Plain Language Statement and Consent

About the Inquiry

The Victorian Government has opened an inquiry into women's pain. This includes:
  • The experiences of Victorian girls and women with pain. This includes all pain and is not limited to pelvic pain.
  • The experiences Victorian girls and women have in accessing Victorian health services to manage their pain, including strengths, challenges, and opportunities for improvement.
  • The experiences of healthcare workers who work with women and girls with pain.
This inquiry is led by Safer Care Victoria and the Victorian Women's Health Advisory Council. The inquiry will provide an opportunity for the experiences of girls and women to be heard and acknowledged. The inquiry will report on these experiences and ensure that they inform the inquiry’s understanding of systemic issues and solutions that will form the basis for improved patient care.

Further information about the inquiry can be found here.
About WHISE's Submission to the Inquiry

Women's Health in the South East (WHISE) will put in a submission that centres the voices of women (over the age of 18) in our region, their experiences of pain, of pain management and also, views of women who care for others who live with pain. Our submission will also seek out the views of women and how our health and wellbeing system in Victoria can improve the way it delivers services to better support women in our community and their health.

WHISE wants to hear from women in the region who would like to share their experience. Our hope is to reflect through our submission the words, views and voices of women in our region through written text of their words, audio recording (their own voice or someone else reading these out) and video. Our hope is to represent as truthfully and as appropriately as possible, the lived experience of women and girls in our region, and their experience of pain and our health system

Based on the inquiry, we will be asking women in our community a set of questions to capture the lived experience of:
  • The types of pain that women experience
  • What help (if any) was sought out and what worked well and what challenges were faced
  • What pain management techniques (if any) were used
  • Any other observations

Privacy and confidentiality

Your experiences will be shared with the Department of Health through a submission which will center lived experience. Your experiences will be kept confidential and if required, de-identified. It may be that the Department wishes to follow up with parts or aspects of the submission. If that is the case, we will engage with you on any questions or queries raised by the department.

The Department has committed to not attempt to link any unit-level data collected from submissions with any other unit-level data. De-identified and aggregated information from submissions may be shared with third-party analysts for the purposes of informing the Inquiry. Identifiable personal information will not be shared with third party analysts.

Please note that the Department has advised that quotes or excerpts from responses may be used in the Inquiry public report and other materials used by the Department, and other departments and agencies in the Victorian Government to support the Women's Health and Wellbeing Program.

As part of its obligations under Privacy legislation, WHISE complies with the principles and regulations of the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic), Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and Public Records Act 1973 (Vic).

For further information, please see WHISE's Privacy Policy.
Support

If you are in a situation that is harmful or life-threatening:
Contact emergency services immediately on Triple Zero (000)

If you are not in immediate danger but you need help:
Call NURSE-ON-CALL on 1300 60 60 24.

If you are in distress and require immediate support:
Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit the Lifeline website https://www.lifeline.org.au/

There are a number of other telephone or online services listed on the Department of Health Mental Health Services website.

Consent

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* 1. I acknowledge that I have read and understood the collection notice.

Question Title

* 2. I confirm that I am aged 18 years or older

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