9 Apr 2020
Planning and decision-making around the public health system response to COVID-19 is urgent and must factor in an ever-changing landscape. Quality consultation with consumers is in high demand and often takes place with less than 24 hours turn-around. These challenges for Health Consumers Queensland and Queensland Health mean we need to work closely together to ensure consumers are brought in at the right time to influence plans, and public-facing communications and directives.
In this week’s eAlert we bring you an update on the latest work with consumers and staff and share how your input is impacting how Queensland Health is supporting and informing Queenslanders around COVID-19.
The importance of the consumer-staff partnership at this time has also been highlighted by John Wakefield, the Director General of Queensland Health. Every week he sends a message to all staff members at Queensland Health and we are grateful to him for allowing us to share an excerpt from his latest message, “Lifting the line”, with our network.
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4 Apr 2020
Health Consumers Queensland has been having regular video-based Consumer Conversations about the Queensland public health system’s response to COVID-19 with groups of health consumers and carers across the state.\We invite Queensland Health staff to use these established mechanisms to consult consumers and carers on your work. During COVID-19, we understand that work happens quickly. These groups work on an agile agenda, so consumer input on short notice is readily achievable eg. a 24 hour turnaround.
Download our new information sheet and find out who we’re listening to, what’s being asked, when the conversations are taking place and how to access the rapid consumer input you need.
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26 Mar 2020
We are working to ensure that the consumer voice remains at the heart of the COVID-19 health response. One of the most effective ways to share your views right now is via online video conferencing platforms like Zoom. We would like to help you build your skills to use Zoom with confidence so that you can host and join meetings online, self-organise and have an impact on planning and decision-making in your regions and local communities.
Zoom is free and easy to download if you have a computer which has a microphone, camera and reliable internet.
If you are new to Zoom, take a look at these resources to get up and running.
Written instructions
Getting Started with Zoom
Using the Zoom controls within a meeting
Video
How to join a Zoom meeting
Using meeting controls. This video also discusses controlling a meeting from the host’s point of view, but does have useful information for participants about using Zoom.
26 Mar 2020
Health Consumers Queensland is working hard to make sure health consumers continue to be part of important decision-making – even during a global pandemic
We are doing this by attending daily or weekly meetings on:
- Clinical matters
- Mental health
- Disability health
- Community health
- Stakeholder networks
- Communications
- Maternity
- and with other NGOs.
We also connected with health consumer organisations across the country to share strategies and resources.
Do you feel you have the right information to make decisions on COVID-19 for you and your family?
31 members of our new COVID-19 Community of Interest Group and the Department of Health joined a ‘Consumer Conversations’ feedback session via Zoom yesterday. We asked them:
– Do you feel you have the right information to make decisions on COVID-19 for you and your family?
– What is causing concern or confusion right now?
– Where are you getting good information, and where are you getting support?
Their feedback communicated an urgent need for clear, truthful, inclusive and consistent messaging from governments at state and federal level.
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20 Mar 2020
We know that many of you are at the heart of COVID-19 in Queensland, either as consumers and carers, loving family members, or as staff in the health system. Our thoughts are with you all and we hope that working together on this will help to ease the burden.
Health Consumers Queensland is now focusing its efforts on supporting powerful partnerships between consumers and staff in the health system. Our role is in enabling the most effective strategic response to COVID-19 and the communication messages and mechanisms used during these times.
Our eAlerts will now focus on sharing opportunities for consumers and carers to be involved in working with Queensland Health on shaping their plans and decisions about what and how they are communicating so that their messages are received and understood by our state’s diverse communities.
- As the pattern and spread of COVID-19 changes daily, we also want to support consumers and carers to quickly build your skills and confidence to self-organise and have an impact on planning and decision-making in your regions and local communities.
- We will also continue to update you on our new working arrangements and current activities.
- You can also continue to apply for non-COVID-19 related opportunities through this eAlert and we encourage you to do so as the organisers are making arrangements for non-facing meetings during this time.
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