Ms. Stephanie Looi1
1NSW Ambulance, NSW, Australia
Biography:
To be provided if approved by NSWA.
Abstract:
In Redefining Our Future – NSW Ambulance Vision and Strategic Plan 2021-26, NSW Ambulance outlined its commitment to enhancing the patient and carer experience and has prioritised patient-centered service regardless of patient geography or demographics.
To help ensure these ambitions could be realised, NSW Ambulance, with the aid of an external consultant developed a Consumer and Community Engagement Plan and Patient Charter in alignment with the Elevating the Human Experience, NSW Health and Partnering with Consumers – National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.
This work, informed by extensive engagement with consumers and staff, began with the development of a maturity assessment which identified the opportunities to improve NSW Ambulance’s efforts in engaging with communities and understanding their needs when accessing ambulance services.
The Plan and Charter were developed based on the gaps and priorities identified through this work. The plan identifies 12 actions and five priority actions to guide how NSW Ambulance puts in place structures and processes to support regular and meaningful consumer and community engagement. The charter details the rights of patients accessing NSW Ambulance Services, across 7 domains.
This work is an important step towards addressing these disparities through meaningful listening to communities across the state and facilitating the involvement of patients in the design of the care they receive.