Development of the ACT Clinical Services Plan

What is the Clinical Services Plan?

The Clinical Services Plan (CSP) will provide a strategic framework for the delivery of Health Directorate clinical services between 2012 and 2017.  It is a strategic level plan which will build on the Clinical Services Plan 2005-2011. 

The CSP will:

·        outline the clinical service framework and service needs to 2017, and a longer term strategic vision to 2022 for ACT public hospitals and community based services;

·        identify broad strategic directions for health service delivery, and guide more detailed planning, models of care and work to be undertaken in the future; and

·        guide the provision of services to meet projected demand during a period of significant infrastructure development across the Health Directorate.

A discussion paper is available online.

How is the CSP being developed?

A Steering Committee (SC) will oversee the development of the CSP.  Darlene Cox is a member of the Committee, representing HCCA.

A communication and consultation plan has been developed to ensure stakeholders and the broader community have the opportunity to contribute to the strategic directions that will be considered during the planning process.

Initially, senior staff at Canberra Hospital & Health Services, Calvary Hospital and other Health Directorate stakeholders are reviewing the information upon which the plan will be based and provide advice to the Steering Committee.

Health Care Consumers Association has provided informal feedback and will continue to be part of the development process.  We are particularly interested in how this plan will ensure that quality and safety is a driver in the development of health services. 

Once the plan is drafted there will be an opportunity for all staff, the broader community, non-government organisations, regional health services, other government departments, private hospitals, peak bodies and unions to provide feedback.

Progress

So far Health Directorate staff have held consultation fora at Calvary Hospital and are planning for meetings with senior staff in Canberra Hospital and Health Services. These consultative meetings will continue through to the end of March.

Clinical technology planning is being undertaken through a Technology Mapping project. A set of Horizon Scanning Clinical Technology Roadmaps have been developed. Customised maps for the Health Directorate will be developed in consultation with clinicians.

A draft Clinical Services Plan will be finalised in April 2012 to enable broader consultation to mid 2012.

 How do you get involved?

·        Email a comment to: healthplanning@act.gov.au;

·        Reading and commenting on the draft Clincal Service Plan when it is released in a couple of months.

HCCA will be preparing a response to the draft Cliniacl Services Plan and we welcome your comments.

Information for health services

The following information provides a guide for those working in the ACT health system requesting a consumer representative.

What is the process of finding a consumer rep?

When contacting HCCA about a consumer rep it helps us if you can provide the following information at least one month prior to the first meeting:

• Terms of reference for the Committee
• How often, when and where it meets
• How it links with other committees and decision-making bodies
• Whether the committee pays sitting fees or out -of -pocket expenses to the consumer representative
• Committee contact details including email and telephone and mailing address
• Any other information including websites that provide background information about the committee or issue.

It takes about 4 weeks for HCCA to complete the process of advertising, recruiting and selecting a consumer representative. We advertise vacancies to consumer networks via email and our newsletter. People nominate for positions and these nominations are sent to the Consumer Representatives Sub-Committee to assess nominations and make a recommendation to the Executive Committee of HCCA.

A HCCA Consumer Representative is:

• A person endorsed by HCCA to represent the views and interests of health consumers.
• A person with experience of health services primarily as consumers of services. They commit to being well informed about relevant health issues and to representing a broad range of consumer views by ensuring they are accountable to others through HCCA.

A HCCA Consumer Representative should not be expected to:

• Have a technical background in the subject under discussion. The consumer representative provides consumers perspectives on an issue and does not need the technical knowledge. Their expertise is in knowledge of consumer issues.
• Undertake consumer consultations beyond what is required to inform their own input at the meeting or to ensure their own accountability to their constituency. If wider consumer consultation is required, the consumer representative can advise the committee on how this can be progressed and advise Health Care Consumers' Association of any such requests.

The Consumers' Health Forum of Australia provides a useful checklist for how health providers can support consumer representatives.