Partnering with Consumers
Alpine Health is committed to engaging with the community to plan and deliver the best health outcomes for the Alpine Shire and Indigo Shire regions. We do this by working in partnership with consumers and the community in health service policy and planning, care and treatment, decision-making and service delivery.
Alpine Health believes that consumers should be meaningfully involved in making decisions about their health care and treatment, as well as with broader health policies, planning and service delivery. There is growing recognition and evidence that consumer participation:
- Positively influences an individual’s health outcomes if they are given quality information and are actively involved in decision making.
- Improves quality and safety by helping to design services that meet consumer needs and drives service improvement.
- Enhance accountability through open and transparent reporting on performance to consumers.
Partnering with Consumers Framework
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Community and Health Advisory Groups (CHAGs)
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CHAG members represent their local community with the purpose of sharing information, gathering feedback and advising the Board of Directors on community issues.
Alpine Health have three well-established CHAGs in the towns of Bright, Myrtleford and Mt Beauty.
Find out more about CHAG and frequently asked questions
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Corporate Planning and Service Planning
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Every five years Alpine Health develops a new Service Plan to detail our strategic direction and prioritise how to best meet the needs of the community. This includes extensive consultation with the community, service partners, staff and other key stakeholders.
The Service Plan then guides the development of the annual Corporate Plan, which outlines Alpine Health’s corporate priorities for the next 12 months. A wide range of stakeholders are invited to attend the Corporate Planning Day.
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Committees, working parties and reference groups
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Consumers are invited to join Alpine Health operational committees, working parties and reference groups to guide and review program and service planning and implementation.
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Community groups
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Community groups are an effective way for Alpine Health to support and empower Alpine Shire residents to address their health and wellbeing needs. These groups provide information, support and care in both an appropriate and sustainable manner and enable local people to contribute to decision-making and to drive change.
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Workforce interviews
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Community members and stakeholders may be invited to participate in staff appointment and interview processes.
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Consumer experience feedback
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Consumer experience feedback is routinely collected across all service delivery areas, including hospital sites, residential aged care facilities and community programs. This is through Consumer Feedback Forms, surveys and reviews.
Consumer Feedback Forms are available in hardcopy throughout our organisation or electronically here. These can be completed at any time.
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Community information sessions
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Information sessions and training workshops are coordinated or promoted by Alpine Health to improve health literacy, facilitate shared decision-making and empower consumers to take a more active role in their health.
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Incident review and analysis
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Where possible consumers will be included as part of clinical incident investigation teams. In the event of such an investigation Alpine Health will liaise with Safer Care Victoria and request the nomination of an appropriate consumer who is trained in incident review methodology and independent to Alpine Health to participate in the review.
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Direct care provision
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In our acute hospital, residential aged care and community home support settings, processes and systems are designed to support person-centred care and enable shared decision-making with all patients, residents and clients.
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Partnering with Consumers Plan
This Partnering with Consumers Plan provides a framework for active partnership between Alpine Health, the community, and the consumer. It integrates the following guidelines:
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (2017) National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards, second edition, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC).
- Horvat, L (2019) Partnering in healthcare for better care and outcomes, Safer Care Victoria, State Government of Victoria.
- Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (2019) Guidance and Resources for Providers to support the Aged Care Quality Standards, Australian Government.
- National Disability Insurance Scheme Quality and Safeguards Commission (2016) NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Framework, Department of Social Services, Australian Government.
The aim of the Partnering with Consumers Plan is to ensure that all Alpine Health activities are inclusive of and responsive to:
- Communities and their health and wellbeing need
- Cultural and linguistic diversity
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
- Disability
- Gender diversity
- Age diversity
The Partnering with Consumers Plan is relevant to the whole of Alpine Health, including hospital services, aged care, community programs and Alpine Institute activities.