Careers, Volunteers & Consumer Advisors

Barwon Health supports people’s right to participate individually and collectively in the planning and implementation of their health care. Partnering with consumers is an important strategy to improve patient care, as consumers have first-hand experience of health services. Barwon Health does this by partnering with Consumer Advisors.

A Consumer Advisor is a person who voices lived experience perspectives and takes part in decision-making as a representative of the community.

Ideally Consumer Advisors are well connected in their community and are able to access the perspectives of many.

They are actively involved in the development, planning and quality improvement of services, and the measure and improvement of patient and family experience. Opportunities range from sitting on Board and National Standards committees, to varying levels of participation on specific project steering committees and working groups.

Consumer Advisors are part of the community and reflect the diversity of the community. 

It is a priority for Barwon Health to attract, recruit and support Consumer Advisors from:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
• People who have a disability, or people who care for someone with a disability
• People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• People from LGBTIQA+ communities
• People who have experienced a mental health illness, or care for someone with mental health illness.

Community Advisory Committee (CAC)

The Community Advisory Committee is a sub-committee of the Barwon Health Board. This group advises the Board on issues relevant to the consumers of our community. To learn more please visit the Community Advisory Committee webpage.

Written Information Simply Explained (WISE)

The responsibility of the WISE Committee is to review the consumer information developed by Barwon Health staff. The committee's focus is to provide feedback to the staff about the suitability, readability and quality of the consumer information from a consumer perspective.

The WISE Committee meets fortnightly on Tuesdays from 10:00am - 12:00pm. There is also an option to be emailed the documents to review in your own time, working to a fortnightly deadline.

If you are interested in joining the WISE Committee, please click here to fill out an online form.

You can also contact the Consumer Engagement Manager on (03) 4215 0477 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further information and assistance.