ANNUAL REPORT - Northern Health

Our Achievements cont’d...
Strategic Goal 3
A healthier northern community through
improving the consumer experience
Meeting the health needs of consumers is the key driver
for Northern Health. The experience that consumers have
when they access Northern Health is a vital component of
the delivery of high quality and effective care. Northern
Health will continue to improve the consumer experience in
the context of growing and evolving needs and expectations
within our community.
Working with the community we serve
“Doing it with us not for us” is the Victorian government’s
policy on consumer, carer and community participation in
the health care system. The Strategic Directions 2010 – 2013
document builds on the policy’s first term, and contains
standards which guide consumer participation across
Northern Health.
Northern Health’s Community Participation program is
driven by the Community Advisory Committee (CAC), which
meets bi-monthly, is a formal sub committee of the Northern
Health Board. This robust committee has 11 consumer
representatives, four members of the Northern Health Board,
the CEO and two Executive Directors.
The Northern Health Board has endorsed the current
Community Participation Plan 2009 – 2012, which was
developed and is overseen by the CAC. Northern Health also
has a Community Participation Policy. The Northern Health
Consumer Participation program extends across a broad
range of activities, from patients being actively involved in
their own care to consumer representatives providing advice
to the Board regarding consumer participation.
The Community Advisory Committee is involved with the
review of information developed for consumers and the
broader community as well as having input into education
and training initiatives and projects.
The Community Participation program has also conducted
regular tours for members of Culturally and Linguistically
Diverse communities, in partnership with the local Migrant
Resource Centre, to orientate people to our services.
Responding to Cultural Diversity
Northern Health is strongly committed to its Culturally and
Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities. Our diverse
community is made up of residents born in more than 180
countries, who speak more than 130 languages. To better
address the needs of the different migrant communities,
Northern Health created the Transcultural & Language
Services (TALS) Department.
TALS has implemented strategies to develop a centralised
service and booking mechanism, improve local access to
quality interpreters and introduce specific transcultural
training for Northern Health staff to increase the use of
interpreters. As well as meeting the increased needs of the
Health Service, the TALS department usage hours increased
from 21,823 occasions of service (2008) to 32,089 occasions
of service (2009). The centralised booking and activity
database has maximized efficient use of interpreters’ time
and improved response times for patients (including videointerpreting).
Northern Health continues to provide culturally diverse
meals for patients including Halal and Kosher menus and
implemented a patient menu which meets the Victorian
Nutritional Standards.
Northern Health’s Pastoral Services support patients and
their families of all faiths. In December 2009, 11 Muslim
Pastoral Services Volunteers undertook pastoral education
training at Northern Health. They are now providing pastoral
care to Northern Health’s Muslim patients and their families
on a continuing basis at The Northern Hospital, Bundoora
Extended Care Centre and Broadmeadows Health Service.
The program was developed following significant interest
from the local Islamic community to provide a Muslim
Pastoral Care across Northern Health’s campuses. The
diversity within this group of volunteers reflects the
community we serve. The volunteers speak fluent Arabic,
Urdu (Hindi), Punjabi, English and Syrian and come from a
wide range of countries including Pakistan, India, Lebanon,
Egypt and Somalia.
Northern Health has identified growth in the Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) population in its catchment
during the last five years. The North and West Metropolitan
Region has 7,247 Aboriginal residents, which is 24% of
Victoria’s Aboriginal population. In order to support equity
and access to Northern Health services, the Aboriginal
Support Unit has been established, consisting of an
Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer and an Aboriginal
Community Liaison Officer, who are able to support
Aboriginal patients whilst they are inpatients, outpatients
and during the discharge to community based services
process.
Assistance provided to ATSI people has increased from 35
episodes of service in September 2009, to 83 per month
currently. Northern Health has established an Aboriginal
Advisory Committee to advise the Northern Health Board
on issues relating to this community. Aboriginal people
26 09/10 Northern Health Annual Report