Key Takeaways
- Find different ways for consumers and researchers to connect
- What to consider when making the initial contact
Current or past patients, carers, or community members looking to make an active contribution to health research. And for researchers and clinicians looking to partner with consumers or community members to help design and or enhance their research project.
Practical mechanisms that help connect researchers, clinicians and consumers is one of the most common requests received. Described below are opportunities within SHP as well as external options and suggestions.
Sydney Health Partners Clinical Academic Groups
SHP’s Clinical Academic Groups (CAGs) provide clinically focused structures and collaborative networks of researchers and clinicians, and increasingly health consumers. The CAGs’ primary aim is to translate research evidence into clinical practice.
We have many different CAGs and each is uniquely focused on a clinical problem or population group. They all conduct activities that aim to build research capacity and capability, encourage community and consumer involvement in research, foster collaboration, and accelerate the translation of research evidence into healthcare improvements and benefits to patients.
If you are a consumer interested in one of our CAGs, please consider signing up to its mailing list by visiting their page on our website.
Consumer Networks in Local Health Districts
We work closely with our five health partner organisations to help connect consumers, clinicians and researchers who want to collaborate. Each health organisation has a Patient Experience or Consumer Engagement team who can help facilitate connections. Details for health organisations within Sydney Health Partners are as follows:
Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District: Consumer Engagement team
NBMLHD-consumerengagement@health.nsw.gov.au
Northern Sydney Local Health District: Consumer and Patient Experience team
NSLHD-ThePatientExperience@health.nsw.gov.au
Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network: Patient and Family Engagement team
SCHN-PatientandFamilyEngagement@health.nsw.gov.au
Sydney Local Health District: Community Participation team
SLHD-Consumer@health.nsw.gov.au
Western Sydney Local Health District: Community and Consumer Partnerships team
WSLHD-CommunityandConsumerPartnerships@health.nsw.gov.au
Outside of Sydney Health Partners, there are a range of advocacy and health consumer organisations which might be worth exploring. Some are listed below.
Health Advocacy Organisations
Association for the Wellbeing of Children in HealthCare – https://awch.org.au/
Consumer Health Forum of Australia –
Consumers Health Forum of Australia | Consumers Shaping Health (chf.org.au)
Health Consumers NSW – https://www.hcnsw.org.au/
Health Hive – Opportunities Hub | The Health Hive
Consumer Led Organisations
ACON Here for health – https://www.acon.org.au/
Being – Mental Health Consumer Organisation – https://being.org.au/
Cancer Voices NSW – https://www.cancervoices.org.au/consumer-involvement-in-research-program/
Consumer Disability Alliance Hunter – https://www.cdah.org.au/
Diversity Disability Alliance – http://www.ddalliance.org.au/
Harmony Alliance – Harmony Alliance – Migrant & Refugee Women for Change
Lamaze B.E.A.R program – The B.E.A.R. Program — Lamaze Australia
LGBTIQ+ Health Australia – https://www.lgbtiqhealth.org.au/
Positive Life NSW – https://www.positivelife.org.au/
Sane – https://www.sane.org/
Stroke Recovery Association of NSW – https://strokensw.org.au/
Women with Disabilities Australia – https://wwda.org.au/
Community Organisations
Country Women’s Association – https://cwaofnsw.org.au/
Lions Club – https://lionsclubs.org.au/
Men’s Sheds Association or local Men’s Sheds – https://mensshed.org/
Rotary – https://www.rotaryfoundationaustralia.org.au/
