星空体育

Consumer Advisory Group

The Consumer Advisory Group (CAG) are community representatives who work with 星空体育 to improve our local health system. 

Our vision to have the best health outcomes for all our patients, families and carers is at the heart of what we do and can be achieved in partnership with our community. 

CAG members are volunteers and act in an advisory capacity. They are not expected to have knowledge in the health sector or have technical backgrounds – their presence is to bring the consumer voice to the planning table and act as a community voice. As such, CAG members participate in committees, working groups, forums, and promotional activities. They provide valuable feedback to 星空体育 and work collaboratively with the service to ensure the world-class care we provide to the Gold Coast Community is always improving.

The CAG provides health consumers, carers and representatives from community organisations with direct in-depth participation in health care planning and the improvement, delivery and assessment of 星空体育 services.

Vacancies appear from time-to-time, if you are interested in joining the CAG or the Always Care Consumer Network, please complete an  or PDF application to register your interest.

Meet your CAG members

Mission
Our purpose is to provide an independent voice that promotes, protects and partners with 星空体育 to provide a safe, excellent quality and timely healthcare.

Vision
We believe that the best possible health care is provided by way of a partnership between practitioners, patients and carers.  As an advocate of patient centred care, CAG strives to promote health care that is respectful of and responsive to the preferences needs and values of patients and consumers.

Strategic priorities
In order to do this, we are focusing on these strategic priorities.

  1. Health Literacy - developing and educating the community (consumers and health practitioners) in health literacy
  2. Diversity and Inclusion - advocating values and practices that are inclusive of cultural background, age, gender, religious beliefs, language, disability and education.
  3. Person-centred care - bringing the needs of the individual to the forefront of health care.
  4. Consumers in research - increasing consumer involvement in research projects.

CAG Chair

Letisha Living

Letisha Living is a mother of 4 sons and resides in the Gold Coast hinterland. At the age of 35, she unexpectedly had a stroke.

Through her own lived experience as a stroke survivor and parent to two children with complex care needs, Letisha understands the importance of early diagnosis, treatment, and access to community health services post hospital discharge. She firmly believes in the importance of health professionals and consumers working together to achieve best outcomes.

Letisha is person-centred and is passionate about being a consumer voice for lived experience. Her areas of interest are: health literacy, co-design, post-stroke research, inclusion and diversity, mental health, and neurorehabilitation.

Letisha has been a member of the Consumer Advisory Group since 2021.

CAG Deputy Chair

Robert (Bob) Lee

In December 2005, Bob was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s follicular lymphoma and treated using RCHOP chemotherapy. This was followed by stem cell harvest in 2006. A couple of years later, it became evident that he was no longer in remission. After consulting with his haematologist and discussions with family, he joined a double-blind placebo-controlled treatment trial.

At the conclusion of trial in late 2008, Bob was asked if he was interested in becoming a member of the Human Research Ethics Committee. He eventually joined the 星空体育 Consumer Advisory Group, which lead him to becoming a health consumer representative on various Haematology and Oncology Committees.

Bob gladly accepted these requests, and is now currently a member of the Human Research Ethics Committee, CBD Quality and Safety Committee, and CBD Consumer Engagement Committee.

CAG member profiles

Margaret Shapiro PhD

Margaret’s experience with health and hospital services has been long and varied as an academic, a carer, a consumer, and passionate health advocate.

In the 1980s, Margaret designed and developed a public health program 60 and Better. The program sparked an everlasting interest in collaboration with community members across urban and country areas. This gave Margaret an appreciation for the importance of community health needs and expectations when planning new policies and areas of practice.

Now retired, Margaret is a committed consumer representative for many agencies and committees. Including past consumer member of Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency and at 星空体育 on the Clinical Governance Committee and Cancer Access and Support Committees. As a Consumer Advisory Group member, she pursues her interest areas in health literacy, health promotion and person-centered care.

Noela Baglot

Noela is a retired nurse with more than 50 years’ experience in the health industry particularly, community and aged care. Her long history of caring and helping others began while supporting family members with chronic disorders and experiencing her own health issues. In the community, Noela is known as an advocate for older persons and their families. She has a firm belief in the importance of speaking up, which landed her in a consumer representative role.

Noela now represents consumers across several organisations, including 星空体育, Gold Coast Primary Health Network, Health Consumers Queensland and Health Care Forum.

In this environment, Noela hopes to integrate the advisory groups, and is committed to supporting and encouraging involvement of all consumers. As she believes that when consumer’s voices are heard, we can make a difference together.

Dr Joan Carlini

Co-producing solutions with diverse communities is Joan's passion. She works with citizens, businesses, and public sector organisations to solve real-world problems. As an advocate who gives voice to vulnerable groups, she has substantial experience in health and business advocacy. 

She is the founding Chair of the 星空体育 Consumer Advisory Group (CAG), whose members actively work with the Hospital to provide a consumer voice in the design, delivery, and planning of health services. 

Her professional interests are driven by her personal experience of a chronic medical condition and her interactions with the health system. She is a member of the GCHHS Board Research Committee, Clinical Trial Steering Committee, Menzies Health Institute Queensland Patient-Centred Health Services Associate Member, and co-chairs the Centre for Research Excellence in Wiser Wound Care Consumer Committee.

With a firm belief in health and wellness being the key to a happy life, Joan is committed to working with 星空体育 to build a resilient, and healthy Gold Coast community.

Zehnab Vayani

As a mother of two children who require specialist healthcare from health professionals, Zee understands the importance of advocating for consumers on their behalf.

This has driven her passion to help others to do the same, and to allow better choices and control of their health care needs.

Zee is proud to educate clinicians about consumer experiences of healthcare. This allows her to be a conduit for other health consumers and provide feedback on making healthcare services more accessible for the community.

Her passion and interest around health literacy and co-design is informed by her own extensive lived experience of the healthcare system. Specifically, across the continuum of primary care, specialist secondary consultation services and advanced level tertiary healthcare. Zee understands the impact on, not only her children and wider family, but the community.

This encourages Zee to be a voice, and advocate for those within the community. 

Aneeqa Ahsan

Aneeqa is a dedicated and passionate health professional with a multidisciplinary background spanning dentistry, biomedical science, pharmacy and clinical research. Balancing life as a mother of three energetic boys, she brings both lived experience and over a decade of healthcare expertise to every role she undertakes.

Aneeqa began her healthcare journey with a Bachelor of Dental Science from the esteemed Fatima Jinnah Dental College in Karachi, Pakistan. Her early clinical practice focused on restorative dentistry, community engagement, and patient-centred models of care. After moving to Australia, she expanded her scope by supporting vulnerable populations through disability employment services on the Gold Coast, working with CoAct Workways.

In 2022, she earned a Bachelor of Biomedical Science from Bond University, engaging in academic teaching at Griffith University’s Dental School and pre-clinical Labs. She is currently completing a Master of Pharmacy at Griffith University (graduating in October 2025), undertaking a significant research elective.

As a member of the Consumer Advisory Group, Aneeqa brings a unique blend of professional insight, cultural awareness, and lived experience. She is deeply committed to advocating for inclusive, person-centred care models that reflect the diverse needs of Queensland’s communities. Her goal is to contribute meaningfully to service design, health literacy, and consumer engagement strategies that improve outcomes across clinical, community, and policy settings.

Aneeqa is driven by a belief that meaningful healthcare transformation happens when science, empathy, and community voice intersect - and she is proud to bring that vision to her work with the CAG and beyond.
 

Helen Eager

Helen has been a member of the Consumer Advisory Group (CAG) for over a decade. She currently represents CAG on the Coomera Hospital, Medical Imaging, and Renal Patient Support Group Committees.

Helen is a passionate advocate for improving the health and well-being of the local community on the Gold Coast. Through her affiliation with CAG, she has been able to leverage her expertise and knowledge to create a positive impact. Helen participates in committees and working parties that focus on advancing continuous improvement and excellence in healthcare for all consumers. Helen's extensive background includes a dynamic management career within Disability Services, Allied Health, and recruitment. She has gained a wealth of experience as a Management Board member for Youth Health and Education Services (YHES) and Living Made Easy (Disability Services).

Currently, Helen serves as an Administration Officer at GCUH in GCHHS, which allows her to gain insights into the health sector's challenges while working within the values of Queensland Health. Patient-centered care constitutes Helen's primary interest and focus within the healthcare domain. She is especially passionate about improving healthcare access for individuals in palliative care, those with disabilities, and the most underprivileged members of our society.

By doing so, she aims to ensure that all individuals feel included in their healthcare decisions. As a former Northern Gold Coast resident, Helen is eager to make substantive contributions to the Coomera Health precinct's future planning. The precinct's establishment will guarantee healthcare excellence for the most rapidly growing region in Australia.

EJ Milne PhD

EJ, originally from the UK, came to the Gold Coast in 2019. Her global journey has taken her to Canada, France, Oman, and several post-conflict countries, enriching her professional and personal experiences.

After being diagnosed with a neurological disorder, EJ developed an interest in neurological, rehabilitation, and allied health services. Her broader interests span consumer involvement in research, mental health, disability, LGBTQI+, and migrant, and refugee health.

In 2023, EJ founded the Gold Coast Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) Peer Support Group, offering information, education, advocacy, and support for those living with FND, their loved ones, and support workers. 

Committed to enhancing consumer services, EJ provides education, capacity building, co-design, and service improvement training to medical and allied health professionals and health researchers. She actively contributes as a member of the Consumer Advisory Group (CAG) of 星空体育 including the new Coomera Hospital Working Group. She is currently collaborating with researchers from Griffith University Business School and the School of Nursing and Midwifery Research to co-design an intervention to improve consumer involvement in health research.

EJ is also an academic researcher and completed her PhD in the UK. She currently serves as an Adjunct Professor in Health and Human Sciences at Charles Darwin University. EJ has dedicated her career to working collaboratively with disadvantaged communities, fostering consumer-led change in healthcare, community development, and policy through the use of participatory creative methods and co-design.

Shanali Abeysinghe

Shanali is deeply committed to clinical social work, person-centred care, and mental health advocacy.

She works as a School Engagement Mentor and Child Care Educator, supporting the wellbeing and development of young people. She is currently undertaking a Master of Social Work at Griffith University while actively volunteering with the Australian Red Cross in aged care and community care roles. Shanali also contributes to the Multicultural Communities Council Gold Coast (MCCGC) through her involvement in the Youth Advisory Group. In addition, she supports access to justice as a volunteer with the Gold Coast Community Legal Centre.

Shanali is a strong advocate for human rights, having represented youth voices at the 17th International Human Rights Summit at the United Nations in New York, and the 7th Commonwealth Youth Parliament in Darwin.

As a member of the Consumer Advisory Group, Shanali is committed to ensuring that diverse community perspectives are heard and integrated into the planning and delivery of equitable, person-centred health services.

Julie Hale

Julie has extensive experience of the healthcare sector internationally. Previously Deputy CEO of Women’s and Children’s Healthcare Australasia, she was responsible for advocacy, hospital benchmarking, special interest groups focused on sharing best practices and support of hospitals and health services internationally. Having recently been CEO of Clever Care Now, a community care provider and worked in the Primary Care sector, Julie has extensive experience of the entire health system.

Julie and her family members have personal experience of the healthcare sector both public and private within the Gold Coast region. She also has personal experience of the health sector across a number of jurisdictions.

Having previously negotiated a $45 million recurrent decision for hospitals and health services nationwide, she is keen to support initiatives that will improve outcomes for health service users.

Last updated 20 Feb 2024