Consumer Engagement
By engaging with you, our consumer, our understanding of what is important to you will make sure we deliver services that can contribute to improved health in a person centred and caring together way.
Our Strategic Directions drives excellence in healthcare. Health services work within a legal environment that also drives how we do things. Policy and legislation can be led by the State and Commonwealth Governments. Within THS this is applicable across our range of services within aged care, hospital care, community and primary care.
Purpose of our Consumer Engagement
THS seeks to have consumer participation as part of the way we give care every day. We are committed to providing opportunity for consumers to participate in the planning, design, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of our health service as part of the THS culture.
This will contribute to enhanced person centred care by:
- Incorporating consumer experience and feedback to improve services at a system or local level, thereby improving the quality of health care and health outcomes
- Creating consumer friendly services
- Improving communication between the consumer and THS
- Engaging people so services are responsive to diverse groups needs
- The consumer feeling valued, cared for and respected
How you can currently engage with THS
There are a variety of ways you can engage with THS currently and we hope to expand opportunities.
The following is an example but by no means exhaustive.
At the organisational level:
- Board of Management at annual Open Board Meeting conducted at different locations across the catchment
- Towong Alliance
- Tallangatta Health Services Annual General Meeting is a key community event and well attended with opportunities provided to receive and collect information and feedback.
At the programs & service level:
- Complaints and compliments management process
- Resident and Friends Meetings in Bolga and Lakeview Nursing Home
- Volunteering within Tallangatta Health Service
- Providing feedback on consumer publications
- Victorian Health Experience Survey
- Presentation to community groups
- Presentations to school groups.
- Diabetes Support Group
- Secondary School Sexual Health Program
- Life Style Community Group
- Farm Expo - Health Promotion
- Volunteer Meetings
At the individual level:
- Consumer satisfaction surveys e.g.: Discharge survey, MCHC satisfaction survey
- Reviewing the Quality of Care and Annual Reports
- Reviewing of colour and design of soft furnishings for Bolga and Lakeview Nursing Home residents.
- Discharge Planning
- Complaints and Compliments management process
- Staff feedback through People Matter Survey
- Staff forums
- Articles in the local newspapers, website and Facebook.
Who represents our consumer voice?
- At a strategic level the Board of THS has established a sub-committee, the Consumer Engagement Advisory Group (CEAG).
- This group operates under a Terms of Reference that provide the group with its framework. This group represents the diversity within our community and connects with relevant people/groups as well and bring forward their opinions.
- At an operational level consumer engagement will be governed by the Leadership Team Committee.
- Accountability for consumer engagement will sit with both the operational and strategic levels with over-arching responsibility with the Board. The plan will be reviewed annually. The wider community will be kept abreast of the implementation of the plan via the communication on our social media and local newspaper.
The Tallangatta Health Service Consumer Engagement Advisory Group’s (CEAG) purpose is to provide advice to Tallangatta Health Service from a consumer perspective to ensure services available at Tallangatta Health Service are person centred. This Group reports directly to the Tallangatta Health Service Board.
Membership
It is for all people who are users or are potential users of our service.
Collectively the advisory group shall possess:
- A commitment to continual quality improvement in health and aged services
- Advocacy skills
- Effective communication skills
- Empathy for the differing needs within the diversity of our community
- Understanding of the health and aged care systems at a level to facilitate good decision making
If you wish to become a member of the Consumer Engagement Advisory Group please contact the CEO or the Executive Assistant on 02 6071 5200. New members are always welcome.