Is this campaign against Mount Gambier Hospital?
No. Listen Before You Dismiss began following concerns about experiences within rural healthcare, but the campaign has grown beyond one hospital, one patient or one complaint.
The goal is broader systemic improvement in rural patient care, communication, training, accountability and learning.
Are you asking for healthcare workers to be blamed or punished?
No. The campaign recognises that healthcare professionals work in complex and pressured environments.
We are asking for systems that support good care, identify problems, learn from complaints and provide appropriate training and accountability.
Can I share my experience without giving my name or email?
Yes. Your name and email address are optional on the Community Voices form.
Please avoid including names, medical record details or information that could identify you or another person. Complete anonymity cannot be guaranteed.
Nothing you submit will be published without further contact and your explicit consent. If you don't provide contact details, we won't be able to follow up with you.
Listen Before You Dismiss is about improving rural healthcare — not attacking the people who work within it.
Here are some of the questions people may have about the campaign.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this only about mental health?
No. One of the campaign’s central concerns is what happens when physical and mental health needs overlap.
Patients should be assessed and treated as whole people rather than having one diagnosis overshadow other symptoms or concerns.
What exactly are you asking for?
Listen Before You Dismiss is calling for an independent review of rural patient-care standards and clinical training, including lived experience alongside healthcare professionals.
Recommendations should be public, responsibilities should be clear, and communities should be able to see what changes as a result.
Do positive healthcare experiences belong in Community Voices too?
Absolutely.
Understanding what good care looks like is just as important as understanding what went wrong.
The nurse who listened, the doctor who looked again, the person who explained what was happening — those experiences can help show what patients value and what should be protected.
Still have a question?
Contact Listen Before You Dismiss at
listenbeforeyoudismiss@gmail.com
Listen before you dismiss.
Treat the whole person.
Every voice matters.
