Bairnsdale Regional Health Service is embarking on a major audit of its services and processes to improve access and health outcomes for people with a disability.
BRHS announced on Friday, 2 December ahead of International Day of Persons with Disability on 3 December that it has joined with consulting firm Get Skilled Access (GSA) for a federally-funded pilot called the Inclusive Healthcare Program. People with lived experience of disability will drive the program.
The program, expected to take up to 12 months to complete, includes a desktop audit of hospital practices and processes and specific education for all BRHS staff on disability, accessibility and inclusion.
A number of staff members will be selected to be trained as BRHS Disability Inclusion Consultants who will act as peer support officers on disability inclusion issues, while all staff will undergo an online disability inclusion education program.
This training will continue beyond the end of the program so future staff can benefit, BRHS Disability Liaison Officer April Freely said.
April said one in five Australians have a disability and one in two people aged 65 and over has lived experience with disability, she said.
“The beauty of this program is that it’s delivered by people with a disability and it’s co-designed by people who live with disability. They come in, assess our services and give that industry knowledge of how we can make improvements from the perspective of people with disability,” she said.
“It will help our staff to identify people with disability, how to make reasonable adjustments to our processes and practices and improve our patient-centred care for people with disability.”
GSA senior consultant Bianca Bassett, a Lakes Entrance woman who is an above-the-knee amputee who is a prosthesis and wheelchair user, is working with GSA in this pilot.
She and April will convene a “discovery team” of key staff and stakeholders before launching the program early in early 2023.
Bianca said improving health care for people with a disability starts with education.
She said large numbers of people with disabilities live in regional areas like East Gippsland, making health services like BRHS a vital link. Improving access and inclusion in health care settings will enhance care for people with disabilities, she said.
“I live in East Gippsland. I love where I live, and I often experience barriers, so I would really like my community to learn more,” she said.
“Disability inclusion and accessibility is important for the health care industry because people with disability need to feel safe and included. We know the vulnerability of being in hospital, and when you have disability on top of that it can be a really scary space.
“The more we can educate people to be more inclusive of people with disability, the better the experiences are going to be when we visit our health care services.”
Clear communication for people of all abilities is crucial, and people with lived experience of disability provide the training as part of the program.
“If you tell somebody who has neurodiversity to take a chair, how do they know where to ‘take’ that chair? If a person is blind or has low vision, how do you tell them where the chair is? We’re helping people be more aware of what it means to have a disability, and to be more aware of how to communicate,” she said.
People with a non-visible disability make up to 90% of all people with disability, Bianca said. The program will teach staff not to make assumptions, be confident to communicate with clients whether about their needs and possible adjustments to better connect with BRHS.
BRHS Chief Executive Officer Robyn Hayles said the health service is committed to its Disability Action Plan, and the BRHS working party has already found that education and awareness of disability is a key to changing attitudes and improving access and care delivery.
“The Inclusive Healthcare Program is an exciting initiative. We’re delighted to be involved in the pilot for such important work, which we think will improve how we engage with our patients with disability and improve their health outcomes as they become more comfortable engaging with us,” she said.
