Medical Devices Consumer Working Group (MDCWG)

On 20 August 2019, we held a consumer workshop, bringing together a broad range of consumer and patient representatives to discuss ways of informing and engaging consumers in support of An Action Plan for Medical Devices (the Plan).

Following on from this workshop, a small working group of volunteers formed the Medical Devices Action Plan Consumer Working Group (the Group).

The Group works with us to prioritise, co-design and represent a consumer focus on the Plan strategies by:

• acting as a sounding board for ideas and/or approaches
• providing links to relevant stakeholders through their networks, and
• providing feedback on documents and proposed actions.

The Group met four times between November 2019 and December 2020.

In November 2021, the Group was reinvigorated and renamed the Medical Device Consumer Working Group (MDCWG). Consumer representative memberships increased from 10 to 21 members. The first meeting was held in December 2021.

Terms of Reference

For more information about the purpose and structure of the Group, see the Terms of Reference which was updated in May 2024: 

Membership

• Arthritis Australia
• Australian Patients Association
• Cancer Council Australia
• Consumers Health Forum of Australia
• Continence Foundation of Australia
• Diabetes Australia
• Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia
• Haemochromatosis Australia
• Haemophilia Foundation Australia
• Health Consumers NSW
• Limbs 4 Life
• Lung Foundation Australia
• Multicultural Centre For Women's Health
• National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ageing and Aged Care Council
• National Older Persons Reference Group
• National Seniors Australia
• Older Persons Advocacy Network
• Pain Australia
• Royal Flying Doctor Service
• Independent consumer representative

Meetings and communiques

A communique will be published here and in the outcomes section below following each meeting.

• Meeting 14, 2 July 2024
• Meeting 13, 27 February 2024
• Meeting 12, 19 October 2023
• Meeting 11, 22 June 2023
• Meeting 10, 14 March 2023
• Meeting 9, 9 December 2022
• Meeting 8, 26 August 2022
• Meeting 7, 4 May 2022
• Meeting 6, 25 February 2022
• Meeting 5, 15 December 2021
• Meeting 4, 27 November 2021
• Meeting 3, 18 June 2020
• Meeting 2, 20 February 2020
• Meeting 1, 19 November 2019

Initiatives

The Medical Devices Consumer Working Group has collaborated with us on consumer resources, including:

• Travelling with medicines and medical devices 
• Five questions to ask your health professional before you get a medical implant
• Patient information materials for medical implants: a fact sheet for consumers

The Medical Devices Consumer Working Group has provided input to our hubs of information for: 

• Medical devices reforms
• Breast implants
• Transvaginal (urogynaecological) mesh devices
• Medical device cyber security

Contact us

Medical Devices Consumer Working Group (MDCWG)
dwg.tga@health.gov.au