Issue 28 – October 2017
Consumer & Community Newsletter Consumer and Community Engagement Unit
Consumer and Community Engagement Unit Update Why empathy matters Empathic involvement is an interpersonal factor, preserved within any person and family centred approach to health care. Yet, it is a skill, like any other, that needs some practice. Empathy is a daily act where another person walks in the shoes of someone else, with the view of connecting with that other person’s emotional, spiritual and physical reality. Approaches to person and family centred care, such as Planetree, embed the act of empathy as the formula for health care provision. Empathy involvement is measured as part of performance improvement. Services are designed with this principle in mind and cultural transformation often starts with taking on board the perspectives of the consumer and carer. Unsurprisingly, our organisation unanimously chose empathy as one of six principles to underpin our consumer engagement. Here are some of the essential ingredients to ensure that that empathy is a skill used and strengthened everyday: 1. Beginning by validating how someone is feeling to legitimise their emotional state and letting that person know how you have understood their perspective “I can imagine going through …” 2. Pausing and reminding yourself that this person or group of people are important, that there is time to connect and it is your duty. 3. Be observant of others and take time to look at those people around you and task yourself: “What kind of day are they having?”, “What is going on for that person right now?” or “How are they feeling”. 4. Actively listen in a conversation, by not formulating a response whilst the other person is speaking. This is a natural reflex, but can be overcome by slowing down and taking time to respond. Silence is an obligatory friend in active listening; by taking a moment to consider what the other person has just said. Be bold and brave to ask follow-up questions to better understand what they have said. Empathic involvement can have some pitfalls; particularly empathic exhaustion and empathic extremes. It is important to ensure that empathic involvement is applied at the right moment and in the right amount. Too little empathy and you may come across as callous; too much empathy could come across as intrusive or patronising. Equally, if you are a health care professional, you should reflect upon your self-care strategies to ensure that you are not suffering from compassion fatigue. The case for empathy can be made by promoting the benefits such as improving the ability to build a trusting relationship and communicate accurately with consumers leading to higher satisfaction ratings, greater adherence to treatment and better interactions. Allan J Ball Director, Consumer and Community Engagement
NOTICEBOARD OCTOBER SAVE THE DATE • • •
Blue refers to a date for your calendar Orange refers to an open event or invitation, requiring an RSVP Green refers to a Consumer Governance Committee
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Volunteer Recognition Awards. RSVP to Allan.
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Consumer Surveying on experience
WCH Campus. 11am – 1pm Women’s Wards.
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Clinical Safety and Quality Committee
3pm – 5pm WCH Campus
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CAMHS Consumer Committee
10am – 12pm CAMHS Executive
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Youth Advisory Group Meeting
10am – 1pm WCH Campus
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Consumer Surveying on experience
WCHN Campus. 11am – 1pm Children’s Wards.
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Roving Consumer Coffee Club
WCH Campus. 10am – 12pm
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Kids Klub October.
WCH Campus. Alan Crompton Boardroom. 10am -12pm RSVP to Sally Owen
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Consumer and Community Partnering Council
WCH Campus. Executive Boardroom. 11am – 1pm
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Consumer Surveying on experience
WCHN Campus. 11am – 1pm Children’s Surgery Wards.
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Submissions due for 2017 Report Card.
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Consumer Surveying on experience
WCH Campus. 11am – 1pm Outpatients
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Consumer Coffee Club
WCH Campus. Café Level 2. 10am – 11:30pm
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Consumer and Volunteer Orientation
WCH Campus. Alan Crompton Boardroom. 9am – 1pm
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Youth Advisory – Media Committee
WCH Campus. Allan’s Office. 3:30 – 4:30pm
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Consumer Surveying on experience
WCHN Campus. 11am – 1pm Women’s Wards
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School Ambassador Program
Adelaide West Special School
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2018 Passion Projects Information Session
RSVP to Allan Ball
Send to Allan Ball
EDUCATION & CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT Consumer and Volunteer Orientation An introduction to consumer and volunteer engagement within the organisation. Hear from guest speakers in relation to history of the organisation, Aboriginal cultural awareness, fire safety, safety and quality and introduction to consumer reimbursements. Photos will be taken for ID Badges and a tour of the Community Engagement Division offices will occur. For all new consumer representatives.
WHEN: Monday 30 October TIME:
9am – 1pm
WHERE: Alan Crompton Boardroom WCH Campus. RSVP:
23 October to Allan.
You will not be reimbursed for your time attending this event.
Consumer Training Calendar 2017 Full 2017 training calendar is available on the web. Check it out.
Grand Rounds (Lecture series on innovation, health and research) From January 2017, all consumer representatives signed up to the database have access to the weekly Grand Rounds. A Grand Round is a lecture series that provides WCHN staff with education on a range of health topics relating to our core business. They are held every Wednesday in the Queen Victoria Lecture Theatre from 12pm to– 1:30pm. This is a voluntary task that consumer representatives can opt in to attending. Family and friends are welcome to join you. DATE
TOPIC
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Mental Health Commissioner, Chris Burns
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Play Therapy at WCHN, Marisa Salvati
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A tale of omega-3s and ADHD: Dr Natalie Parletta, Senior Research Fellow: Nutrition and Dietetics, Centre for Population Health Research, University of South Australia
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MS McLeod Research Seminar: Care Track Kids, Professor WB Runciman, Professor of Patient Safety, Centre for Population Health Research, School of Health Sciences, University of SA
BASECAMP NEWS E-Book Club October 2017 Data Gathering, giving power to patients, an article from Precision Medicine.
October 2017 Direct Consultation Drop the Jargon Drop the Jargon is a campaign to learn about the phrases, words and sentences that need to be silenced in healthcare. From 22 September – 22 December, you will be asked to participate in a consultation that can be shared in social networks.
Not a member of Basecamp? Visit our website to learn how to get involved. Invitations are open to WCHN staff, consumers, caregivers, family members and community members. To provide feedback to the survey without signing up to Basecamp click here.
Never miss out. Join Basecamp for real-time access and updates from the Women’s and Children’s Health Network. 24/7
We want to hear about your hospital experience Please provide your letterbox feedback by answering 3 questions at www.wch.sa.gov.au.
CONSUMER GOVERNANCE UPDATES ELECT Fresh of the plane from Sydney; Tiffany, Leanne, Tanya and Emily joined Allan for the monthly meeting. Key milestones from the collaboration included: -
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finalisation of the terms of reference for the group update on the innovations and mud-mapping of potential approaches learnt at the TheMHS conference (see below) the group brainstormed ways it could transform meetings for 2018 by embracing a concept from the CaFHS consumer group, to bring meetings into the community by hosting a table at specific community events and visiting service sites. ELECT will also work with CAMHS executive to have a look at reports from safety and quality, consumer feedback and operations; to support decision-making.
TheMHS 2017 The annual TheMHS Conference is held in a different city around Australia and New Zealand each year and attracting approximately 1,000 delegates. In August, Leanne, Tanya and Tiffany represented the Women’s and Children’s Health Network by attending the 2017 conference in Sydney. The theme for this year was “embracing change – through innovation and lived experience”. The Conference is strongly interdisciplinary and multi-sectoral – making TheMHS Conference the place to be for networking in the mental health sector. The delegates joining our ELECT members came from a diverse range of personal and professional backgrounds, including clinicians, managers, consumers, carers, researchers, educators and policy makers. There were many lessons coming from the three-day conference, but the concept of “Two-eyed seeing”, a framework for integrating Indigenous and Western knowledges, was profiled, was something that stood out. Two-eyed seeing embraces Indigenous ways of understanding the world and integrating these with Western bodies of knowledge, in an endeavour of collaboration and respect, where a tribal consciousness was cultivated, taking the best from both worlds.
CAMHS Award The Nanko-walun Porlar Nomawi program received a TheMHS Award in the 2017 Mental Health Service Awards of Australia and New Zealand program for service to mental health. The Murraylands-based program, which means ‘wellbeing for children and families’, is administered by the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and funded through the Closing the Gap program. Workers are strongly engaged with the local Aboriginal community and connection with culture is a major focus. The program has a coordinator and two wellbeing workers, all are currently Aboriginal workers. It has around 45 individual clients and its workers are a highly valued part of the community. The program partners with agencies such as Child Protection and Education, as well as nongovernment organisations. Outreach work across the region frequently occurs and ‘Yarning Circles’ are run at schools and a local children's centre. Aboriginal Community Education Officers and school counsellors are closely involved with the program in identifying referrals and collaborating to provide services. Nanko-walun Porlar Nomawi was recognised in the ‘entries with a different focus’ category for its work with families at risk of involvement with child protection or youth justice to improve school attendance and build cultural strength, identity and resilience amongst young Aboriginal people.
The program delivers services that aim to build: social connection, emotional and physical wellbeing, family relationships and kinship networks and spiritual wellbeing and connection to country.The initial assessment of clients covers all aspects from a family perspective and leads to the development of a care plan negotiated with parents. If serious mental health concerns are identified then work is undertaken in conjunction with the local CAMHS.
ELECT members, September 2017
CONSUMER ENGAGMENT UPDATES Carers Australia is proud to host the 7th International Carers Conference in Adelaide, South Australia, from 4-6 October 2017. The conference aims to re-imagine caring into the future, providing a catalyst for innovation and collaboration; sharing improvements in the way we support unpaid carers, care-recipients, their families, networks and communities. In addition to recognising and learning from past achievements, this conference will focus on the future, the challenges and opportunities ahead, and showcase innovation in policy and practice. The 7th International Carers Conference will bring together key stakeholders across a broad range of community and business sectors: policy-makers, community leaders, business leaders, researchers, grassroots advocates, practitioners, consumers and carers. Delegates will come from across Australia, across the Asia Pacific region and across the globe, along with national and international high-profile speakers; to engage in a meeting of minds. Amelia and Tahlia from the Youth Advisory Group will be attending to represent the voice of young carers and Tara and Tanya will be working at the SA Health Information Booth on 4 and 5 October. The International Carers Conference theme – Caring into the Future: the new world? - will focus on innovation, partnerships, future challenges and new opportunities. Lots of photos please Tahlia, Amelia, Tara and Tanya.
Top Ten list By Lily Griffin, WCHN Consumer Chair, Person and Family Centred Care Network
1) Consumers of health care are people first. Every consumer has their own unique set of circumstances, strengths, limitations and goals. They are so much more than their medical condition. Diagnoses don't seek medical help, people do. 2) The right to human dignity is universal. 3) Kindness costs nothing. It enriches those who practise it as well as those who receive it. 4) Clear and effective communication is the key to mutual understanding. 5) People are experts of their own lives. 6) Realistic and sustainable health care solutions depend on the insights of lived experience as well as clinical knowledge and skill. 7) There is power in partnership. 8) Respect is the cornerstone of all productive human interaction. 9) Positivity is contagious. 10) People in crisis need hope ‒ the hope that comes from believing that real resolution is possible because they have been truly heard.
Person and Family Centred Care Week Twelve months ago WCHN celebrated the launch of the inaugural Person and Family Centred Care Week. We held our second PFCC Week from 18-22 September with a full range of events and activities, including workshops for staff, an evaluation of the Network’s approach to person and family centred care and launches of health literacy documents and a new volunteer strategy. Throughout the week, Rainbows café and Vic’s Coffee Shop at the Hospital and the Volunteer Guides surprised consumers and staff with random acts of kindness. .
Person and Family Centred Care Showcase About 90 staff, consumer representatives, consumers and volunteers gathered for the showcase, celebrating person and family centred care. Allan, as emcee, opened the showcase by providing a snapshot of the consumer-led initiatives and staff achievements within the past 12 months. He spoke about the maturing of the strategy and achieving a further eight completed actions from the 77 in the plan. Allan cited ‘evaluating effectiveness’, evidenced through five formal evaluations including: > > > > > >
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the effectiveness of the Guide Team in the Kermode Street Foyer 12-month evaluation on the strength of person and family centred care 2 x consumer representation evaluations, we now do them annually roll out of the ‘Know your rights’ posters, colouring book, emoji postcard and top 10 language brochures School Ambassador Program In 2017/18 the Youth Guide to Places and Spaces, Listening model approach and the overall system of Consumer Engagement will be evaluated.
The maturing of real-time consumer engagement through a focus on building membership on Basecamp and setting a KPI of at least daily updates on Basecamp (Monday-Friday). Now we are 88% of the way there. The role of the consumer representative through in-depth masterclasses to develop our skill-set, exposure to conferences and workshops and support with attaining the professional certificate in health consumer and community engagement.
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How quality improvement projects in the Network are based on consumer feedback and involving consumers in the design, co-design or leadership position of these projects. In 2017, there are currently 78 projects across the Network, up 29 from the 49 projects in 2016.
Allan’s full speech is available to view on Basecamp. The second part of the showcase provided an opportunity for the 2017 Person and Family Centred Care Passion Project winners to share outcomes from their projects. All four teams presented and we learnt that 163 consumers were directly involved in the creation of four projects that included: -
A podcast of 12 mothers’ birthing experiences, An online video introducing children to the surgical services within the hospital, New tablet equipment to support counselling sessions in Northern CAMHS and The introduction of an antenatal parent support program for families in the Riverland district.
The five minute presentations spoke about outcomes (intended and unintended) and what it was like to work with consumers. Annette Sargent, a Nurse from the Berri Child and Family Health Service team commented about her project: “The main area addressed was for consumers and caregivers to have a voice in what they wanted from us within our service. This was very successful as clients were keen to engage with completion of the audits and attendance at our pilot group. Purchased resources for use in the group were also well received such as the Glider Rockers, Safe Sleep DVD, magnets, dolls and wraps. ” She added: “It was fantastic to base the project on feedback we had received from our mums and dads and it gave us an even better feeling to be able to translate their feedback into a real project.” Leanna and Tessa spoke extremely well and passionately about how consumers are partners in quality improvements. Rounding off this part of the showcase was an announcement that the Friends WCH Incorporated will be funding the 2018 Person and Family Centred Care Passion Projects.
2018 Person and Family Centred Care Passion Projects Information session When: Tuesday 31 October at 2.30pm – 3.30pm, Where: Women’s and Children’s Hospital. RSVP: Email Allan or TEXT 0466 364 694 “RSVP 2018 Passion Projects”. The final part of the showcase was to celebrate the achievements of staff who were recognised by consumers, carers or their peers for outstanding achievements against the organisational Person and Family Centred Care Charter. The Director, Consumer and Community Engagement says: “The awards are a way to shine the spotlight on those staff members who live and breathe the spirit of person and family centred care.” We recognised the 2017 monthly winners and also crowned the inaugural Person and Family Centred Care staff member of the year. Joanna Pugliese, Play Therapist, Paediatric Outpatients, was named the staff member of the year.
Inaugural Person and Family Centred Care Staff Member of the Year Joanna Pugliese - Play Therapist, Paediatric Outpatients Our four pillars of person and family centred care, particularly treating the consumer and their family with dignity and respect and being positive and kind; featured in numerous nominations for Jo.
Phil Robinson, Jo Pugliese and Allan Ball
Jo has demonstrated a consistent ability to exceed consumer expectations by providing a fun and positive service and supporting our youngest consumers to alleviate some of their treatment / illness-related anxiety through play. In February, Jo was recognised as the monthly winner. In feedback, one consumer wrote about Jo’s work: “My younger granddaughter has some behavioural problems and these were handled with respect, kindness, patience and appropriate firmness. She was redirected to other activities if necessary.” Positive consumer engagement is about ensuring that we continuously work in partnership with our consumers, promoting empowerment and shaping excellence in care.
Person and Family Centred Care Training sessions 56 staff, volunteers, students and consumer representatives joined the Director, Consumer and Community Engagement, Lily (Consumer Co-chair of Person and Family Centred Care Steering Group) and the ActNow Theatre team for the third installation of the person and family centred care theatre experience. For those not familiar with the experience, actors depict three consumer stories as members in the audience participate through virtual and in-real-life communication. The aim of the session was to sensitively use consumer stories to promote the four pillars of person and family centred care. Two groups of around 30 staff were invited to participate in 90minute sessions. “I did not know what to expect and it soon became apparent that this was not like any other training I had been to before. I came out with a true understanding of why the four pillars matter and some ideas that I can quickly adopt in my community service.” (Community staff member) “It was a unique experience; engaging, riveting and informative. I will apply what I have been taught today with my placement observations. This has made a difference.” (Social Work student). The intensive yet interactive sessions bolster the spirit of person and family centred care and unapologetically display consumer stories to shift mindsets.
Volunteer Strategy Launch Around 80 staff gathered on the Play Deck on Monday 18 September to launch, with fanfare, the 2017-2027 Volunteer Strategy. The strategy is the culmination of nine months’ enjoyable labour by a dedicated group of staff, consumers, community stakeholders and volunteers. The strategy formally recognises the organisational approach to volunteer service provision, vision and strategic intent for the next ten years. Key outcomes from the strategy will be: -
Alignment with the person and family centred care charter A framework for youth volunteer engagement Establishing a Volunteer Advisory Group to support governance
Those who attended the launch were Kyri (Volunteer) and Lily (Consumer) at the launch welcomed to what can only be described as a wonderland of fun. With a vision of a kids’ party in mind, games, a photo booth, speeches, a ukulele group performance, and a visit by Dorothy the Dinosaur were just some of the components of the launch. The CEO and executive joined with staff, consumers, volunteers and the community to read the document and learn about the strategic intent. The strategy can be downloaded from the WCH website on or a hardcopy is available by contacting Lis Brittan, Manager WCHN Volunteers.
Welcome to the WCHN Booklet The Women’s and Children’s Health Network gives you the power to make choices and to help with making decisions around your health care treatment and on st Friday 21 September launched an exciting new (interactive) booklet for you. The booklet titled “Welcome to the Women’s and Children’s Health Network” provides a one-stop shop for information to support you in making health care decisions and choices. The booklet is now available for download from the WCH website and comes with a video, which was co-produced with consumers Gabriel, Lana, Liam and Thomas.
Front cover of the new interactive guide
The booklet is the result of 18 months of work by many staff, consumer representatives and community stakeholders and was the first initiative overseen through combined consumer governance. Both the Youth Advisory Group and Cultural Roundtable owned the outcome of the booklet and will ensure its success. The booklet will be evaluated for impact in March 2019 and all staff are encouraged to actively promote the booklet to their consumers and carers. With 300 hours of combined work that included community consultations, content development and graphic design; the booklet is a product of hundreds of individuals driven by the pursuit of shared-decision making. The organisation is committed to the philosophy to make the right thing to do the easiest, and this guide has been thoroughly planned to make choice-selection easier.
Example of some of the pages that promote question building and shared decision making
Cartoons and content developed by the YAG to help children understand what “shared decision making” looks like
Health Literacy Factsheets On Tuesday 19 September, four dedicated resources, developed in partnership with consumers, were launched. The four factsheets provide WCHN staff with a quick guide to addressing some of the common communication mistakes that contribute to poor health literacy in health services. Health literacy is about how people understand information about health and health care, and how they apply that information to their lives, use it to make decisions and act on it. Health literacy is important because it shapes people’s health and the safety and quality of health care. Low levels of individual health literacy contribute to poorer health outcomes, increased risk of an adverse events and higher health care costs. The Women’s and Children’s Health Literacy Group proposes a coordinated approach to health literacy based on: • • •
embedding health literacy into systems ensuring effective communication integrating health literacy into education.
Staff now have access to a dedicated health literacy space on the intranet and our community members (consumer representatives, volunteers, community friends) can access the factsheets on Basecamp or email Allan for copies.
Drop the Jargon consultation launch We want your thoughts on which words and phrases should be dropped in 2018, as the Consumer and Community Engagement Unit embarks on a consultation with staff, consumers, carers and family members titled “drop the jargon”. Six out of 10 people in Australia have low health literacy. This means that the majority of consumers, carers and family members who access our health services have difficulty accessing, understanding and using health information. Our consumers have told us that they would like to see a better health care system, in which jargon, technical terms and acronyms that contribute to low health literacy levels are eliminated. We need your help. Over the next 60 days, I encourage you to tell us what words, phrases or jargon you would like to see dropped in 2018. You are asked to complete a short survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DropTheJargonWCHN2018 The feedback will be commissioned into a report and considered by the Consumer and Community Partnering Council and Clinical Safety and Quality Committee to be translated into actions from 1 January 2018.
Divisional RoundTable On Thursday, 21 September all divisions were represented by executive or senior management with consumer representatives for a robust two-hour narrative, evaluating the impact of the organisation’s approach to person and family centred care. The annual divisional report card provides a measurement for the organisation on the various quality improvement activities that have occurred over the past 12 months and the strength of divisional responses to person and family centred care. Divisions were asked to prepare answers to a set of questions designed by Planetree™© and gaps were discussed at the divisional report card. Flinders University students will work with the Director, Consumer and Community Engagement in October to provide a report with recommendations based on the discussion. A huge thank you to divisional staff that made the divisional roundtable very interesting and easy, because there was lots of evidence of partnerships. Thank you to Tara, Tanya, Ruby and Lily for being our wonderful consumer representatives, who used appreciative enquiry techniques to shine a light on the areas of excellence that exist in this Network.
Divisional Evaluation Panel WCHN Staff and Consumers
Safety and Quality Update Tanya and Allan attended the September meeting which focused on the quarterly consumer feedback report. Between 20 June – 22 August 2017, 226 consumers commented, rating their overall experience of care positively: -
Excellent. 72.5% Good. 19% Average. 4.5% Poor. 4%
Actions were documented to address some areas for improvement to embed excellence in care, one of which will be a deeper dive into staff communication with results from the 2017 listening post available in late October. CAMHS is the last division to implement its listening posts. Tanya raised the next steps regarding the role of the consumer and community on safety and quality meetings. CSQC felt that it would be highly meaningful for consumers and carers to participate in the co-design of quality improvements rather than attend a meeting. It was agreed that the Director, Consumer and Community Engagement would support a marketing and orientation process to gather a pool of consumers interested in safety and quality projects to be on a database. Divisions will concentrate on a marketing campaign. In March 2018 a masterclass in safety and quality methodology will be provided to consumers with a focus on meeting structure. This will also be added to the Excellent Care Improvement Strategies for 20172018. The committee also confirmed that a Consumer Representative from the WCHN Citizen Jury will support a safety and quality walk-around in October. Letterbox forms were also updated to measure how well the cultural, religious and spiritual needs of consumers are being met. This is measured by feedback from the consumer or carer, rather than from the staff member. Lil was not too far from our thoughts. Get better soon.
Helen Marshall included in NHMRC’s Ten of the Best for 2016 Congratulations to Professor Helen Marshall, Senior Medical Practitioner and Director, Vaccinology and Immunology Research Trials Unit at the Women's and Children's Hospital for having her research chosen as one of the Ten of the Best 2016 by NHRMC for her research titled: Immunisation practice and policy development in Australia: responding to urgent priorities in prevention of endemic and epidemic infectious diseases in children, adolescents and pregnant women. The NHMRC commented that “Professor Marshall is an international leader in vaccinology and the public health impacts of infectious diseases. Her research is aimed at providing evidence to improve immunisation practice and influence immunisation policy nationally and internationally.” For further information, go to the NHMRC website.
Dr Helen Marshall
Thank you Kathy In September Kathy, one of the very first Consumer Representatives within the Network pressed the pause button on her commitments with the Network. Kathy was on the Disability Access and Inclusion Planning Group for 2015, which resulted in the WCHN Disability Action Plan and, since 2015, the Clinical Handover (now 'Communicating for Safety') committee. Thank you, Kathy, for your hard work, dedication and ability to advocate for children with complex and acute needs. Your advocacy has left a positive imprint and your legacy continues as the Disability Action Plan rolls out.
Young Parent Think-Tank Twelve WCHN staff, consumers and community members convened for a think-tank looking at the supports provided and what is required to ensure best health outcomes for our young parents. The Young Parent think-tank was triggered by a conversation that two Youth Advisory Group (YAG) members had in Sydney with the National Child Commissioner Megan Mitchell who illuminated the issues of stereotypes and stigma associated with being a young parent in Australia. Our YAG is alarmed by some of the comments received through letterbox feedback: -
"I feel unwelcome" "I feel like staff roll their eyes" "I feel like I have done something wrong, when I should be celebrating. Will child protection get involved?"
Members of the Young Parent Think-Tank, September 2017
The Think-Tank involved reporting on a literature review relating to the experience of young parents accessing Australian health institutions. This was coordinated by a Flinders University Masters Social Work student. Reviewing consumer letterbox feedback and unpacking two critical questions: -
What are we (WCHN) currently doing well at the WCHN that helps to support young parents? How have stereotypes and stigma got in the way or could betting in the way of delivering person and family centred care provision to young parents? Resulting from the think-tank was a list of recommendations to enhance the support provided to young parents. Ideas ranged from utilization of consumers as peer mentors to a further deep dive to understand specific divisions or wards were feedback indicates improvements and creative communication campaigns (health promotion). A co-designed report was written with the recommendations to be presented to the YAG and the Clinical Safety and Quality Committee. To access the report, to find out more or to be kept in the email loop of outcomes please contact Allan.
Person and Family Centred Care Awards August Monthly Winner: Linda Brennan – Community Health Nurse, Parent Helpline
A key pillar of a person and family centred care is to be positive and kind with consumers and their family. Helping consumers navigate through their problems is a great way to give them confidence to manage on their own. Linda received many praises from consumers who wanted to thank her for her support and encouragement.
One consumer wrote “When I feel lost, family and friends don’t always know what to do. With you, it’s helpful as you understand the mental health issues around parenting and practical issues with parenting, helping to keep me balanced as yousee all of the perspectives and help to stop me from having parent guilt.” Positive engagement is about ensuring that we continuously work in partnership with consumers; promoting empowerment and shaping excellence in care. Congratulations Linda! A very well deserved Monthly Winner.
August Person and Family Centred Care Award Recipients >
Dr Corinne Maiolo - Dermataology
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Nicole Austin - Antenatal Gynaecology
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Cate Fanning - Midwifery Group Practice
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Cassia Staff - Cassia Ward
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Ella Gleeson - Medical Short Stay Ward
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Linda Brennan - Parent Helpline
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Thelma Dawson - Parent Helpline
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Parent Helpline staff - Parent Helpline
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Mr Peter Cundy - Orthopaedic Surgery
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Kory Horwood - Orthopaedic CPC
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Caterina Keelan - Torrens House
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Cheryl Bryars - Torrens House
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Jennifer Johnstone - Torrens House
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Brad Allen - Torrens House
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Barb Smithies - Torrens House
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Paediatric Emergency Staff - Paediatric Emergency Staff
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Medical Short Stay Staff - Medical Short Stay Ward
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Sue Clasohm - Parent Help Line
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Jane Ireland - Women's Assessment Service
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Victoria Costessi - Women's Assessment Service
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Zena Coote - Women's Assessment Service
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Donna Turnbull - CaFHS Norwood
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CAMHS Enfield staff - CAMHS Enfield
For more information about the Person and Family Centred Care Awards and a nomination form visit www.wch.sa.gov.au/consumerandcommunity
You Said – We Listened – We Did Passport for Paediatric Emergency Department Hospital can be a daunting place for children. To try to alleviate some of the worries WCHN has launched the Paediatric Emergency Department Passport, aimed at helping children navigate through the hospital and learn what to expect before their visit. Feedback received through direct contact with staff and through the consumer letterbox and survey monkey told us that coming to a children’s emergency department can be confusing and frustrating. Children say it can be scary and can leave them and their families with worries about what is about to happen. Parents tell us that waiting times can be frustrating because they are unsure of what takes so long. Earlier this year Sarah McRae, Advanced Divisional Nursing Director, Paediatric Medicine and Director, Consumer and Community Engagement Allan Ball undertook an extensive literature search on effective communication in emergency departments. The consistent theme throughout this literature was the need for a multi-faceted approach to ensure effective communication. The recommendations included written, verbal and visual digital imaging. Sarah and Allan worked with consumer representative Lilly Griffin, Susan Dyer, Advanced Clinical Practice Consultant Clinical Practice Development and Monique Anninos, Nursing Service Director, Paediatric Emergency Department (PED) to brainstorm some ideas. The resulting ideas were flagged with consumers through the Kids Klub, Cultural Round Table and the Youth Advisory Group. The aim was to make a resource that was child-friendly, fun and interactive. The initiative aimed to promote transparency and give information about the stages of the emergency department journey. The Youth Advisory Group and Kids Klub members have worked with PED staff to help consumers understand this journey. The result is the Paediatric Emergency Passport and videos featuring young consumer characters Billy and May. It is anticipated that over 40,000 consumers will access the passport over the next 12 months, with the quality of initiative being monitored closely through letterbox feedback. This PED Passport launch is the beginning of many great initiatives planned for our emergency department. Visit www.wch.sa.gov.au/patients/emergency/passport.html for more information. A big thank you to the WCH Foundation for supporting the development of the PED Passport.
Front page of the Passport
Family Huddle Update Newland and Kate Hill Wards both launched their Family Huddles in September. Newland and Kate Hill Wards combined had 6 parents come through and reinforce what is happening well and provided insights into visiting hours. The term Family Huddle refers to a semi-formal meeting between consumers, caregivers or visitors (where applicable) and staff on a ward, within a service or unit of the Women’s and Children’s Health Network (WCHN) to enable shared decision-making. The meeting occurs regularly and supports person and family centred care principles. Family Huddles act as an adjunct to individualised, family and other communication mechanisms, such as ward rounds and clinical handover. Family Huddles achieve a mutual understanding of how a ward environment functions and identify possible quality improvements. Communication practices between staff and consumers/caregivers is an obligatory item on the agenda. Agenda items should invite participation from the consumers and caregivers into local decision making. Health literacy principles should be applied when minuting what happens in the Family Huddle and agendas should include information on what is happening in the Network. Staff can go online to access the WCHN Family Huddle Framework and others can contact Allan for a copy.
30 Day Rewind Consumer and Community Engagement -
Planning committee from the Youth Advisory Group and Children’s University met to plan for the October Kids Klub. The focus of the Kids Klub will be consulting with children on the best methods of communication when children are unwell, ill or experience psychological difficulty.
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Citizen Jury Members met with Social Work Department to unpack August Citizen Jury verdicts and to begin actioning consumer feedback.
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Our Volunteer Service Awards were attended by Consumer Representatives and WCHN staff, to celebrate the outstanding number of hours and years of service provided by members of our community. Meg from the Cultural Roundtable gave a key-note address about cultural diversity and how her volunteering has had a life-changing impact.
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Smoke-free Women’s and Children’s committee met with Adelaide City Council, with a final brief of proposed works crafted.
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Young Parents Think-Tank was held on Thursday 7 September with staff from YWSWS, Women’s and Babies Division, consumers, carers and community stakeholders. The focus of the meeting was to understand stigma related to being a young parent and if it creates barriers to accessing health care.
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Tara, Sharon and Emily hosted a roving consumer coffee club connecting with 12 families and a Consumer Coffee Club in the café connecting with 17 families.
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Judith and Vikki from the Citizen Jury met with Friends of WCH Incorporated and Director, Consumer and Community Engagement to plan and prepare for the 2018 season of HUG.
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The Person and Family Centred Care working group, involving consumers and community members, met for the last time as they prepared for the Person and Family Centred Care Week.
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Person and Family Centred Care Week rolled out with nine events, including a week-long campaign by the Volunteer Guide Team and Friends of WCH Inc. to deliver random acts of kindness to visitors of the Hospital.
Random acts included providing free fresh fruit to visitors at Rainbows Shops and stickers to children who accessed the Guide Team. -
A kindness gang convened with Tanya representing the Consumer and Community Partnering Council, which is designing an event for 13 November that promotes our pillar of “positivity and kindness” from the Person and Family Centred Care Charter.
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All hospital wards rolled out the Welcome Boards which have been well received by consumers. One consumer wrote in their letterbox feedback “I really like the photo of the manager on the board.”
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Child and Family Health Service held its quarterly advisory meeting on Tuesday, 26 September A wrap-up of that meeting will feature in the November newsletter.
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Allan met with a health psychology student to provide consultation support for the development of a Fathers and Male Carers’ focus group to understand the role of the “man” in a Neonate Intensive Care environment.
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Three consumers from various communities of practice and WCHN consumer governance met with Jane,
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Advanced Divisional Director – Nursing
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Surgical Services, to have a behind the scenes tour of the operating theatres on Tuesday, 19 September. Consumers will use this first-hand knowledge and apply it to their decisionmaking in various committees, including the strategic executive infrastructure committee.
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Penny, our Co-chair of the Consumer and Community Partnering Council, participated in the second meeting focusing on the clinical sustainment of the current Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
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Education, Training and Development -
Community Engagement Division hosted another roving show to educate staff in Medical Imaging of the services provided and to promote the Person and Family Centred Care Charter
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Lily co-delivered September’s Best Practice Spotlight Organisation education session.
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Allan delivered training in person and family centred care at the September Corporate Orientation for new staff. This involved sharing a child’s and a woman’s story.
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Allan participated in a QandA titled “Let’s talk Learning Circle”, providing education to social work students in person and family centred care.
Safety and Quality -
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Tanya participated in the September Clinical Safety and Quality Committee and presented on the past three-months’ consumer feedback on experience. 12 hours of consumer surveying were held, with a shift from Thursday to Tuesday this month to capture consumers’ utilising different services within the Health Network. CAMHS hosted the final week of listening posts for 2017, completing an organisational evaluation on the effectiveness of staff communication. A report will be written in October and presented to the Safety and Quality Committee in November with recommendations. Tiffany attended her second meeting representing the organisation for a 2018 SA Health trial of gathering patient demographics underpinned by a person and family centred care approach. Newland and Kate Hill Wards hosted their first Family Huddles.
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:
[email protected]
www.wch.sa.gov.au © Department for Health and Ageing, Government of South Australia. All rights reserved. All information was accurate at the time of printing, dates and times may vary.
