Our plan to work with the community we serve
May 1, 2017in Community News
Ambulance Victoria has released its first comprehensive plan to engage and partner with the community we serve.
The Ambulance Victoria Consumer and Community Engagement Plan: Working Together with our Community 2017-2019 outlines our commitment to change and adapt to meet community expectations.
Ambulance Victoria Chair Ken Lay, AO, said consumer and community engagement was essential in delivering high-quality pre-hospital emergency care.
“We are uniquely placed as the statewide emergency health responder, in engaging and partnering with people and communities, to respond to the emergency health needs of Victoria’s diverse population,” Mr Lay said.
“We have more than 4100 highly skilled frontline health professionals who together with 1000 community volunteers and our key health and emergency service partners are playing a critical role in providing emergency health care for Victorians in need.
“We know that greater engagement and participation by consumers and the community in their own health care decisions, and in the shape and delivery of health care services more broadly, improves people’s experiences of care and ultimately their outcomes of care.
“We need to do more, and we are committed to working closely with our Community Advisory Committee encouraging the broad range of voices of our patients, carers, and community in broader engagement and listening to our patients’ views and experiences as we take action to improve our service.”
The Ambulance Victoria Community Advisory Committee, established 18 months ago, comprises members of the community who reflect the voice of patients, carers and families, and the cultural, gender and geographic diversity of the Victorian community.
Community Advisory Committee Chair Sue Clarke said the Committee would be pivotal in monitoring the success of the plan.
“Ambulance Victoria is on a journey to build our community participation to better reflect the values and experiences of the broad Victorian community,” Ms Clarke said.
“Communities and their needs continue to change and evolve over time. Our challenge is to ensure that Ambulance Victoria continues to grow and innovate, to help shape contemporary emergency health care for the benefit of all Victorians.”
The Plan focuses on:
- Better engagement with the diverse communities Ambulance Victoria serves
- Enhancing participation of consumers, patients and community members in the shape and delivery of our services
- Building opportunities for patients and consumers to be better informed and have a say, where possible in decisions about their care
- Improving the information available to the community
- Strengthening support for staff and consumers.