Parent's Guide to Navigating Difficulties with Doctors
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Parent's Guide to Navigating Difficulties with Doctors
This fact sheet is for the parents of people born with intersex variations/innate variations of sex characteristics and is not intended to give legal advice
There are any number of reasons why you might have a poor experience with a doctor, practice or hospital. You may struggle to communicate with them, or find you have incompatible ideas about what it’s like to live with an intersex variation. It’s important to find a doctor you can work with.
It might just be that you haven’t found a doctor that you can work with yet. You might consider finding a new doctor that you can work with. While it can be difficult to build rapport with a new doctor who may or may not have a thorough understanding of your variation, it is important to find a doctor that you can trust, and who is willing to work with you instead of against you.
When choosing a doctor you may want to look for any number of traits, qualities or skills that they have. At a minimum this should include:
- An understanding of intersex variations, your child’s diagnosis or a willingness to learn and upskill in the area
- Consideration, asking and listening to what is important to you and your child
- Provides opportunities for you to ask questions and for more information
- The ability to explain information in a way you understand
Things to consider:
- How do you feel about seeing your doctor again? Do you feel persistent dread, anxiety, or distress?
- Are there other people you can talk to about their experiences with the same doctor? Are they consistent with your experiences? Would you feel comfortable treating someone else the way that you have been treated?
- Is it possible to see a different doctor or specialist?
- How intrusive or persistent is the distress that you feel? Is it having an impact on other areas of your life? Do you need some additional support to help you work through those feelings? Are you talking to someone you trust, a counsellor, a psychologist, or peer support group?
- Peer support groups may be able to help direct you to supportive and affirmative healthcare professionals.
- How else are you taking care of your needs?
- Were you given a straightforward and transparent avenue of complaint? Was your complaint addressed satisfactorily? Do you need to contact an organisation that deals with complaints of discrimination or health complaints?
Sometimes based on your location, or access to specialists, there may be circumstances where you don’t have the option of seeing a different doctor. In these situations it’s important to share your concerns with the doctor, provide feedback and be able to stand up for you and your child’s rights in the doctor’s office.
If your concerns are not acted upon, you may want to obtain support from friends, family or advocates, or consider making a complaint.
You have the right to have your concerns addressed, give feedback and make complaints
Your mental health and wellbeing, and that of your child is a priority. It is important to understand the potential effects of poor healthcare experiences on your mental health and wellbeing and to feel that you can seek help and support when you need it.
For smaller issues that are more easily resolved, it might just be a matter of bringing it to the attention of someone else at the practice. In some instances, they may need to escalate an issue if it is something that is outside of their control.
In situations where you wish to make a complaint, it’s worth checking with the practice or hospital to see if they have a mechanism for feedback or complaint. All hospitals have formal complaints processes.
For situations where you feel like your rights have been compromised and you don’t feel safe to deal directly with that doctor and the structure around them, there are a number of third-party complaint mechanisms that can help.
Finding Support & Making Complaints
Health & Human Rights Support Services around Australia
Australian Capital Territory
- ACT Human Rights Commission: https://www.humanrights.act.
gov.au/ - ACT Health Complaints Commissioner: https://hcc.act.gov.au/
New South Wales
- Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW: https://www.antidiscrimination.
nsw.gov.au/ - NSW Health Care Complaints Commission: https://www.hccc.nsw.gov.au/
Northern Territory
- Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Commission: https://ntadc.nt.gov.au/
- NT Health Complaints Commissioner: https://nt.gov.au/health/health-complaints-commissioner
Queensland
- Queensland Human Rights Commission: https://www.qhrc.qld.gov.au/
- Queensland Health Ombudsman: https://www.healthombudsman.
qld.gov.au/
South Australia
- Equal Opportunity Commission South Australia: https://www.eoc.sa.gov.au/
- SA Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner: https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au
/health-and-community-services-complaints-commissioner
Tasmania
- Equal Opportunity Tasmania: https://www.equalopportunity.
tas.gov.au/ - Tasmanian Health Complaints Commissioner: https://www.thcc.tas.gov.au/
Victoria
- Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission: https://www.humanrights.vic.
gov.au/ - Victorian Health Complaints Commissioner: https://hcc.vic.gov.au/
Western Australia
- WA Equal Opportunity Commission: https://www.eoc.wa.gov.au/
WA Health Services Complaints Office: https://www.hsc.wa.gov.au/
Intersex Support Organisations
InterAction for Health and Human Rights (formerly IHRA Intersex Human Rights Australia) – https://interaction.org.au/
InterLink psychosocial support service – https://ilink.net.au
IPSA Intersex Peer Support Australia (formerly AISSGA) – https://isupport.org.au/
- +61 7 3017 1724
- info@ilink.net.au
- PO Box 1372 Eagle Farm QLD 4009
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