Community Chats series

Consultation has concluded. Below is a record of the engagement.



We want your feedback on the future of healthcare

What's being decided?

We want you, the citizens in our community, to partner with us to become a destination for world-class treatment, research and training.

We want to engage in a meaningful way and create more opportunities for our community to help us plan, deliver, and evaluate our health care and systems.

You are invited to ‘Community Chats’, your chance over eight weeks to meet and greet staff, visit us, and have a chat about the future of your health care to help us create a strong, local health service.

But we also want to know what type of event would you want? We will hold two events in November that you say we should organise. It could be a workshop, listening post, information session – you tell us!

Background

From October to November, we will talk about how healthcare is changing in and out of the hospital. Discover how digital innovations to the patient experience is changing the future of healthcare.

Community Chats will finish on November 25 with our Annual Public Meeting. Come along, bring your family and meet our wonderful staff and Board.

The 'Community Chats' series encourages the southern community to explore the future of their healthcare and digital inclusion over eight weeks across health care sites in the south, and in the community, as well as via online channels.

Get involved

Find out more:

Have your say:

What are the next steps?

We will be hosting Community Chats from October to November and you are invited. Check this website for more details.

In late October we will let you know what popular Community Chats event goes ahead in November, by inviting you via this site.

We will continue to create opportunities to engage and provide updates regarding the Community Chats series on this website.

If you would like to provide any further comments, please email Brittany.dupree@sa.gov.au

We want your feedback on the future of healthcare

What's being decided?

We want you, the citizens in our community, to partner with us to become a destination for world-class treatment, research and training.

We want to engage in a meaningful way and create more opportunities for our community to help us plan, deliver, and evaluate our health care and systems.

You are invited to ‘Community Chats’, your chance over eight weeks to meet and greet staff, visit us, and have a chat about the future of your health care to help us create a strong, local health service.

But we also want to know what type of event would you want? We will hold two events in November that you say we should organise. It could be a workshop, listening post, information session – you tell us!

Background

From October to November, we will talk about how healthcare is changing in and out of the hospital. Discover how digital innovations to the patient experience is changing the future of healthcare.

Community Chats will finish on November 25 with our Annual Public Meeting. Come along, bring your family and meet our wonderful staff and Board.

The 'Community Chats' series encourages the southern community to explore the future of their healthcare and digital inclusion over eight weeks across health care sites in the south, and in the community, as well as via online channels.

Get involved

Find out more:

Have your say:

What are the next steps?

We will be hosting Community Chats from October to November and you are invited. Check this website for more details.

In late October we will let you know what popular Community Chats event goes ahead in November, by inviting you via this site.

We will continue to create opportunities to engage and provide updates regarding the Community Chats series on this website.

If you would like to provide any further comments, please email Brittany.dupree@sa.gov.au

Consultation has concluded. Below is a record of the engagement.



  • SALHN Annual Public Meeting

    A big thank you also to everyone who voted or provided feedback on what activities you would like us to host as part of the Community Chats program.

    Some of the feedback we received included going out to the community, which is why we are happy to say we will be holding a Listening Post on Thursday 18 November, 11am-12:30pm at McLaren Vale Hall as our first activity decided by you.

    We encourage you to come down and share your ideas for the future of our healthcare, or to simply just have a chat. Our mobile COVID-19 vaccination team will be on site on the same day, so tell your family and friends and let’s chat!

    The second community-decided event planned for Tuesday, 9 November will be rescheduled for early next year to allow for more time to plan another purposeful community activity.

    We look forward to seeing you at the Listening Post and the Annual Public Meeting (APM).

    The APM will provide an opportunity for our Governing Board and Executive to reflect on the year that was, as well as share priorities for the future.

    Information gathered from the Community Chats program will be shared as part of the APM, which also aspires to personally introduce our Board members to the southern Adelaide community.

    Please register to attend using the link below, those who attend will be invited to stay for a light afternoon tea following the APM, which will also be Live Streamed.

    SALHN Annual Public Meeting

    Thursday 25 November
    3-4.30pm
    Click to register to attend our Annual Public Meeting

  • Community Friendly Summary

    Our profile

    Who we care for…

    At SALHN we provide healthcare for more than 350,000 people who mainly live in southern Adelaide. We also care for people from regional South Australia, the Northern Territory and New South Wales.

    We have 6 clinical divisions:

    1. Medicine, Cardiac and Critical Care
    2. Surgery and Perioperative
    3. Medicine, Rehabilitation, Aged and Palliative Care
    4. Mental Health, and
    5. Women’s and Children’s.

    The 6th division is Allied and Aboriginal Health and Integrated Care, which provides clinical services across the divisions as well as a number of ambulatory, community and primary-health services.

    Clinical divisions are supported to deliver care by key network services such as:

    • Corporate Governance and Risk
    • Clinical Governance
    • Finance
    • Corporate
    • Workforce.

    We also partner with several private providers across multiple sites to deliver services and have home-based services.

    Our core health services include medical, surgical, rehabilitation, aged care, palliative care, mental health, allied health, Aboriginal health and women’s and children’s services, ranging from acute to primary health services.

    Our state-wide services include liver transplant and adult cochlear implant services, eye bank, adult eating disorder service, gambling therapy, veterans mental health, older persons mental health, obstetric trauma and Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia.

    Our affiliated services include Flinders Private Hospital, the Metropolitan Referral Unit, the Artificial Limb Scheme, Flinders Reproductive Medicine Pty Ltd and McLaren Vale and Districts War Memorial Hospital.

    We are a leading research and teaching organisation providing a clinical environment for medical, nursing and midwifery and allied health research.

    What is community engagement?

    There is no universal definition of community engagement. For us, community engagement

    means involving people in issues affecting them and deepening relationships to work collaboratively with groups or individuals who have a common interest in health and wellbeing. Here we explain some terms we use in this document that relate to community engagement.

    What does community engagement involve, for us?

    For SALHN community engagement involves connecting with the community to build long-term relationships, share information, plan, and build capacity to shape our health care system for the benefit of our community.

    Why is community engagement important, for us?

    Developing health systems and services in partnership with patients, families, carers, and the community is known to improve clinical and individual health, and the quality and safety of health services.

    What do we mean by community?

    Community is made up of the people who live, work, and visit a place, or have a common interest. There are communities of place and communities of interest.

    Communities of place are where people identify with a defined geographical area, e.g. a hospital

    Communities of interest are where people share a particular experience, or characteristic such as young people, faith groups, older people, people living with a disability, migrant groups, or sporting groups.

    What is a consumer?

    Consumers are patients, users, or potential users of health services. Consumers can also be advocates, families and carers.

    What is a stakeholder?

    Any person or group who provides, receives, manages, has an interest or concern in our healthcare are stakeholders.


    Our commitment to engaging with our community

    When engaging with our community we commit to the following engagement principles.

    We know why we are engaging

    We are clear about what we are asking the community to consider and how much they can influence the decision or outcome to avoid unrealistic expectations. We clearly articulate timeframes, processes and how we communicate decisions.

    We know the history

    We determine what we already know and research background information. Where possible, we build on previous engagement activities and identify opportunities to coordinate current engagement activities. If a new process is required, we explain why.

    We know who to engage

    We identify stakeholders using a transparent process to make sure we promote trust in the engagement process. We ensure the community have various opportunities to contribute their opinions and expertise, including diverse voices, and in various ways.

    We start together

    Meaningful engagement takes time and continued effort. We start together to build a sense of ownership and to save time and resources down the track. Community engagement is a consideration at the beginning of decision-making and change processes.

    We are genuine

    We are honest about our intent and clear about the purpose and level of engagement. Our commitment to communication and engagement is reflected within our plans and actions.

    We listen to understand. We close the feedback loop and let people know how they contributed to and influenced outcomes and how their voice has been heard.

    We are relevant and engaging

    We put our community at the centre of the engagement process and make it relevant, accessible, and interesting. We are creative, innovative, and responsive in the various ways we engage.


    How we will engage with our community

    Engagement can occur within different groupings such as;

    Individuals – consumers, patients, their families, carers (paid and unpaid), and advocates as partners in their own healthcare and treatment.

    Services – partnerships connected to how programs, services, or facilities are designed, structured, evaluated and improved at a local level.

    Networks – regional engagement across service providers enabling input into broader plans across health

    Systems – policy, reform, strategies, and legislative influence across the health system.

    Engagement options: Inform, consult, involve, collaborate, empower/community led (developed by the International Association for Public Participation).


    Our accountability

    Responsibility for our community engagement is held by different individuals, teams and groups within SALHN.

    Preparing and planning for community engagement will involve:

    • Setting the agenda: Developing objectives, expectations and measures of success
    • Informing: Providing information and data to support engagement
    • Involvement and collaboration: Improving structures, processes and support for consultation/ debate
    • Empowerment: Investing in skills, capabilities, and opportunities to lead change and feedback.

    From any point of care, to the Board, and back, SALHN will ensure community participation occurs from the Board and Executive level, through to the program, ward and unit level, as well as through our established, matured consumer advisory groups. This approach ensures the community can partner with SALHN at all levels.


    How we will continuously improve our community engagement

    Asking our community for feedback

    We will regularly ask for feedback from the community. This feedback will form a continuous feedback loop.

    We will close the loop - “you said, we did”

    Through this feedback we will regularly monitor our community and relationship activities, evaluate the impact of these partnerships, and consider how these actions could be improved.

    We will embed community engagement into the way we work

    Including in our organisational culture, policy and governance, as well as in service design and provision.

    Reviewing and reporting

    We will formally report on our community engagement achievements against our developed measures of success in our annual report on the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network.