Healthcare Quality and Safety

The Health-Harming Legal Needs of People Living with HIV in New South Wales and Queensland

Led by Dr David Carter

• This research aims to understand current and future legal needs of people living with HIV by collecting data on the legal problems, needs and access to justice issues.
• The research is funded by UTS through its Cross-Faculty Collaborative Scheme, drawing on the expertise of researchers in Law, Health Services and Science and co-designed with industry partners: the HIV/AIDS Legal Centre; the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine; Positive Living NSW; Hepatitis NSW; Queensland Positive People and Hepatitis Queensland.
• This research will provide the first data regarding the legal problems and needs that are likely to be driving suboptimal individual and population health outcomes. With this data, we will develop an evidence-base for better support for those living with a communicable disease and for appropriate legal needs screening and referral in the clinical context.

Regulation of Health Practitioners

Led by Distinguished Professor Jenni Millbank

At its simplest, an effective complaint management system requires that the individual raising the complaint must be able to complain to an appropriate entity and be treated with respect, and for the wider health care system such complaints must be effectively utilised as a valuable source of information about how and where mistakes have occurred so as to improve weaknesses in health services.  

Building upon previous work on the ombudsman institution, this research investigates the extent to which this model of individual complainant and systemic improvement of health care complaints is reflected in practice, by mapping current regulatory mechanisms and evaluating impact upon stakeholders and end-users of health services.  

Using Responsive Regulation to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance

Led by Dr David Carter

• This project aims to develop a responsive regulatory framework to deploy a combination of interventions proven to deliver strong improvements in the face of complex challenges like antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
• The research is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council and its award of an Early Career Fellowship. Collaborators on the project include the CSIRO’s Antimicrobial Resistance Mission; and has led to the award of a Stage 1 grant from the Medical Research Futures Fund.
• This project will develop the first responsive regulatory strategy for tackling AMR in Australia, which can be used by policy makers and researchers to guide interventions towards a better, more sustainable, future for antibiotic and other antimicrobial use in the primary care setting.