eAlert: Consumer priorities and solutions for the health system over the next four years

Following the re-election of the Labor State Government on Saturday, 31 October 2020, Health Consumers Queensland was encouraged to see 20 consumers from our Community of Interest (and welcome new faces) at our Consumer Conversation this week to set out your priorities and solutions for the public health system during the next four years. A further 48 consumers have completed an online survey and we thank you all for expressing your views with such clarity and purpose.

You were quick to praise Queensland Health for its COVID-19 response and the way it has listened to the consumer voice. Many support the innovative models of care which were adopted during the past eight months including telehealth and care including maternity care and hospital care delivered at home or in community settings.

You would like the Government to build on these achievements and innovations to ensure that all Queenslanders have access to quality care. The key priorities identified by consumers are as follows:

Continue reading eAlert >

Host a Kitchen Table Discussion about spiritual care in palliative care

Closing date:  4pm, Thursday 19th November 2020

Health Consumers Queensland is offering consumers and carers from a mix of secular, spiritual, religious, faith and cultural backgrounds the opportunity to facilitate consultation with their local community on Spiritual Care in Palliative Care. Palliative Care Queensland has contracted Health Consumers Queensland to undertake this consumer consultation. There will be three Kitchen Table Discussions hosted throughout Queensland in metro, regional and rural areas.

Spiritual care is an essential component of palliative care. It can be offered by secular, spiritual, religious and faith practitioners, who may be paid or volunteers, and their communities. It can be offered to people and their loved ones from diagnosis of a life limiting condition into bereavement.

The project aims to understand current supports available in relation to spiritual and religious care when people are experiencing loss, ageing, dying and grief; the gaps and opportunities for improvement; how might these supports be better accessed/delivered during a disaster (such as the COVID-19 pandemic); and share patient experiences and stories about end of life.

About Kitchen Table Discussions

Kitchen Table Discussions are community engagement sessions led by local people for local people. They allow individuals and small groups to participate in discussions at a time of day, and in a place, that suits them. The discussions enable health consumers, carers and community members who do not ordinarily participate in healthcare consultation to have their say in a safe and supportive environment.

Each Kitchen Table Discussion will be led by a Consumer or Carer Host with a strong community network to invite them to a discussion in a location of their choosing. The Host guides the discussion with a set of questions provided to them and reports back the outcomes to Health Consumers Queensland.

Role of the Discussion Host

As the host your role will be to plan, coordinate and facilitate a once-only 90-minute discussion with six community members which can be held online via Zoom or Skype or in-person following COVID-19 guidelines. This includes:

  • Inviting participants who would be interested in being part of a discussion on this important subject. They will be your local community connections (ideally, people who do not normally have their voice heard in healthcare).
  • Choosing a venue, time and date between 25th November to 11th December that works for your participants.
  • Host the session.
  • Provide your feedback to Health Consumers Queensland by Thursday 14th December 2020.

To support you with this, you will receive:

  • Training via a Zoom video conference call 24th November 2020. Zoom is free to download.
  • A comprehensive Discussion Host Guide.
  • Questions to ask participants during the discussions, agenda and report template.
  • Support from Health Consumers Queensland to ensure you have a successful session.

Who are we looking for as Consumer or Carer Hosts?

We would like our hosts to have personal experience or an interest in Palliative Care and who have strong community connections.  We are also interested in representing the views of a range of consumers who may not typically have a say in healthcare. To achieve this, we are particularly looking for hosts who are consumers and/or carers and can demonstrate they have strong links with their communities.

Remuneration and Support

Hosts – you will be remunerated at Health Consumers Queensland’s day meeting rate of $374 for an in-person session or $187 if you are hosting your session online. You will also be reimbursed up to $70.00 to cover catering for your in-person session (on return of receipts).  

Participants – Health Consumers Queensland will post a $60 gift voucher to each Kitchen Table Discussion participant for their time.

Read more or apply >

Host a Kitchen Table Discussion about bereavement care

Closing date:  4pm, Thursday 19th November 2020

Health Consumers Queensland is offering three consumers and carers in metro, regional and rural areas the opportunity to lead consultation with their local community on Bereavement Care.  

Palliative Care Queensland has contracted Health Consumers Queensland to undertake this consumer consultation. There will be three Kitchen Table Discussions hosted throughout Queensland.

The project aims to understand current supports available in relation to bereavement care following the death of a loved one due to a terminal illness; the gaps and opportunities for improvement in this space; how might these supports be accessed/delivered during a disaster (such as the COVID-19 pandemic); and share patient experiences and stories about end of life.

About Kitchen Table Discussions

Kitchen Table Discussions are community engagement sessions led by local people for local people. They allow individuals and small groups to participate in discussions at a time of day, and in a place, that suits them. The discussions enable health consumers, carers and community members who do not ordinarily participate in healthcare consultation to have their say in a safe and supportive environment.

Each Kitchen Table Discussion will be led by a Consumer or Carer Host with a strong community network to invite them to a discussion in a location of their choosing. The Host guides the discussion with a set of questions provided to them and reports back the outcomes to Health Consumers Queensland.

Role of the Discussion Host

As the host your role will be to plan, coordinate and facilitate a once-only 90-minute discussion with six community members which can be held online via Zoom or Skype or in-person following COVID-19 guidelines. This includes:

  • Inviting participants who would be interested in being part of a discussion on this important subject. They will be your local community connections (ideally, people who do not normally have their voice heard in healthcare).
  • Choosing a venue, time and date between 25th November to 11th December that works for your participants.
  • Host the session.
  • Provide your feedback to Health Consumers Queensland by Thursday 14th December 2020.

To support you with this, you will receive:

  • Training via a Zoom video conference call 24th November 2020. Zoom is free to download.
  • A comprehensive Discussion Host Guide.
  • Questions to ask participants during the discussions, agenda and report template.
  • Support from Health Consumers Queensland to ensure you have a successful session.

Who are we looking for as Consumer or Carer Hosts?

We would like our hosts to have personal experience or an interest in Palliative Care and who have strong community connections.  We are also interested in representing the views of a range of consumers who may not typically have a say in healthcare. To achieve this, we are particularly looking for hosts who are consumers and/or carers and can demonstrate they have strong links with their communities.

Remuneration and Support

Hosts – you will be remunerated at Health Consumers Queensland’s day meeting rate of $374 for an in-person session or $187 if you are hosting your session online. You will also be reimbursed up to $70.00 to cover catering for your in-person session (on return of receipts).  

Participants – Health Consumers Queensland will post a $60 gift voucher to each Kitchen Table Discussion participant for their time.

Read more or apply >

Digital Information Strategy for Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drugs Healthcare Project – Reference Group members

Closing date: 5pm Wednesday, 18 November 2020

The Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drugs Branch (MHAODB) is leading a project to develop a Digital Information Strategy for mental health alcohol and other drugs healthcare. The Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drugs Branch (MHAODB) seeks consumer and carers with lived experience and recent engagement with Queensland’s public mental health and alcohol and other drugs services to express their interest in participating in Reference Groups to inform the development of this Strategy.

As part of the consultation to inform the development of the Strategy, four Reference Groups will be formed with members participating in workshops to share their knowledge and experience. The workshops will be facilitated by a consultancy group with the first workshops to be held in early December 2020.

About the Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drugs Branch

The MHAODB supports the statewide development, delivery and enhancement of safe, quality, evidence-based clinical and non-clinical services in the specialist areas of mental health and alcohol and other drugs healthcare.

This includes supporting and coordinating clinical and non-clinical service development and improvement, including the management and evaluation of performance across Queensland. MHAODB also undertakes contemporary evidence-based service planning, development and review of models of care, new programs and service delivery initiatives and is also responsible for statewide policy development in collaboration with government and non-government partners at the state and national level and representing Queensland in progressing national reform agendas.

Purpose

To inform the development of the Strategy, four reference groups will be formed covering;
1. Acute and Crisis Care eg. inpatient care, emergency department care
2. Secure and Diversion Care eg. forensic treatment and care, court liaison and diversion services
3. Community Bed-based (Residential) Care eg. community care units and step-up step-down services; secure mental health rehabilitation units
4. Community Care eg. community based care
The purpose of each reference group will be to bring individuals together to share their knowledge and experience across two workshops.
1. The first workshop will inform the mapping of the current state of experience of care and care provision.
2. The second workshop will seek information to inform the future state vision and identify key principles to support this, focusing on the future of digital healthcare and information management across Queensland’s mental health alcohol and other drugs services and broader health contexts.

In addition to consumer and carer representatives, the Reference Groups will include participants from Hospital and Health Services, MHAODB, primary health care and non-government organisations.

Reference Group members will be asked to attend a three-hour workshop and subsequent two-hour workshop – totalling a five-hour time commitment with some pre-reading to be provided. The first reference group workshops will be scheduled to commence in early December 2020.

Role of the consumer

The role of the successful consumer and / or carer applicants will be to attend a series of reference group workshops and to actively participate in all reference group activities such as pre-meeting reading, discussions, provision of feedback and advice.

Who is it for?

This opportunity would suit a consumer or carer representative with recent lived experience of Queensland public mental healthcare and/or alcohol and other drugs healthcare. Consumers and carers with an interest in digital healthcare and data and information management are encouraged to apply.

Read more and apply >

Seeking your views on The DRAFT National Safety and Quality Primary Healthcare (NSQPH) Standards

The survey closes at 4pm, 20 November 2020

The National Safety and Quality Primary Healthcare (NSQPH) Standards are being developed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) through extensive consultation with healthcare providers, professional bodies, Primary Health Networks, consumers and other representatives of the sector.

The NSQPH Standards aim to protect the public from harm and improve the quality of care delivered to patients and consumers.

The Commission has developed a consultation document to assist those that have an interest in shaping the development of the Standards and is currently seeking feedback.

Health Consumers Queensland is preparing a written submission and we would like to incorporate your views on the draft Standards via a short survey. We are particularly interested in your views on Standard 1: Clinical Governance and Standard 2: Partnering with Consumers.  To complete our survey you will need to read or have read the consultation document which is available online:   https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-10/national_safety_and_quality_primary_healthcare_standards_-_consultation_document_-_october_2020.pdf

Primary healthcare providers include registered health practitioners such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers, dentists, general practitioners, nurses and midwives, optometrists, physiotherapists, podiatrists and psychologists, and self-regulated practitioners such as audiologists, dietitians and exercise psychologists.

Complete the survey >

The survey closes at 4pm, 20 November 2020