Projects-Archive

Complaints Handling Project for the Royal Australasian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrist
Panayiota Romios, Greg Ford and Gillian Halliday

The project aimed to develop a framework to enable a consistent and continuous improvement approach to complaints handling by the College. The project was conducted between March and September 2003. The framework recognised: the rights of consumers and carers to lodge complaints; the contribution that complaints can make to safety and quality improvements in mental health services; the value of public awareness and accessibility of the College's complaints handling process; and the existence of complaints handling bodies available to consumers who access psychiatrists.

The framework also emphasised the development of collaborative relationships between a range of stakeholders including the College, mental health services, mental health consumer and carer organisations, and complaints handling bodies to improve the safety and quality of treatment and care provided by psychiatrists in Australia and New Zealand.

Consumer and Community Participation Self Assessment Project
Charin Naksook, Gillian Halliday and Tony McBride

This two-year project, led by the Centre for Clinical Effectiveness at Monash Institute for Health Services Research, came to a conclusion. The project team facilitated over 320 clinical and other units within five major metropolitan health services to undertake a self-assessment of their consumer participation activities. The aggregation of al the data showed that there was a considerable degree of consumer participation occurring, although mostly at simpler levels. The report also made a series of recommendations about future promotion of consumer participation. The project also evaluated the self-assessment tool itself, and this was subsequently fine-tuned using this feedback to produce a new self assessment tool.

Consumer, Carer and Community Participation in Primary Health Care
Tere Dawson and Vanessa Lynne

This project is directed to Primary Care Partnerships (PCPs) across Victoria and has two main components. One component is the management and facilitation of interactive workshops on specific consumer participation areas and the production of resources on each topic addressed; the second component, is a small consultation project about the modalities of consumer participation Primary Care Partnerships chose to engage consumers, carers and communities in their work and their rationale.

Consultancy to the Metropolitan Ambulance Service
Helena Maher

In November 2003, Health Issues Centre was contracted by the Metropolitan Health Services to provide advice on the establishment of a Community Advisory Committee to provide advice to their Committee of Management on improving community satisfaction with the services provided by the Metropolitan Ambulance Service.

Health Issues Centre delivered a number of reports that included advice on: the strategic role of consumers and a Consumer Advisory Committee in the Metropolitan Ambulance Service; terms of reference, recruiting and selecting committee members; providing orientation and training; and developing a strategic approach to engaging the community in the work of the Metropolitan Ambulance Service. The Metropolitan Ambulance Service Board of Management will consider this advice in relation to the findings and recommendations of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Community Advisory Committee in Metropolitan Ambulance Service.

Department of Human Services Strategy for Consumer and Carer Participation in Cancer Services Reform
Tere Dawson, Lauren Cordwell and Tony McBride

As part of the Cancer Services Framework, the Victoria Department of Human Services commissioned Health Issues Centre to develop a strategy for effective participation of consumers, carers and community members as partners in health care planning and delivery. Health Issues Centre conducted a statewide consultation involving over 150 people. A total of 17 interviews with key informants, 18 focus groups (10 with consumers and carers and eight with service providers), seven telephone interviews with facilitators of cancer support groups, and a survey of consumer and carer participation activities in cancer services, were conducted.

An Advisory Group was established to oversee the project. A key outcome of the project is a Guide for Consumer and Carer Participation in Cancer Services. A final report outlining the findings and recommendations emerging from the project was submitted to Victorian Department of Human Services in December 2005.

The project gave consumers and carers not only an opportunity to influence the Plan but also to learn about a variety of strategies to channel their voices and have a greater say in the future planning and delivery of cancer services.

The final report was submitted to Victorian Department of Human Services in January 2006 and the strategy for consumer participation was developed as a Guide to enhancing consumer and carer participation in Victoria's Integrated Cancer Services. Dissemination of the final report and the Guide, and an implementation and sustainability strategy will be developed by Victorian Department of Human Services.

Development of a Consumer Participation Plan for Prahran Mission
Tony McBride, Tere Dawson, Lauren Cordwell

This project aims to develop a shared understanding, common agreement and vision of why service user participation should be encouraged and strengthened at Prahran Mission. A systematic model whereby consumers and carers can have meaningful participation and support in the planning and implementation of the Mission's services will be developed and linked to an appropriate criteria and rationale for measuring the effectiveness of participation.

Development of a Consumer Participation Strategy and Service Mapping Profile - Calvary Health Care Bethlehem
Lauren Cordwell, Tere Dawson, Sandy Leggat (La Trobe University)

A consumer participation strategy and service mapping profile for Calvary Health Care Bethlehem are to be the outcomes of this project. Strategies for increasing consumer participation will be identified through consultations with staff, consumers, carers and relevant peak bodies. Dr Sandy Leggat (La Trobe University) will develop a service mapping profile to gain an understanding of the perceptions and needs of current and future individuals and organisations that make referrals to the palliative care and neurological services.

East Wimmera Health Service
Tere Dawson

This is an eight month project to develop a Community Participation Plan for the East Wimmera Health Service (EWHS) in Victoria. The EWHS consists of five campuses located in St. Arnaud, Donald, Birchip, Wycheproof and Charlton. Each campus delivers acute, primary health and aged care services. Extensive consultation with key service staff and community groups and individuals in each town will inform the development of the Plan. The project will finish in December 2006.

Education and Support Mental Health Consumer Participation Project
Panayiota Romios, Vanessa Lynn, Charin Naksook

Health Issues Centre, in conjunction with the Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council (VMIAC), developed and conducted the project in 2006 and 2007, with funding support from the Reichstein Foundation. The project aimed to facilitate active consumer involvement in mental health service planning, delivery, monitoring and evaluation. A Project Reference Group comprising of key stakeholders and consumers were involved throughout the project development.

A need assessment was carried out through consultations with: a group of consumer consultants supported by VMIAC; the Victorian Transcultural Psychiatry Unit consumers; and the Maine Connection, a consumer group in Castlemaine. Following these consultations, education and training needs of consumers were identified. The Health Issues Centre Training Coordinator and VMIAC staff, with input from key mental health educators and workers, developed content and format for the education and training for mental health consumers. A total of five educational sessions were delivered.

The final report comprising key issues from consultations with consumers, results of the education and support sessions, and project recommendations is now available.

Exploring Women-Centred Care in Maternity Care Research Project
Panayiota Romios, Dell Horey and Charin Naksook

This project was undertaken in conjunction with the Royal Women's Hospital and funded by the Council on Quality and Safety in Healthcare in 2005. The project aimed to compare womens' and midwives' understandings of women-centred care in the midwifery-led component of TeamCare in the maternity care program of the Hospital. The project had three components: a literature review; interviews with mothers about their experiences and midwives about their perceptions of women-centred care; and analysis of data and development of conclusions.

The outcomes of this project is a report documenting: a systematice review on definitions and practices in women-centred and patient-centred care; current understandings and practices of the staff working in the midwifery-led component of the TeamCare program in relation to women-centred care; experiences and perceptions of consumers of women-centred care including their views on important aspects of care and continuity of care; barriers and enablers to this program; and recommendations for strategies to maximise the effectiveness of women-centred care in the midwifery-led TeamCare program.

Integrating Consumer and Community Participation In Metropolitan Health Services

This workshop was held on 30 April 2001. The workshop brought representatives from the Executive and Boards of the 12 Metropolitan Health Services together with members of the Community Advisory Committees, their Resource Officers and staff from the Department of Human Services and Health Issues Centre. The program included presenters, small groups working through scenarios and a final plenary session. The workshop report identifies recurring themes of the day, along with specific recommendations from discussion groups and the evaluation of the workshop.

National Review of Complaints Handling: Turning Wrongs into Rights
Panayiota Romios, Margaret Wohlers, Tony McBride

The Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care sponsored the Turning Wrongs into Rights project to improve the way consumer complaints are managed by health care services. The project was developed and undertaken by a consortium of the NSW Health Care Commissioner, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Resolution Resource Network and Health Issues Centre.

The project developed Better Practice Guidelines on Complaints Management in Health Care Services based on evidence of good practice in complaints management in Australia and overseas. These have been accepted by the Australian Ministers, and are now published by the Council. The project was conducted between April and December 2003.

Health Issues Centre prepared an annotated literature review for the project that aimed to identify and analyse relevant research and information on innovations, and better practice in complaints management. It covered complaints management across customer service sectors, both locally and internationally, to identify relevant better practice and performance indicators. Health Issues Centre also organised a national workshop of 100 key stakeholders.

Older People's Experiences of Community Care Services in the Western Metropolitan Region
Panayiota Romios, Margaret Wohlers and Tere Dawson

The project explored the experiences of older people in the Western Metropolitan Region receiving community care services. It aimed to help the Council on the Ageing (COTA) Victoria, and the Aged Services Network Western Region (ASN) clarify the organisations' policy positions on issues pertaining to community care services.

Consumers, who took part in the consultation, identified numerous obstacles to community care services ranging from awareness of the system and the choice of services to participation in decision-making about services.

The consultation with workers from the community care system agencies indicated there is an acceptance about the contribution of consumer involvement in the planning and delivery of services. Nevertheless, the involvement of consumers requires the development of a range of organisational processes and supports, including the allocation of resources to encourage consumer participation.

Participants in this study looked to ASN to provide leadership and set an example for consumer participation. The project recommendations have established a guiding framework for ASN to advocate for the development of consumer participation across a range of community care system agencies.

Respecting Patient Choices Projects
Tere Dawson and Tony McBride

Austin Health's groundbreaking Respecting Patient Choices (RPC) Project has aimed to allow patients and their families to make advance decisions about end-of-life care. The Commonwealth Government has funded the second and third phases of this project. Phase Two aimed to develop a sustainable transferable model for integrating community and hospital based advance care planning. It introduced advance care planning into 17 community-based agencies: including two community-based palliative care services and a number of residential aged care facilities, including two non-English speaking aged care facilities in Austin Health's catchment area.

Health Issues Centre conducted a learning needs analysis to inform and enhance the implementation of existing training modules for staff. Between January and April 2004 Health Issues Centre also conducted a consultation to gain a better understanding of the current consumer understanding of, and involvement in, advance care planning. The consultation was intended to guide the RPC program in the development of its implementation strategy. It was particularly intended to shape the consumer education package to be made available to residents, patients, and their families in aged care facilities and community-based palliative care services.

Between 2005 and 2006, Health Issues Centre conducted interviews with residents and family members of the Italian and Greek residential aged care services participating in the RPC community extension project. A final report was submitted at the end of 2006.

Between 2004 and 2006, Health Issues Centre also participated in the evaluation conducted by the Centre for Development and Innovation in Health, Australian Institute for Primary Care, La Trobe University of interstate roll-out of the project. Health Issues Centre interviewed patients and carers/family members about their experiences of the process of completing an Advance Care Plan in the participating hospitals in Adelaide and Newcastle. The evaluation interviews of patients and family members in the participating hospital in Townsville were carried out in collaboration with James Cook University. The final report of this project was submitted in May 2006.

During 2006, Health Issues Centre conducted a literature review to compliment its contract with Austin Health. The review was around cultural perceptions and practice on advance care planning. Chris Atmore and Charin Naksook undertook the review in consultation with Austin Health. The report on the literature review was submitted in February 2007 and is now available. Tony McBride is Chair of the project's Respecting Patient's Choices National Reference Group.

Tailored Support for Particular Primary Care Partnerships
Tere Dawson

For the last four years Health Issues Centre has been working with Primary Care Partnerships (PCPs) to strengthen the capacity of health agency staff, consumers, carers and community participants to work together using participatory models. In November 2004, Health Issues Centre and the Regional PCP Managers' Network invited Expressions of Interest from PCPs for appropriate support in 2005.

As a result, across the nine Victorian Department of Human Services regions, nine consumers-only, six staff-only and three joint consumers and staff activities were held. The activities included training sessions, planning sessions, and information/open day sessions. The final report of the project was submitted to the Department in August 2005.

One of the main lessons learnt from this project is that ongoing work with service providers results in a better understanding of consumer and carer participation, and that health services need ongoing training and planning support to make consumer participation sustainable and effective.

An evaluation of the project showed that those who were new in their roles or positions learnt practical strategies and were able to see, more clearly, their role in consumer and carer participation. Those who had been already involved in consumer participation activities were able to systematise their knowledge and learnt planning processes that would facilitate their work in the short-term.

Victorian Quality Council - Needs Assessment
Tere Dawson, Tony McBride, Sandra Robinson and Helena Maher

During the summer of 2003-2004, Health Issues Centre undertook a needs assessment on consumer participation for the Victorian Quality Council. This entailed interviewing over 80 people - health providers in acute services in Victoria (CEOs, Board Chairs, Quality Managers, clinicians, etc) as well as consumers including some Chairs of Community Advisory Committees and members of consumer groups.

The assessment found that consumer participation was being increasingly accepted at senior levels as core business, and many examples of it being successfully and valuably being undertaken. However professional, and to a lesser degree organisational, cultures were still perceived to be significant barriers to broader acceptance and implementation. The report made a number of recommendations for action to foster consumer participation. These included the need to promote leadership and champions, create clearer policies and provide more training to both staff and consumers.