Health Consumers NSW (HCNSW), of which Cancer Voices NSW was a founding member, celebrated its tenth anniversary ‘plus one’ on Friday, 18 November 2022. As it was not possible for people to gather together last year because of the pandemic, HCNSW presented a ‘showcase’ of its recent activity to highlight the role it plays as the peak health consumer organisation in NSW.
The event, titled Celebrate connections: designing the future together, was held in the historic Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts building in Pitt Street, Sydney, with around fifty people in attendance. The showcase included presentations, a panel session, networking opportunities, and posters related to HCNSW areas of work with attendees being able to talk with people who are involved with the activity.
The Secretary of NSW Health, Susan Pearce, welcomed attendees to the day in a video presentation. She spoke about the importance of consumers in the development of improved health service provision across the state. This provided a solid introduction to the day, with the panel session in particular highlighting, through the words of experienced health consumers, the ways in which they have been able to present and advocate for people affected by a range of health conditions and in a range of circumstances.
The afternoon workshop provided participants with the opportunity to imagine the NSW health system in 2030 and to build a picture of what it could look like, with the focus strongly on increased, and more effective, consumer engagement.
The HCNSW 2022 Annual General Meeting was held after the showcase, and received the HCNSW annual report for the year. Cancer Voices NSW continues to be represented on the HCNSW Board by the CVN Deputy Chair and Secretary, Murray McLachlan.
The final workshop for the day was on the ecologies of health information, with an exploration of a range of artworks based on the theme that were exhibited on the day.
Cancer Voices NSW extends its best wishes to HCNSW for its next 10 years (plus 1!) of leading health consumer engagement in New South Wales.
