10 Aug 2020
Testing remains one of Queensland’s best defences against a sustained outbreak of COVID19. A Consumer Conversation on Tuesday 28 July 2020 focused on the top barriers to testing, how the process can be made easier and what the key messages are that would motivate people to get a COVID-19 test.
Fear, uncertainty, confusion, mis-interpretation of information and complacency are currently the over-arching barriers to testing across the state. Consumers are looking for a clear and unambiguous testing pathway which is convenient, supportive, nuanced and needs-focused.
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7 Aug 2020
Following the lockdown of residential aged care facilities across South Brisbane and in the Moreton Bay region last week, Health Consumers Queensland and a consortium of six NGOs (including COTA Queensland, Queenslanders with Disability Network, ADA Australia, Palliative Care Queensland and CarersQLD) co-designed a single checklist and provided a series of resources to enable residential care facilities to communicate effectively with residents and families during an outbreak.
As part of this work, Jo Smethurst facilitated a training session to help facility managers understand the importance of communicating well when/if COVID-19 impacts their facility, and develop a comprehensive communications plan to enable them to be responsive to the individual needs of residents and families. This training session was part of a week-long training series led by the Office of the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer in Queensland Health.
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3 Aug 2020
Queensland’s best defences against a sustained outbreak of COVID-19 via community transmission are quarantine, border controls, testing and contact tracing.
Ahead of reports of new cases of COVID-19 in Brisbane this week, 21 consumers had already joined forces with Department and health staff, Queenslanders with Disability Network and Palliative Care Queensland at a Consumer Conversation on Tuesday to share their views on the top barriers to testing and what can be done to address these and encourage more people to get tested.
During the conversation, it was clear that consumers are looking for a clear and unambiguous testing pathway which is convenient, supportive, nuanced and needs-focused. Yet fear, uncertainty, confusion, misinterpretation and complacency are rife.
Specifically, consumers identified the following ongoing barriers to testing:
- Difficulty interpreting advice about symptoms
- Unclear testing pathways
- The logistics of having a test and managing the consequences are too complicated and overwhelming
- The need to self-isolate (for several days in rural areas) while awaiting results
- Pain and trauma associated with testing
- Perceived lack of social responsibility amongst certain groups of people
- Fear of stigma and retribution if people do test positive
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24 Jul 2020
New grant funding underpins our consumer-focused COVID-19 initiatives
Health Consumers Queensland has been successful in securing grant funding from Queensland Health to support our continued COVID-19 service provision. As one of more than 130 community-based health service groups across Queensland sharing in more than $30 million, the grant will help Health Consumers Queensland to continue the delivery of a number of consumer-focused initiatives.
This additional funding will support:
- continued consultation with consumers on planning for continued and future pandemic situations
- a new project to engage with young health consumers about their experiences during COVID-19 pandemic (check out the
- opportunity to join our Youth Reference Group in this eAlert)
- evaluation of the strong engagement approach taken by Health Consumers Queensland and Queensland Health during COVID-19.
We are so pleased to be able to continue to support the vital voice of consumers during this time.
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17 Jul 2020
In late April 2020, Health Consumers Queensland asked consumers about their experiences of healthcare during the very first easing of the COVID-19 lockdown. Procedures that had been delayed or cancelled were restarting, but consumers shared that they were unsure about accessing care safely. Many reported feeling uncertain and confused about when, if and how they could have their healthcare needs met.
Ten weeks later in Queensland, restrictions have eased significantly and healthcare services are beginning to return to almost full operation. At the same time, parts of Victoria have gone back into lockdown and parts of NSW are seeing an increase in positive testing results, with community spread in both states. Against these opposing backgrounds, Health Consumers Queensland asked 28 consumers and consumers representatives from our COVID-19 Community of Interest, Health Consumers Queensland’s Consumer Advisory Group, the Health Consumers Collaborative of Queensland, Primary Health Networks and Statewide Clinical Networks steering committees about their current experiences of health care.
Consumers were asked:
- If you were waiting for treatment that was delayed due to the pandemic, have you received updates on when that treatment will be available to you?
- Who provided you with care during the pandemic?
- Are you getting the information now that you need to support you, such as information about how your health service is being kept COVID-19 safe, or alternative ways of receiving care?
- Every Hospital and Health Service is responsible for developing their own plan to re-open services. Have you been involved as a consumer rep in these plans for your local HHS?
Read the Issues Paper >
