Introduction to Standard 2:Partnering with consumers

Advice Centre Network Meeting

Nicola DunbarOctober 2012

Standard 2: Partnering with Consumers

Standard:• Leaders of a heath service organisation implement

systems to support partnering with patients, carers and other consumers to improve the safety and quality of care. Patients, carers, consumers and other members of the workforce use the systems for partnering with consumers.

Intent:• To create a health service that is responsive to patient,

carer and consumer input and needs

Context:• Applies in the implementation of all other Standards

Rationale for the Standard

Policy framework internationally and nationally• Declaration of Alma Ata (1978):

• “The people have the right and duty to participate individually and collectively in the planning and implementation of their health care”

• Australian Safety and Quality Framework for Health Care: • describes a vision for safe and high quality care for all Australians• safe and high quality care is: consumer centred | driven by information |

organised for safety

• Australian Safety and Quality Goals for Health Care:• safety and quality challenges that would benefit from a coordinated approach to

improvement• safety of care | appropriateness of care | partnering with consumers

• Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights:• describes rights of people using the health system• access | safety | respect | communication | participation | privacy | comment

Rationale for the Standard

Evidence about the benefits of partnerships associated with:

• experience of care

• business and operations of delivery health services

• work environment

• clinical quality and outcomes:• decreased mortality

• lower readmission rates

• fewer healthcare associated infections

• reduced length of stay

• improved adherence to treatment

• improved functional status

Criteria to achieve the Standard

1. Consumer partnership in service planning• Governance structures are in place to form partnerships with

consumers and/or carers

2. Consumer partnership in designing care• Consumers and/or carers are supported by the health service

organisation to actively participate in the improvement of the patient experience and patients health outcomes

3. Consumer partnership in service measurement and evaluation• Consumers and/or carers receive information on the health

service organisation’s performance and contribute to the ongoing monitoring, measurement and evaluation of performance for continuous quality

Core actions for Standard 2

2.4.1 Consumers and/or carers provide feedback on patient information publications prepared by the health service

2.4.2 Action is taken to incorporate consumer and/or carers’ feedback into publications prepared by the health service organisation for distribution to patients

2.6.1 Clinical leaders, senior managers and the workforce access training on patient-centred care and the engagement of individuals in their care

2.7.1 Consumers and the community are provided with information that is meaningful and relevant on the organisation’s safety and quality performance

Key concepts

Flexible standardisation: • Standardisation of processes is an important way of improving

safety and quality

• Needs to reflect context of the health service

• Contextual issues that will affect the systems that are put in place to meet Standard 2 include:

• administrative arrangements of the health service organisation – public or private

• type and size of health service – small or large hospital, day procedure service

• nature of local community served – demographics, geographic spread etc• jurisdictional requirements – eg legislation about consumer advisory

committees in Victoria• availability of local consumer groups / individuals

Key concepts

What is a consumer?• Patients, family members, carers etc who are currently or have

recently used the service

• Patients, family members, carers etc who have used the service in the past

• Representatives from consumer groups, disease-based groups etc, members of local community

Visiting medical officers in private hospitals are not consumers

Including a range of consumers in partnership processes ensures a range of different voices and views are included in design, delivery and evaluation of health services

Key concepts

What is partnering with consumers?• Different terms – same concepts:

• consumer partnerships

• consumer / patient / community / citizen engagement

• consumer participation

• consumer-centred care / patient-centred care / patient and family-centred care

• Key principles:• partnerships based on dignity and respect, information sharing,

participation and collaboration to the extent that consumers and carers choose

• improving the health service by using the knowledge, skills and experience of people who are using, have used or may use the health service

Structure of Standard 2

2.1.1 2.1.2 Governance and policy framework

Training

2.6.2 Consumers involved in training the workforce

2.6.1 Training for the workforce

2.3.1 Training for consumers partnering with the organisation

Partnering with consumers for improvement

2.2.1 Partnerships in strategic and operation planning

2.2.2 Partnerships in decision making about safety and quality

2.5.1 Partnerships in the design and redesign of health services

2.8.1, 2.8.2 Partnerships in the review of organisational safety and quality performance and development of improvements

2.9.1, 2.9.2 Partnerships in the review of patient feedback data and development of improvements

Information

2.7.1 Information about safety and quality performance provided to consumers and the community

2.4.1, 2.4.2 Feedback from consumers about patient information publications included in final publications

Overview of strategies to partner with consumers

Examine existing arrangements – where possible build on what already exists

Involve consumers as representatives on the board or existing committees

Create / review an existing consumer advisory committee – can be ongoing or for specific topics

“Critical friends” or other less formal groups – more ad hoc groups that may be suitable for smaller organisations, or specialist areas

Holding planning days, forums or workshops with consumer participants – also joint consumer/staff workshops

Consultation process to seek feedback – could be a large formal processes, or small targeted consultations on discrete issues

Consider a range of technologies – such as online “virtual” group

Resources

Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care:

• Safety and Quality Improvement Guide for Standard 2

• Additional material about Standard 2 to follow from the Commission

• Discussion paper: Patient-centred care: Improving safety and quality through partnerships with patients and consumers (2011)

Resources

Jurisdictional programs:• NSW – Partnering with patients

• Queensland – Consumer engagement framework

• Victoria – Doing it with us, not for us

• Western Australia – Patient first

National, state and territory based consumer organisations

Disease-based consumer groups

Local consumer and community groups

Australian Institute for Patient and Family Centred Care

Resources

International organisations:• Picker Institute / Picker Europe

• Institute for Family and Patient Centered Care

• Institute for Health Improvement

• Planetree

Summary

Purpose of the Standard is to improve outcomes and experiences by supporting effective partnerships between consumers, patients, carers, healthcare providers and health service organisations at all levels of healthcare provision, planning and evaluation

There is no one way of achieving this purpose – strategies that are needed to establish and maintain partnerships will depend on context

Health services need to demonstrate that they engage consumers, and use the information they provide to improve services