Consumer and Community Engagement Unit Update

Issue 18 – October 2016

Consumer & Community Newsletter

Community Engagement Unit

When a child, teen or woman makes contact with us, not only the

individual but their family (however, that may be defined) is

affected. Over the past month there has been a deliberate focus on

person and family centred care at the Women’s and Children’s

Health Network, with the launch on 21 September of the Person

and Family Centred Care Charter.

Over this period I have come into contact with a much greater

number of staff than I typically would in a month.

One of the prevailing questions that staff asked was: “How can we

shift beyond a game of ‘buzzword bingo’ and strengthen our person

and family centred care approach?” I responded by saying that

they, the staff members, are the key enablers in this process.

Person and family centred care starts when a staff member promotes, invites and attends to

co-design of services and co-decision making.

At the moment the majority of the consumers do not initiate these conversations with staff

because they are only just catching on that they can take their healthcare into their own

hands. This is why it is crucial for staff actively invite consumers to participate. Boiled down

to its core, person and family centred care is about providing optimal customer service.

I also remind staff that every interaction has the potential for setting the tone and type of

intimate customer service that can be provided.

Person and family centred care is not defined by certain roles or duration of interaction. All

staff are impacted whether the interaction with a consumer is fleeting or long term.

Person and family centred care can be achieved through the “5 Rs”:

Relationship: Relationship oriented care should be the number one priority.

Repetition: Use moments of exchange to check in with our consumers and families to

make comment.

Realness: Keep communication simple, authentic and genuine. Investigate, explore and

figure out together, and decide on a way forward in partnership.

Recognition: See the human being and put aside defining the person as an illness.

Reflect: Acknowledge the impact of compassion fatigue and health culture.

Person and family centred Care now has a new framework to continue to support the brilliant

levels of care provided to our families. Thank you to all of those staff members, consumers,

community members and families who participated in the activities over September. Our

inaugural month of celebration was truly embraced by all. A special thank you to Jackie, Awa

and Tessa from the Person and Family Centred Care Network Steering Group for your

guidance, advice, input and dedication over the last 12 months.

Allan J Ball

Manager, Consumer and Community Engagement

Consumer opportunities in October

Join Basecamp and be part of our consultation team

Join Basecamp by emailing Allan with “sign me up” in the

subject line. Full details, including the code of conduct, will be

provided. Basecamp gives you access to latest reports and

literature focusing on consumer and community engagement.

It also is a space to close feedback loops, so you can see

what impact your feedback had.

What is happening on Basecamp?

E-Journal Club will discuss the document The Expert Panel Project: Towards Better

Outcomes for Families.

Direct Consumer Consultation: Reviewing documents, patient profiles, supporting child

and teens with complex needs.

To join Basecamp and have you say or join the E-Journal Club email Allan with “sign me

up” in the subject line.

Save these dates! October 2016

1 Newsletter launched.

5 Face painting the Play Deck

4-7 Surgical Services Listening Post Week

6 Youth Advisory Group

13 CEO and Executive Coffee Club (Inpatients at WCH)

12 Fairy face painting on the wards

21 Consumer and Community Partnering Council

24 Consumer and volunteer orientation

27 Consumer Coffee Club. Café Level 2 of the WCH.

Open to all consumers, carers and family.

10am – 11:30am.

Person and Family Centred Care Awareness Month

Person and Family Centred Care or Patient-Centred Care Awareness Month is an

awareness-building campaign commemorated globally every October to engage

healthcare stakeholders in adopting and advancing patient-centred approaches to care.

The term patient-centred was coined by Planetree (a not for profit organisation in the

United States of America) nearly 40 years ago to describe an approach to care that is

organised around the needs of the patient; and promotes relationships between patients,

their families and their healthcare teams that nurture trust, transparency, collaboration and

individualised care.

This year, the campaign encourages health organisations to deepen and

strengthen their partnerships with families.

As part of celebrating Person and Family Centred Care Month the Consumer and Community

Engagement Unit will distribute to all divisions within the Network:

‘I am the expert in me’ stickers for staff to give to consumers and families.

Rainbow name button templates for staff to create a Person and Family Centred Care

name badge.

Both initiatives were the developed and endorsed by the Youth Advisory Group.

Launch of the Youth Guide Places and Spaces

September 5 saw the launch of the Youth Guide to Places and Spaces.

The greater involvement of consumers and the

community at all levels and ages has been one of

the wonderful advances the Women’s and

Children’s Health Network has made in the last

18 months.

We are giving voice to people, who may previously

have been marginalised, and we are learning

about how we as health care workers can improve

the experience for our consumers.

One of the most exciting initiatives to emerge is our Youth Advisory Group, which has been a

vibrant presence within the Network, giving us young peoples’ perspectives on how a modern

health service should look.

Our Youth Advisory Group was established in late 2015 as an action from the Consumer and

Community Engagement Strategy and Responsiveness Plan 2015-2018. Co- Chaired by the

Manager, Consumer and Community Engagement, Allan Ball and consumer Jason Cutler, the

group has 20 active members and is supported by Nick Porter from Hospital Education

Services and Jill Newman, Arts in Health Coordinator with TeamKids.

The Youth Guide to Places and Spaces, which was

devised and created by the group’s members

specifically for children and teens to help demystify

the places and spaces in the Women’s and Children’s

Hospital. This guide is one of the many quality

improvements YAG is working on, all based on

feedback from teenagers aged 12-18 who access our

services.

On launch day TeamKids provided 60 show bags for

kids and teens from the hospital to collect from the

Guides Service, after completing the scavenger hunt

which is on page 5 of the guide.

To access your copy visit the WCH website or email

Allan.

A celebration of Person and Family Centred Care

September focused on person and

family centred care with the

introduction of the inaugural Person

and Family Centred Care Week

between the 19 and 23 September.

As reported in the September issue of

the newsletter, this was a time

dedicated to promoting a principle

unique to our Health Network.

More than nine activities were held

across the five days, driven by

consumer representatives and the

Consumer and Community

Engagement Unit.

Highlights from the week included:

Tessa, the co-chair of the Person

and Family Centred Care Network

Steering Group joined the CEO,

Executive Director of Corporate

Services, Jason (Co-Chair of the

Youth Advisory Group), Manager

of Volunteers, Priya Augustine

(Medical Practitioner), Sandy

Cleghorn (Clinical Services

Manager), Anita Minkus (Clinical

Practice Consultant) and Lana Ngo

(Social Worker) to launch the

Networks first Person and

Family Centred Care Charter

to talk about why dignity, respect,

clear communication, positivity,

access to information and staff

compassion matters in a

transformative health experience.

The Charter will now be rolled out

by an action plan which has 27

operational milestones including

the:

the introduction of an interactive

monthly module in corporate orientation for new staff to the Network

development of a communication package to promote Person and Family Centred Care

continuous roll-out of Person and Family Centred Care week in the Network on the

anniversary week of the launch of the Consumer and Community Engagement

Strategy.

The CEO also provided a response back to the community about the progress of the

Consumer and Community Engagement Strategy and Responsiveness Plan

2015-2018. The community heard how over 50 of the 77 actions have been completed

and the roll out of the plan is exceeding both expectations of staff and the community with

regard to impact.

The launch can be viewed on the WCHN Intranet for staff and the link can be provided to

others by contacting the Manager, Consumer and Community Engagement.

The Person and Family Centred Care Passion Projects sponsored by the Friends

of the WCH Inc. were launched. Two information sessions were held to inform consumers

and staff how they can easily apply for grants up to the value of $5000 to deliver new

initiatives that promote person and family centred care in 2017. Staff who missed out on

the information sessions can contact the Manager, Consumer and Community

Engagement to find out more about the application process. Remember the application

process opens 1 November and closes 30 November.

WCHN Staff, Governing Council Members, consumers and caregivers

at the launch of the Person and Family Centred Care Charter

An evaluation written by our Consumer and Community Partnering Council was

launched so the Council can learn about the strength of person and family centred care

across the organisation. Divisional Directors presented evidence at the debut of a

Consumer Review Panel led by consumers and the Chief Operating Officer Lisa Lynch.

The panel took stock of the strength of the principle by asking 10 questions to develop an

assurance plan. Divisional Directors were eager to present and everyone worked

harmoniously to truly celebrate what is working well and planned to strengthen areas that

need some attention. By using the Twyfords Appreciative Inquiry framework, the

discussions were solution-focused and strengths-based.

Results will be analysed, put into a report and disseminated to the Person and Family

Centred Care Network and Consumer and Community Partnering Council. Thank you to

the Divisional Directors for the leadership they have shown with this task and also to the

panel members. It was a lot of fun and great to see how strong the person and family

centred care principle is within the Network.

An interactive theatre workshop was held in which 62 staff champions from all

disciplines including administrative, nursing, midwifery and medical gathered in two small

groups to participate. Selected staff were once again highly engaged. They applauded the

use of technology and theatre in lieu of traditional modes of training such as butcher’s

paper, brainstorms and small group chats.

An inaugural consumer QandA panel titled “Person and Family Centred Care –

the Difference it Makes” closed off the week. Like the ABC’s QandA, Tessa one of our

Consumer Representatives, played the role of Tony Jones as seven consumers

responded to audience questions in this candid and intimate session about what really

makes the difference in care delivery. Staff felt it was an insightful experience, being able

to hear directly from the consumers about why person and family centred care matters.

Thalia, Amer, Rick, Elizabeth, Annliisa, Vicki, Annabelle and Trevor used personal stories

to respond to questions and authentically portrayed the diversity of our consumer group.

This was such a fabulous event with strong feedback and comments from staff including

“…this was one of the first times I really got to understand the importance of sharing power

and the influence that consumers can truly make”.

The Manager, Consumer and Community Engagement joined Disability and Complex

Care staff, promoting person and family centred care at the Annual Disability, Ageing

and Lifestyle Expo at the Adelaide Showground. Over 300 of our consumers were

provided with Person and Family Centred Care packs.

The unveiling of a Person and Family Centred Care video, which has been produced

by consumers with assistance from Enya Pelling, an intern with the Friends of the WCH

Inc. Enya interviewed seven consumers and two consumer groups, including a young

parent group at Marion Child and Family Health Service (CaFHS), to capture stories direct

from the consumer about the importance of person and family centred care. The video will

be used by the Network as part of the training in person and family centred care. Thanks

to Jess, Amer, Ed, Mahboubeh, Judi, Liam and his parents, Lana, Lily, Aaron, Kyle,

Leanne and the group of mums at CaFHS who contributed their stories and perspective to

shape this video. Finally, a special mention to Christopher Sprod, Senior

Photographer/Videographer with Digital Media, for the extra work he put into this.

Check out some of the behind the scenes fun.

More than 42 consumer representatives contributed a combined 100 hours of effort to make

Person and Family Centred Care Week happen.

The fun wasn’t just in workshops and forums at the Hospital Campus. Wards and services

across the State got into the spirit of Person and Family Centred Care Week by hosting

morning teas, staff meetings and other special occasions to promote the release of the

Person and Family Centred Care Charter. All divisions of the Network were involved with a

total of 32 events held.

Check out the fun below:

Below are the five new documents that have been made by consumers to actively and

creatively promote person and family centred care to internal stakeholders. Documents

include:

internal communication banner for electronic and printed communication to staff

slide as part of the corporate templates

email signature banner

electronic billboard and softcopy poster for display in consumer areas

Person and Family Centred Charter for staff.

During Person and Family Centred Care Week, three public consultations occurred:

1. 19 September café refurbishment. Two members from the Youth Advisory Group were

asked to represent the child and youth voices in the final stages of the high-level design.

Example of how consumers are controlling the design process.

2. Listening Posts were held in the Michael Rice Centre’s ward and clinic areas by Sharon

and Tiffany to gather consumer voices about oncology processes.

Example of how consumers collaborate with the Network.

3. Structured interviews were held in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Medical Day Unit by

Tara and Allan to gather consumer voices about the refurbishment of these spaces. Three

years ago an extensive consumer consultation occurred to ensure that these plans

genuinely reflected current consumer needs.

Example of how consumers collaborate with the Network.

Cultural Roundtable

On 14 September the Cultural Roundtable convened and made three recommendations to

the Consumer and Community Partnering Council including;

1. To refocus the Cultural Educational Tours for staff.

The Cultural Educational Tours are a method of training that builds staff awareness of

cultural diversity and cultural needs. Staff visit community sites to learn from community

leaders from a specific ethnicity or spirituality. The Cultural Roundtable felt that the timing

of these initiatives needed to be reviewed to ensure maximum exposure.

2. To adopt recommendations from the WCHN 2016 Cultural Audit.

In August a team from the Cultural Roundtable and Aboriginal Health Roundtable gathered

to audit places and spaces in the Hospital. At the 14 September meeting the group

consolidated the findings of the audit and through the Clinical Safety and Quality

Committee and Consumer and Community Partnering Council identified several actions to

increase cultural safety:

The introduction of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Interpretation Flags on the

four main entrances to the Hospital (Zone E, Zone F and Kermode Street Entrance).

Placing the Aboriginal Flag on signage around the Hospital that identifies the Aboriginal

Liaison Unit, and including the Consumer Lounge on signage to support wayfinding.

Ensuring written information about translation services is reworded and printed in a

larger font.

Ensuring the display of written information in wards, waiting areas and services is

targeted and printed in the largest font as possible.

Investigating options to increase public works of art that promote Aboriginal and

particularly Kaurna culture.

To include cultural art made by youth in the vicinity of Adolescent and Boylan Wards, to

make it culturally safe for migrants and refugees.

3. For units and wards to introduce cue cards that use symbols and illustrations to

communicate with consumers and families.

Members of the Cultural Round Table felt that the introduction of cue cards that used

symbols and illustrations and reduced the use of the written word would allow for a greater

understanding of clinical terminology. It could also lead to greater empowerment as

consumers would have more control over decision making, autonomy within the ward and

confidence in healthcare planning.

Cue card example:

Members of the Cultural Roundtable also participated in a Transforming Health Forum on

21 September with Vickie Kaminski (Acting Chief Executive, SA Health). There they were

provided with an overview of Transforming Health.

The Consumer and Community Engagement Unit has partnered over the last eight weeks

with Multicultural Communities Council of South Australia and KidSafe to talk with women

from a range of cultural diversity groups. The health promotion and consultation sessions

aim to:

Explain the health rights and consumer responsibilities of the Women’s and Children’s

Health Network.

Promote five critical safety messages from KidSafe, including: choking, car seat safety,

drowning, falls and button batteries.

Women also provided feedback about the information that matters to them when visiting

Women’s Services and or Children’s Emergency.

Call to Action

The Cultural Roundtable has started to plan for Cultural Diversity Month 2017 from

1 – 21 March. You are invited to express an interest in participating in four workshops to plan

for the month’s events. Starting in late October 2016 and continuing through to February

2017, these 90 minute workshops will be the vehicle to ponder, plan and prepare for WCHN

Cultural Diversity Month.

Email Allan your interest. Open membership.

TheMHS Conference

22-26 August 2016, Auckland New Zealand

From Tanya

Key learnings

For me it was about non-binary (or gender diverse) people as this is something I knew little

about. It was great to get inside the head of someone like that and to understand the

struggles they go through on a daily basis having to fit into a world that has based everything

around people either being male or female. I hope that we can move quickly within all health

systems to make these people feel like they belong. After all we are all human.

What will I bring back for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)

As the conference is very adult based there was not a great deal of information that would be

specifically useful for CAMHS, but I think the one thing that would be a great step forward for

CAMHS would be to have a peer/lived experience workforce as this is quite well embedded

within most other networks.

What I found most useful about the conference

As this was my second conference I think I knew what to expect and I found it easy to

navigate and network with other people. I think it is important to know about the different

programs that are going on around the world and how they are making a difference. I also

gained a lot of experience from presenting and would look forward to doing it again in the

future.

From Tiffany

I wish I could tell you that I came back with some ground-breaking new information that is

going to innovatively improve services, but that was not the case for me.

What I did come back with was a renewed sense and belief about the importance of the

consumer/carer voice and a deeper understanding of what authenticity really means in the

world of consumer/carer representation and how important it is for both consumers and

services to embrace an authentic approach.

It really was an empowering experience to be able to go and immerse myself for four days

amongst like-minded people who had come together from different locations around the

world, different walks of life, different cultures, varying professions and different life

experiences. We had all come together as one for the good of mental health.

For me it appeared extremely surreal at times, and I often found myself breaking out into a

little giggle when moments of mindfulness crept in. In those moments I made a point of taking

a look around, taking a breath deep and appreciating all that was before me ‒ Tiffany

Marchant a CAMHS/Women’s and Children’s Health Network (WCHN) consumer

representative rubbing shoulders with all these people just doing what we are all so

passionate about, which is sharing parts of ourselves, learning from one another and teaching

others what we have learnt from various different sources, including, of course, lived

experience. It truly was inspiring.

There were so many things going on at the same time it was difficult making a decision on

what to go and listen to.

Key learnings:

Lived experience can help to accomplish advocacy goals that can reduce stigma and

discrimination.

Providing consumers/carers with a safe space to be able to share their lived experience is

vital to the process of authentic service delivery.

Peer workforce is very much alive in other states and New Zealand, and holds great value.

To be effective, collaboration needs to occur at various levels of the service system.

Change is possible. It’s all about reaching and engaging as many people as we can.

I think it’s very important to keep reminding CAMHS/WCHN by way of participation, which in

the face of what can sometimes be tremendous obstacles, consumer leaders have strong and

powerful voices. They are prepared to speak out against adversity, to reject the sense of

isolation and intimidation that often accompanies the roles we participate in, and to continue

asserting ourselves as equals.

I am really looking forward to being able to work with CAMHS/WCHN where I can put into

practice what I have learnt from attending the conference. I believe that from my experience

of having attended and presented at the conference I have grown in ways I could never have

imagined or expected. I am very grateful for that opportunity, and I feel very fortunate that

CAMHS/WCHN have embraced and embedded consumer engagement in such a way that as

consumer representatives we cannot only talk the talk but WCHN provides us a safe and

supported environment to be able walk the walk.

You Said – We Listened – We Did

Consumers have been asking for a strong presence of Child and Family Health Service

(CaFHS) and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and within the

Consumer Governance Structure.

Introduction of CaFHS and CAMHS into Consumer

Governance Structure

At the last Consumer and Community Partnering Council, the members endorsed the

introduction of CaFHS and CAMHS consumer groups to be represented within the Consumer

Governance Structure. This will provide strength to the diversity of our consumer voice and

ensure that a systematic approach is embedded across the Network in relation to consumer

involvement.

On 13 September, CaFHS consumers Tara and Bridget completed

a short film about what it is like to be a WCHN consumer

representative. Tara and Bridget, with the support of Cathy Isam

(CaFHS – Manager Service Improvement), have shaped a plan to

engage every CaFHS site to build their capacity around influencing

decision making and impacting public participation.

The short film answers common questions staff ask including:

What made you decide to become a consumer representative?

As a consumer representative your roles can vary, by using

a continuum of engagement.

What range of activities does a WCHN consumer participate in?

What do you value about being a consume representative?

What are some examples that you can provide to demonstrate the impact public

participation has?

What do WCHN staff need to know about getting consumers involve?

The short film will accompany face to face staff interactions, allowing for the consumer

voice to be central in the recruitment of more consumers to fill spaces on the CaFHS

consumer structure. This approach was considered to be the most effective approach as it

allows leveraging of pre-existing relationships with consumers.

Bridget (consumer representative) and Cathy Isam (WCHN) planning

the video production

Strengthening hospital responses to family violence

On 22 September, Consumer Representatives from the Peak Body joined Allan and staff from

Women’s and Babies Division for a webinar on “Strengthening Hospital Responses to Family

Violence”.

This two-part Australia-wide web conference is part of the Consumer and Community

Engagement Unit’s approach to building our knowledge, capacity and consumer workforce in

relation to White Ribbon.

Consumer Rewind – A spotlight over the last 30 days

The Citizen Jury, Health Literacy Group, Person and Family Centred Care

Network and Consumer and Community Partnering Council all gathered in

August for their respective meetings. Over 30 consumer representatives participated in

these meetings, contributing a combined 61 hours of ideas and decision-making.

Tanya and Tiffany met with the Consumer Engagement Unit to debrief about TheMHS

Conference in New Zealand. They also wrote a piece for the Consumer and

Community newsletter.

KidSafe, Multicultural Communities of South Australia and Consumer

Engagement Unit started two of their 10 sessions to work with women who do not

speak English to inform them of their healthcare rights and five child safety messages. In

addition, the women provided valuable feedback through targeted consultations about the

impact, influence and understanding of the Rights and Responsibilities health brochures,

posters and colouring book.

Amelia and Cat from the Youth Advisory Group continued to meet with stakeholders

involved in the café refurbishment on Monday 19 September. You may recall early in

the year the Youth Advisory Group hosted a 15 Steps Challenge to look at the way the

café could be more youth friendly. They are now critical partners in the refurbishment of

the space.

Vicki and Judith from the Citizen Jury met this month with Andrew Wade from the

Friends of WCH Inc. and Jane Raymond, Director, Allied Health and Aboriginal Liaison to

advance a project that came from the last Citizen Jury. The voucher system, which will

now be known as Help You Give or “HUG” will provide vulnerable families some relief

during the Christmas and New Year period if they find themselves in the hospital. The

vouchers will be for items such as coffees, inpatient meals and gift cards for Rainbows.

Vicki and Judith are leading this initiative. Well done.

Trauma Informed Care Committee welcomed two new consumers after hosting a

competitive and wide consumer interview process. We welcome Mwajemi and Ellie to the

committee. The focus of the committee is to provide support, structure and high-level

advice around trauma informed practice. To find out more about the committee and its

operations please contact Allan.

On 5 September, launched the Youth Guide to Places and Spaces with 60 children

and teens participating in the scavenger hunt and Joseph, a consumer from the Hospital,

helping to officially launch the document. As of 15 September, the SA Health Facebook

post promoting the resource had reached 8679 people, with 3586 video views and 241

reactions including likes, comments and shares (102 shares).

At the September Safety and Quality Committee, Tanya, Lil and Allan led a

compelling discussion on caregiver surveillance systems within the Hospital based on a

recent article in the Journal of Participatory Medicine. As a result, they will meet with

Kathy, our consumer from the Infection Control committee, and staff to look at handover

processes within each division and creatively look at gaps.

Allan has been working closely with the Robinson Research Institute and SAMHRI,

organisations which partner with the Network to start to shape a participatory approach to

research. This correlates with the work that Lil has been leading as a consumer on the

Research Review Committee, which met during September to finish the final stages of

consultation for its report to the Network. Allan met with Cathy Trueman from Children's

University Adelaide to look at how tools such as Kids Klub and the School Ambassador

Program can fit within the Children’s University model.

Allan has been working with Guide Dogs Australia which has been the primary

consultant to shape a space for assistant therapy dogs to toilet and receive refreshments

as they work in the Hospital. Funding is being sourced for a small outdoor space on the

campus which will be led by the Youth Advisory Group.

Three new consumer opportunities were advertised in mid-late September to assist the

Hospital with major refurbishments and capital works. Recruitment will occur in October.

This is exciting as it allows our consumers to truly shape the direction of facilities and

planning in the Hospital and Network and it is maturing our public participation approach.

Person and Family Centred Care Week unfolded with all the events, consultations

and capacity development to be expected from a week dedicated to the great work that

staff do on a daily basis.

Consumer Co-Chairs joined Allan in a strategic consultation morning on 23 September,

led by Cathy Balding. The workshop focused on building the WCHN strategic Safety

and Quality plan. Consumers were very enthusiastic about being included in laying the

groundwork for the Network.

Sarah (aka Fairy Bell) was involved for the first time in inviting feedback from children on

the paediatric wards. The feedback shapes decisions at the Citizen Jury and the Divisional

Safety and Quality plans.

Tara and Sharon led another stellar Consumer Coffee Club, again using translation

services and reaching out to fathers from Women’s and Babies and Child and Family

Health Service divisions.

On 23 September, the Department for Education and Child Development (DECD)

promoted our Kids Klub and consumer engagement approach with an article in its

magazine “Xtra+”. This is a milestone because the magazine reaches all parents within the

state who have a child in public education.

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.

All information was accurate at the time of printing, dates and times may vary.