Community Consultation
The Greater Southern Area Health Service demonstrates its commitment to community participation by:
- Selecting the most appropriate method to consult with the community
- Being open and frank in consultations
- Providing avenues for the community to provide both positive and negative feedback on community participation
- Identifying community members who will be able to provide relevant input
- Recognising and acknowledging the value of the input from the community.
Two main levels of consumer and clinician participation have been established:
- Area Health Advisory Council
- Local Health Service Advisory Committees
Their inter-relationship is best categorised in the diagram below:
The GSAHS Community Engagement Framework aims to:
- promote patient engagement in their own health maintenance and care, as active partners with professionals, including their carers
- enable patients and the public as a whole to become better informed about their treatment and care and to make informed decisions and choices
- ensure that patients, the public and staff have the knowledge, skills and support to enable them to influence planning, delivery and monitoring of health services
- actively involve patients and the public in planning, delivering and monitoring our services
- acknowledge and act on information we receive from patients and the public
- provide feedback to patients and the public about how their engagement has influenced the operation of health services.