Issue 8 - November, 2015

Consumer Newsletter Consumer and Community Engagement

Consumer Engagement Unit Update

Relationship building is such an important part of what we do in

health care. Some would argue the most important. In the Consumer

and Community Engagement Unit relationship building is serious

business, as it is a core activity and provides a measurement of our

success. As 2015 draws to a close I am reminded about how “hyper-

connected” the world has become. People are building relationships

in many and various ways, and with faster internet speeds increasing

wi-fi access, the online relationship juggernaut shows no sign of

stopping. This month we saw an increase in the number of current consumers registering

to be part of the Online Consultation Hub, with 17 new members added. In the Online

Consultation Hub relationship building is core as consumers connect with each other,

build their capacity to perform in their role and give insight into shaping publications for

the network such as There Is No Such Thing as a Silly Question.

Last month, in glorious 25°C weather Sarah (aka “Fairy Bell”) hosted our first face painting

feedback session. I am often asked about what makes consumer engagement

successful. My answer is that if we provide consumers with a dignified, empathic and

equal opportunity for communication we can build bilateral partnerships from the ward

level to the executive and governing council levels.

I have dubbed November “capacity development month” the Network will roll out five

unique training opportunities for its staff. There will be e-learning aspects, with the new

module Partnering with Consumers, Health Consumers Alliance of South Australia will

lead advanced workshops in health literacy and person and family centred Care and Act

NOW theatre company will deliver drama-based workshops for 160 staff, highlighting

consumer stories of successful and not so successful partnerships. A full wrap-up will be

provided in the December edition.

Allan J Ball

Manager, Consumer & Community Engagement

November 2015 opportunities

Consumer representative photo shoot

Consumer representatives are asked to gather on Friday, 27 November at 12 noon to

participate in a photo shoot to build a catalogue of images for use in various WCHN

publications. The images to be taken in the hospital and the adjacent parklands. All are

welcome to attend – children, parents, caregivers, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends. If

you are interested in participating please RSVP to Allan by Thursday 26 November 5pm.

Consumer representatives needed to share their stories

We are seeking a number of consumers to help develop some case studies illustrating a

range of experiences with the Health Network:

Newsletter profile: We are looking for a current consumer to talk about their role on one of

the committees and what they get out of being involved in consumer engagement for the

Network. (This will be published in a forthcoming edition of the Consumer Newsletter).

Video profile: We would like two consumers to share their experiences of what it was like

to visit the Hospital and what it felt like to go through the Child and Adolescent Mental

Health Service. These stories will be used in a video planned for 2016.

To register your expression of interest please contact Allan for further details.

Calling consumers to be involved: Online Consultation Database

We are looking for consumers who can share between 1-3 hours a month to be involved in

online consultations. This includes voting for a design, offering feedback on content for a

new poster or brochure, or input into a new idea. Some recent examples include:

Reviewing the publication There Is No Such Thing as a Silly Question.

Creative consultation towards the development of messages for coffee cups used in the

café about safety and health quality.

For further details or to register your interest please contact Allan.

Consumer Activities commence

On Thursday, 29 October, the Consumer Coffee Club launched in

the Café at the WCH. The Coffee Club enables visitors, consumers

and families to join trained Consumer Representatives, in having a

slice of cake, piece of fruit and hot beverage while providing

feedback about their experiences. Those who attended were

provided with a listening ear and also information about how to get

involved, how to submit formal complaints and learn more about

social supports. This will be a regular event on the last Thursday of

every month between 10am – 11.30am. If you are a community site,

our consumer representatives are happy to host a coffee club event

at your location. On 13 October, 28 children joined Sarah (aka Fairy

Bell) and Allan for the inaugural Feedback & Face Paint session.

Sarah, who is a consumer, volunteer and trained face painter, will be

hosting these sessions every school holidays. The feedback

gathered at both of these activities will be discussed at the Consumer

Feedback and Improvement Group commencing in December.

Consumer governance structure launched

November saw the launch of three out of the six committees that make up the Women’s and

Children’s Health Network (WCHN) consumer governance structure. The consumer

governance structure provides the Network with a nation-Leading model for developing

partnerships in service design and clinical governance. The structure which includes direct

reports to Governing Council and the Executive Leadership Committee is made up of

consumer, community and WCHN staff representatives. In October the Person and Family

Centred Care Network Steering Group, Youth Advisory Group and the Consumer and

Community Partnership Council joined other established committees like the Cultural

Roundtable ensuring that our Consumer Governance Structure is diverse and active.

Consumer and Community Partnership Council

Chair: CEO and Consumer.

Includes: 10 Consumers, Health Consumers Alliance of South Australia CEO, Multicultural

Youth Services of South Australia Director, Families SA Child Protection staff and a member

from the Friends of the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Inc.

Staff: Executive Director, Corporate Services and Manager, Consumer and Community

Engagement.

Frequency: Bi-monthly meetings.

Role: The group will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Consumer and

Community Strategy and Responsiveness Plan for 2015-2018. The group will know it is

achieving quality consumer engagement when the following can be checked off:

WCHN consumer engagement policies, procedures and guidelines are produced for

supporting consumers in the decision-making process

Consumer Training Calendar and Orientation Toolkit

Cultural Roundtable putting diversity first

Consumer consultation in strategic, operational and service planning;

Consumer consultation in the development of patient information materials

Mechanisms and processes to empower consumers to be actively engaged in decisions

about their own care

Creation of an online consumer experience survey

Consumer representation on strategic and operational committees

Consumer analysis and consultation in quality and safety data

Divisions conducting annual community forums, focus groups and consumer workshops

Developmentally appropriate feedback systems such as Fabio the Frog, ‘Dear Manager’

letterboxes, feedback-face painting and a dedicated version of the 15 steps feedback and

recommendations challenge

Support, training and education for Women’s and Children’s Health Network staff in

person and family centred care education and training modules, including e-learning

formats

Conveying communication through online and printed materials

Developing an online consumer consultation and engagement space

Operating a consumer lounge

Consumer-led quality improvement activity

Women’s and Children’s Health Network Annual Campfire for Consumers and Community

to learn about what has been achieved through bilateral relations

Cultural events and activities compliant with other events and activities in the Network

Community engagement presence for health promotion

Women’s and Children’s Consumer Register

Youth Advisory Group

Chair: Jason Cutler and Manager of Consumer and Community Engagement.

Includes: 10 Consumers aged 14-18 who have had experience with hospital and community

services as a consumer, carer or sibling.

Staff: Principal, Hospital Education School Service and Arts in Health Coordinator, Team

Kids. Women’s & Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Frequency: 4-hour meeting every school holidays

Role: The group operates as the peak child and youth voice for the Network and will be

responsible for implementing a range of quality improvements in the hospital and for the

Network. In 2016 the goals for the group include;

Implementing a 15-Step Youth Experience Quality Improvement Challenge. Four sites,

including the Hospital Education Services, hospital entrances, Café and a community site

(to be determined) will be audited with regard to their ability to provide safe and

comfortable care for children and youth. The recommendations will be provided to the

Partnership Council for actioning

2 x 60-90 second videos to assist children and youth coming to hospital and accessing a

community service.

A youth guide to places and spaces.

A Youth Health Conference.

If you want to get involved or know of a young person who wants to get involved, please

contact Allan.

Person and Family Centred Care Network Steering Group

Chair: Tessa Kowaliw and Executive Director, Corporate Services.

Includes: 3 Consumer Representatives; Tanya, Haya and Jackie.

Staff: 18 staff representing all divisions and units of the Network.

Frequency: Quarterly meetings.

Role: This group will be responsible to ensure that a Person and Family Centred Charter of

Care is crafted for the Network and will create a work plan to ensure that the Network is also

compliant with Standard 2: Partnering with Consumers. The style of this meeting is much

different to what is typically found as it includes break-out workshops where a deep-dive on a

significant topic can be thoroughly explored. In October, the Network’s response to culturally

and Linguistically Diverse Population Groups was unpacked.

All of the groups are using a paperless system to engage including Dropbox to get minutes

and agendas and Basecamp for continued discussion between meetings.

SA Health Awards finalist

In October Allan was delighted to hear that the Consumer and Community Engagement

Strategy and Responsiveness Strategy 2015-2018 was chosen as one of three finalists for a

SA Health Award in the Excellence in Building and Sustaining Partnerships category.

This initiative has occupied a significant amount of time during 2015 to ensure that what we

were developing was right for our Network.

As part of the publicity for the awards, in October Health Consumers Alliance of South

Australia Chief Executive Office, Michael Cousins, WCHN Executive Director, Corporate

Services Phil Robinson, Allan Ball, Lil and Vikki and their children joined forces to create a

short video outlining the importance of the strategy.

Congratulations to the more than 240 240 stakeholders involved this is a tremendous project

on receiving this recognition. Michael, Phil and Allan and a number of consumers will accept

the finalist certificate at the awards ceremony on 13 November. Who knows? We may be

fortunate enough to win. Fingers and toes crossed!

Safety and quality information on display in Paediatric Rehabilitation Department

Display boards which were introduced in late

2014 and early 2015 are a way to display safety

and quality messages to consumer. The Network

has a strong focus on reporting on safety and

quality and the display boards can be found in

high-volume consumer traffic areas such as tea

rooms, waiting rooms and hand-washing

stations.

The Paediatric Rehabilitation Department, which

has installed its board in the waiting area, is

displaying a blend of mandatory training, unit

specific and Network-wide information. Have you

seen these display boards? Let Allan know what

you think about them.

Consumer Snapshot

Over the past month:

Twelve young consumers joined Allan and Jason to usher in the first Youth

Advisory Group on 5 October. They were provided an exclusive tour of Adelaide

Oval including the Port Adelaide Football Club Training area (which is a non-public

space). This was arranged with the Port Adelaide Community Foundation as a gift

to the peak body.

Staff joined Tanya and Jackie with Chair Phil, to welcome the new Person and

Family Centred Care Network Steering Group.

The Network hosted it first Consumer and Community Partnership Council.

Healthy Focus Spring 2016 edition was published which included a number of

articles on Consumer and Community Engagement activities, including the launch

of the Consumer and Community Engagement and Responsiveness Strategy

2015-2018, an interview with Margaret Wallace, Presiding Member of the WCHN

Health Advisory Council, a story featuring Rhys and Owen about the My Rights

Colouring Book and Teen Postcard, a wrap up about the School Ambassador

Program and a heartfelt article by Jackie Barreau, reminding us how important the

role of an informed carer is when you are navigating illness and despair. Thank

you, Jackie, for sharing your story. You can view Healthy Focus online at

http://www.wchn.sa.gov.au/HealthyFocus/Issue28.html

Launch of a new web resource to support families going through grief and loss

produced by the Paediatric Palliative Care Service.

Eight consumers joined Dr Alison Russell, Susannah Frost and Allan Ball for a

self-care and resiliency training session in October. It included a very mindful

yoga session.

Vikki went on her first Leadership Safety and Quality Walk Around.

Allan has been active in enhancing the consumer voice across the Network

evidenced by; a new safety health promotion initiative using paper cups from the

Café, sharing knowledge about Standard 2 and consumer synergies to CAMHS

Communication team. He has also worked with SA Health to continue to advance

the Network’s role in the MCE-NPT Consumer Experience Online Feedback Trail.

This included establishing a partnership with Quyen from the Vietnamese

Women’s Association. Allan has also set up a partnership with Sidique Bah,

Communications Officer with the Multicultural Communities Council of SA and

editor of South Australia’s African communities magazine Salt. This will feature

articles about how the Network is recognising cultural practices in caring for

women and children of African background.

Consumers from the Network have trialled the soon-to-be launched e-learning

module for partnering with consumers. The module focuses on providing staff

with a solid grounding in the principles of Person and Family Centred Care.

Tara and Tanya co-presented with Phil and the Consumer Advocate Staff team

on the 28th of October for Mock Accreditation. Results of this accreditation practice

run will be available for the next Newsletter.

22 Unique responses to a variety of online Consumer Consultations in October

including for publications “there is no such thing as a silly question”

and “patient feedback sheet for WABS”.

For more information

Consumer and Community Engagement Unit

Women’s and Children’s health Network

72 King William Road

North Adelaide SA 5006

Telephone: 8161 6935

Email: Allan.Ball@sa.gov.au

www.wch.sa.gov.au

© Department for Health and Ageing, Government of South Australia. All rights reserved.

1 2

3 4

5

6

1. Youth Advisory Group. 2. William, Alyssia, Zoe

and Nicolas helping out with the Consumer

Engagement video. 3. Youth Advisory Group with

Port Power players. 4. Consumer and Community

Partnership Council. 5. Sarah (aka Fairy Bell) the

Face paint and feedback session 6. Alison Russell

leading the self-care and resiliency training with

consumers. 7. Allan’s office is transformed into a

movie set for the filming of the SA Health Awards

finalist video.

1 2

3

1

5

1 4

1

6

1

7

1