Consumers came together for the 2022 Consumer Forum
NSLHD COnsumer forum returns NSLHD Consumers Advisers were finally able to come together to hold the district’s
NSLHD Acting Chief Executive Lee Gregory said celebrating the week is important to highlight the importance of NSLHD engaging with carers and recognising the varied demands they manage. “Coming to hospital can be a very daunting experience for patients and their carer,” he said. understanding of the person they care for. Including carers in the patient journey is key to delivering good, patient- centred care.” To find out more about Carers Week and ways to support carers, visit www. nscarersupport.com.au. “We should never underestimate the contribution of a carer’s knowledge and “I would like to acknowledge the contribution of Karen Filocamo, Chair of the NSLHD Consumer Board Committee, and the consumer advisors, for all their efforts to ensuring what we do aligns with consumer expectations and that patients and the patient’s voice remains at the very centre of all that we do,” he said. “A big thank you to Thelma De Lisser-Howarth and Kate Bokenham from the NSLHD Clinical Governance Unit for organising the Consumer Forum. I very much look forward to this retuning as an annual NSLHD event.”
said. “Carers providing care at home have particular knowledge about the person they care for and it’s invaluable information that can help our staff with treatment of the patient. “It’s imperative that carers are included in the patient’s care journey so we can get the best possible health outcomes for them and their loved ones.” Balancing care and working puts extra demands on a carer’s time and energy. A supportive work environment can make it easier for a working carer to manage the situation. NSW Health seeks to provide flexible working arrangements and dedicated carers leave to support carers in their unpaid role. presentations during the day on Virtual Health and Health Literacy, Patient Experience and Elevating the Human Experience, Consumer Perspectives, Engaging Consumers in Research Initiatives and Partnering with Consumers. A number of facilitated group discussions were also held with the consumer advisors that will help to discover themes that can be developed into actions. Speaking at the forum Board Chair Trevor Danos AM said hearing the voices of consumers, understanding their needs and factoring them into strategic thinking is absolutely critical.
16 - 22 October to raise awareness, recognise and acknowledge the 2.65 million Australians who provide care and support to a family member or friend. There are over 130,000 carers within NSLHD alone and the majority are working carers, balancing commitments of both care provision and employment. NSLHD Carer Support Service Manager Barbara Lewis said the week is a great reminder to encourage health staff to continue engaging with carers to provide positive experiences. “It’s important we encourage staff to fulfil their responsibility in identifying and engaging with carers as our partners in care,” she 2022 Consumer Forum - an event which had been postponed for almost three years due to the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the peak of the pandemic behind us, the highly-successful event provided an opportunity for consumers across NSLHD to reflect on achievements over the last few years, participate in discussions and propose ideas for key priorities for consumer engagement for the future. Consumers were provided with a number of
NSLHD gears up to celebrate Carers Week NSLHD will be celebrating National Carers Week from
NSLHDNEWS | ISSUE 19 | 7 OCTOBER 2022
4
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online