Your safety, rights and privacy

Feeling safe and respected is essential when receiving care at home. At Care Homes on Wheels we are committed to our core value of Trust & Safety. This page explains how we protect your privacy, support your rights, and respond to concerns.

Privacy and confidentiality

We protect your personal and health information in line with Australian privacy law. We only collect information that is needed to provide safe, appropriate care. We do not share your information with anyone outside your care team unless:

You can ask us at any time what information we hold about you and how it is used.

Consent

We only provide services with your informed consent. Before care begins, we explain what support will be provided and obtain your agreement. You can withdraw or change your consent at any time. If you have appointed a substitute decision-maker, we follow the legal arrangements that are in place.

Choice and control

You have the right to make decisions about your care. This includes:

We support you to stay in control of the things that matter to you.

Worker screening

We are committed to employing people who can deliver safe and respectful care. All care workers undergo required screening checks before they begin work with clients.

If you ever feel uncomfortable with a worker, tell us straight away. We will listen and act.

Safeguarding and elder abuse prevention

We take the safety and wellbeing of every person we support seriously. We have processes in place to prevent, identify and respond to any form of abuse, neglect or exploitation. If we become aware of a possible safeguarding concern, we follow required reporting procedures and act to protect the person involved. You or your family can raise any concern with us at any time.

Incident reporting

If something goes wrong, we take it seriously. We have clear processes for reporting, investigating and learning from incidents. We will keep you informed about what happened and what we are doing about it.

Feedback and complaints

Your feedback helps us improve. You can give feedback or make a complaint in whatever way is easiest for you — by phone, email, in person, or in writing. We aim to resolve concerns promptly and fairly. Raising a concern will not negatively affect the care you receive.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact:

Advocacy

You have the right to an independent advocate. The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) provides free, confidential advocacy support for older people and their families. You can contact OPAN on 1 800 700 600. Advocates can help you understand your rights, raise concerns, or support you in meetings.

Interpreter and accessibility support

We are committed to making our services accessible. If you need an interpreter, please tell us. We can arrange one. If you need information in a different format or have other accessibility requirements, let us know and we will do our best to support you.

Emergency situations

In a life-threatening emergency, always call 000. Our phone number (02 7241 4513) is available 24 hours a day for care coordination and non-emergency support. It is not a substitute for emergency services.

Your rights under Aged Care

As a person receiving aged care services, you have rights under the Aged Care Act.

These include the right to:

safe, quality care
be treated with dignity and respect
privacy and confidentiality
make choices about your care
give feedback and make complaints without fear
access advocacy support

Official information about your rights is available from the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and My Aged Care.

Questions about safety or rights?

We are happy to explain any of these topics in more detail.

Other ways to contact us:

Request a callback

Your safety, dignity and rights are at the centre of everything we do.