Abstract

Community and consumer participation is strongly advocated as a way to help shape health systems and health services to become more inclusive, accountable, responsive to community and consumer needs, and to improve health outcomes. Involving consumer representatives on committees is one partnership-style method of bringing a consumer perspective into health system and health services decision-making processes. Many consumer organisations are invited to provide consumer representatives to be members of committees. A study was conducted to identify the concerns of health consumers when they are required to take on the role of being a consumer representative on committees. Focus group interviews were conducted using a series of scenarios and questions as a discussion guide. Forty-eight participants were involved in eight focus group interviews in metropolitan and regional South Australia. General concerns covering seven key areas emerged, as well as more specific concerns relating to particular roles representatives may be required to undertake. This study highlighted particular areas of concern for consumer representatives that can be utilised in developing supports to increase consumers' effectiveness, capacity and confidence to fulfil the representative role. It also highlighted that the capacity building process for consumer participation needs to be a joint partnership between the health sector and consumer organisations, rather than be seen as solely the responsibility of individual consumer representatives.