuss any changes to your support plan with you.

Have access to an advocate
Service providers should support you to express your views.

This means the service provider will:

• encourage you to have a friend, family member, or person from an advocacy service to support or represent you at any time.
• provide you with information about Advocare, an independent advocacy agency funded by HACC, and how you can contact them if you request an advocate.

Make a complaint
Service providers should encourage you to provide feedback about the care you are receiving. This means the service provider will:

• provide you with a copy of their complaints policy.
• encourage you to discuss with them any concerns that you have about the support you receive.
• provide you with information about who to contact if you are not satisfied with the outcome of concerns you have raised.
• ensure that your complaint is confidential and this does not disadvantage you in any way, now or in the future.

Your responsibilities as a HACC client
While you have a number of rights as a client, you also have responsibilities to the people providing care to you. As a person receiving support from a HACC service you have a responsibility to:

• treat staff with respect and courtesy.
• provide a safe working environment for staff.
• take responsibility for the results of any decisions which you make with the service provider about your support needs.

Treat staff with respect and courtesy
As someone receiving support from a HACC service you should treat staff with the same respect and courtesy you would like to be given. This means you should:

• let the service provider know as soon as possible if you are going away.
• listen to your support worker’s suggestions and speak to them politely.

Provide a safe work environment for staff
As someone receiving support from a HACC service you should ensure that your home is a safe work environment for a support worker. This means you should:

• Make sure any dogs are appropriately restrained.  
• make sure you inform staff members of any hazards around the home.
• Take responsibility for the results of any decisions which you make with the Service Provider about your support needs.

As someone receiving support from a HACC service you are responsible for any decisions you make with a service provider about your support needs.
This means you should:

• take responsibility for being at home when you have arranged for support to be provided.
• use equipment such as non slip mats and hand rails when recommended.