Change Champions & Associates Newsletter NOVEMBER 2012

NEWSLETTER

The Queensland Smart Home Initiative

Health and aged-care reform through

Internet technologies

For innovators in

healthcare & beyond

N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 2


(QSHI) was formed in late 2006 follow-

ing a briefing by smart home and

assistive technology experts, Dr.

Jeffrey Soar from the University of

Southern Queensland and Dr. George

Margelis from Intel, with the then

Queensland Minister for Health Hon

Stephen Robertson and Queensland

health department executives includ-

ing Dr. Stephen Duckett. The briefing

and discussion aroused great interest

and afterwards a question was asked

by the Ministerial advisor – as a next

step where can we see these

technologies in operation?

(Continued p.2)


Professor Jeffrey Soar, University of Southern Queensland Kind 2 Mind Social Media Mental Health Initiative Dominic McCann & Jayde Lovell Improving psychosocial support for people affected by cancer in South Australia

Afaf Girgis & Vibeke Hansen A Partnership Approach to Improved Care Lisa Pearson Hearts in Healthcare: Community of Health Professionals Book Reviews of ‘Time to Care’ by Dr. Robin Youngson Catherine Lothian & Leonie Curran POINT OF VIEW: Experiences of a Facilitator

Dawn Skidmore

UPCOMING SEMINARS

Five practical workshops on public speaking, leadership and change management

The Challenge of Long Term Alcohol Abuse in Older Adults Pathways to a Consumer Focused Organisation – Governance and Managerial Approaches

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P . 8

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Dr Soar then formed a small group of stakeholders to

establish Queensland’s first demonstration Smart Home for

supporting ageing at home, access to care and independent

living. Before then people could see samples of some Smart

Home technologies but not fully installed and in operation

in a home setting. The formation of the Queensland Smart

Home Initiative involved a broad range of stakeholder

organisations including Tunstall, Ekoliving, Blue Care, Aged

Care Queensland, Intel, U3A-Online, COTAQ, Nexus On-line

and the University of Southern Queensland.

QSHI’s first Smart Home was hosted by Blue Care at a

refurbished independent living unit its Kenmore campus in

Brisbane and was launched by Minister Robertson in 2007.

Financial support was provided by the Queensland

Government and QSHI partners; technologies were

supplied by Tunstall and Ekoliving, and fit-out and

furnishing by Blue Care. That first Smart Home was visited

by over 200 people in its first year of operation; visitors

came from across Australia and overseas. Since then

government and industry support was obtained for the

QSHI’s new demonstrator Smart Home at LifeTec in

Newmarket, Brisbane. This was opened by Deputy Premier

Paul Lucas in 2009 and continues to draw visitors. An

advantage of the new Smart Home was its location at

LifeTec (Queensland’s Independent Living Centre) in an

inner suburban shopping centre with good access and

parking. It further enabled the QSHI to raise awareness of

Assistive Technology with the general public. Subject to

funding there is a goal of establishing other demonstration

Smart Homes in regional locations.

QSHI researchers attracted several grants and other

support for a program of research aimed at developing the

pathways to adoption of Smart Home technologies where

there were benefits for consumers, families, carers and

others. This included a pilot of home telehealth for heart

failure patients with technology supplied and supported by

Tunstall, an Australia Research Council-funded project to

develop information integration across sectors of care

through innovative technology and supported by

Queensland Health and technology innovator Nexus On-

line, development of smart software, a model for security

of information and many others.

Now in its sixth year since inception QSHI has attracted

expert researchers in “Game-changing” new technologies

such as Big Data, the Cloud, image technologies, the

Internet of Things, sensor networks and many others. It has

strong links with researchers in Asia and has attracted

support from the Chinese government for collaborative

research. QSHI is planning to launch a new entity to

strengthen its collaboration; it invites stakeholders from

across ageing and community care to participate in its

research program and also to bring ideas for new projects

to benefit older people and their families. For further

information contact:

Professor Jeffrey Soar, University of Southern Queensland

[email protected] or 07 46311255

Healthcare Emerging Managers Network

– now on Linked In

This brand new group provides support to emerging

managers (e.g. clinical, program/project managers)

working in health and aged care in Australia and

New Zealand. Members will be willing to share

their experiences, ideas for dealing with challenges

and information/resources. So if you are out on a

limb and all at sea…

join up at www.linkedin.com or email us to join you

up at [email protected]

http://www.linkedin.com

mailto:[email protected]

3

Upcoming Workshops

Handy Hints for the Novice Conference Presenter

If you are doing great work but never or hardly ever present to a live

audience because the thought of it turns your knees to jelly.... then here is a

workshop for you. Delegates from outside health also welcomed.

12 November 2012: Melb, VIC

19 February 2013: Sydney, NSW

26 February 2013: Canberra, ACT

05 March 2013: Melbourne, VIC

19 March 2013: Adelaide, SA

14 May 2013: Brisbane, QLD

21 May 2013: Perth, WA

Moving Forward: Accepting and Embracing Resistance to Change

This one day workshop is a fantastic opportunity for new leaders and project

managers from any industry or public sector who are keen to develop their

skills in change management.








The Better Boss Workshop

Ever wondered how you rate as a boss? How you could be a better boss? This

workshop is ideal for enthusiastic emerging leaders, new managers and su-

pervisors with no formal management training and those who are just won-

dering if they are really are being the best boss they can be.








Assessing Change Readiness

Overflowing with enthusiasm to implement an exciting new program that

promises to bring much needed change for the better? This workshop offers a

step by step introduction by systematically assessing change readiness across

a range of levels to optimise the potential for success.








Managing Forced or Unplanned Change

Take this opportunity to learn how to transition from a change recipient to a

change champion. This is a great new workshop for managers who are work-

ing in small organisations, in the not for profit sector or on funded programs-

and want to learn change management strategies in the face of a crisis or un-

expected situation. (Not suitable for commercial entities)


01 March 2013: Canberra, ACT





REGISTER ONLINE: www.changechampions.com.au

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City of Kingston – Sands Australia

‘KIND 2 MIND’

Social Media Mental Health Initiative

Mental illness is a significant issue in the Australian community. This is also the case in the City of Kingston.

Kingston City Council through its Kind 2 Mind initiative is trying to improve the quality of life for people who

experience mental ill-health and for their carers and families.

Kingston Council plays an important role in developing a vibrant and cohesive community by promoting

positive mental health and wellbeing and by responding to the needs of the community through the provision

of information, hosting positive mental health initiatives and the support of service provision and support

networks.

Kind 2 Mind was developed as a two day mental health and wellbeing expo to promote a positive approach to

mental health and wellbeing through an innovative program of informative panel discussions, presentations,

mental health information, art, theatre and creative activities.

Successful though these expos were Council began looking at new ways of connecting with the community

and increasing and improving access for people with mental ill-health to appropriate services and support

groups.

In the era of modern communications social media such as Facebook, Yammer, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. are

powerful mechanisms for sharing information, keeping families and friends and community connected and

building social cohesion. Kingston Council through Kind 2 Mind is now exploring the possibilities of using these

types of social media in creative ways that can be used to deliver positive mental health outcomes for the

Kingston community.

The Kingston Kind 2 Mind social media initiative has 3 main aims;

1. To promote positive mental health and wellbeing messages to the community

2. To provide opportunities for mental health organisations and community groups to collaborate

and enhance mental health initiatives for the Kingston Community

3. To develop and implement social media strategies to connect local community groups and

individuals to achieve positive mental health outcomes.

A partnership to deliver this initiative has been developed with Sands Australia. Sands are the Stillbirth and

Newborn Death Support service, and have 30 years of experience offering grief and bereavement support in

Australia. They also have extensive experience in engaging users via social media, and linking social media to

their face-to-face service provision in the City of Kingston.

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course Outline

MASTER CLASS with Alice Rota Bartelink

The Challenge of Long Term Alcohol Abuse in Older Adults

Managing Older Clients living with

Alcohol Related Brain Injury

Book an in-house

In house opportunities available for facilities in Australia & New Zealand

To read Alice Rota-Bartelink’s bio, or for more details about the

master class, visit www.changechampions.com.au

Introduction Alcohol & Alcoholism Symptoms Alcohol and the Ageing Body Comorbidity Alcohol and the Brain The Role of a Neuropsychologist Treatment Managing Challenging Behaviour Aggressive Behaviour Self Care Practices - Staff Case Profile Conclusion

The Kind 2 Mind project will embrace social media by

launching a Facebook portal. This portal will hold a range

of resources to help promote positive wellness messages,

as well as awareness of mental health issues facing the

community.

The project will have a range of exciting features, including:

A resource library, full of fact sheets, podcasts

and videos

Live-Chat capacity, so people experiencing mental

health issues can speak to a service provider

A listing of clubs and groups operating in Kingston

A listing of crisis phone numbers such as Lifeline

Importantly, the portal will be hosted in the Facebook

‘apps’ library, and will be available for any organisation to

install on their Facebook page. The hope is that hundreds

or even thousands of organisations will install the ‘app’,

and promote themselves as a Kind2Mind organisation.

We believe this project is the first of its kind to use a

Facebook ‘app’ to increase community engagement. We’re

really looking forward to seeing the portal ‘go live’, and

hopefully increase engagement and connectedness in the

Kingston community.

For further information contact:

Dominic McCann Co-ordinator Community Wellbeing,

Kingston City Council at

[email protected] or

Jayde Lovell, Communications and Fundraising Manager,

Sands Australia at [email protected]

http://www.changechampions.com.au/seminar/master-class--the-challenge-of-longer-term-alcohol-abuse-in-older-adults_242

http://www.changechampions.com.au

6

Despite improved survival rates, a cancer diagnosis remains a major life stressor

and cancer treatments are often invasive and prolonged, placing significant

demands on the person diagnosed and their families and partners. Between 20-40%

of individuals with cancer experience considerable physical, psychological and social

morbidity and family members often find the cancer experience more distressing

than the patients themselves. The ability of patients and partners to manage cancer

challenges has been shown to impact on their short and long-term health and well-

being and, potentially, survival. National guidelines recommend psychosocial care

from the time a cancer is diagnosed.

The Cancer Council South Australia plays a significant role in the provision of

support services to people affected by cancer in South Australia. Therefore, the

Cancer Council has commissioned a project to identify gaps in their support service

provision and potential partners in SA which can facilitate the provision of optimal

support services to meet the needs of the SA people affected by cancer.

This project will undertake one-on-one telephone interviews with people affected

by cancer in SA, including survivors and their caregivers, to explore their psychoso-

cial support needs at different stages of the cancer trajectory, information and

services they utilised and perceptions of the helpfulness of these, perceived gaps in

psychosocial support, how these gaps can be addressed and the Cancer Council’s

potential role in the provision of psychosocial support in SA.

The results of this project will be used to inform recommendations to the Cancer

Council on possible actions which could be taken to improve its services. Hence, this

project has the potential to improve the availability and quality of psychosocial

support services provided in the future, and thereby better meeting the support

needs of those affected by cancer.

Improving psychosocial support for

people affected by cancer in South Australia

Professor Afaf Girgis, from the

University of NSW, is undertaking

this project for the Cancer Council,

along with Vibeke Hansen. People

who are interested can obtain more

information by calling 1800 080 322,

or by emailing

[email protected]

or [email protected]

Afaf Girgis

Vibeke Hansen

We are currently recruiting participants to this projects, and would love

to hear from South Australian residents who;

are 18 years or over AND

a) have ever been diagnosed with cancer, OR

b) who are a partner/caregiver of someone diagnosed with cancer

(current or recently bereaved).


7

2012 MASTER CLASS

Pathways to a Consumer Focused

Organisation – Governance and

Managerial Approaches

It is timely for health care organisations, from boards to

front-line staff, to gain a clear understanding of consumer

participation and consumer experience principles.

Set within the context of the current health reforms and

expanding mandatory requirements this Master Class is a

strategic exploration and examination of the health consumer

participation trilogy: consumer engagement, consumer

involvement and consumer partnerships for organisation-

wide quality improvement.

2012 in-houses available

For more details please visit our website and

download & fill out an expressions of interest

form. We’ll then get back in touch with the relevant information

Audience Profile

Board members, health services executives, clinicians, safety

& quality co-ordinators/managers, risk managers, clinical

governance managers and health consumers.

With facilitators

Stephanie Newell

& Mitchell Messer

Visit www.changechampions.com.au

To download official flyers and register online for seminars

8

The Hume Region has been participating in Victoria’s

implementation of The Council of Australian

Governments Long Stay Older Patients (COAG LSOP)

initiative since 2006. There are four areas of focus in

this initiative:

1. Strengthened attention to the needs of frail

older people in our hospital and community

settings

2. Improved consistency and integration of service

delivery

3. Improved access to a range of age-friendly

services and settings

4. Reduced inappropriate hospital usage by older

people

A state-wide evaluation of the initiative in 2010

resulted in a two year extended funding period with

Victoria’s Implementation Plan continuing to focus

on building organisational policy and program

capacity to improve care processes for older people.

A major focus is on minimising functional decline.

Key resources developed by the Victorian

Department of Health will continue to support this

work, including Best care for older people

everywhere – the Toolkit (www.health.vic.gov.au/

older/toolkit) and Improving the environment for

older people in Health Services – an audit tool (the

audit tool) (www.health.vic.gov.au/older). The

toolkit aligns with the National Safety and Quality

Health Service Standards.

The Toolkit provides a range of evidence-based

resources in person centred care, advanced care

planning, assessment, communication, mobility/

vigour/selfcare, nutrition, swallowing, depression,

dementia and delirium, continence, medication, skin

integrity, pain, and palliative care.

A range of innovative practices, to prevent functional

decline, have been incorporated in health services

across Victoria. The many initiatives have been

shared across metropolitan and regional health

services.

In the Hume region five funded health services -

Albury Wodonga Health, Goulburn Valley Health,

North East Health, Benalla Health, and Seymour

Health - have worked as a consortium to implement

improvements in the hospital environment and care

processes. This is underpinned by person centred

approaches and driven by strengthened policy.

Significant funding has been provided to create age

friendly hospital environments. An environment that

is older person-friendly capitalises on an older

person’s ‘strengths and abilities, protects against

harm and takes account of the needs of staff

charged with their care’ (O'Keeffe; WorkSafe Victoria

2002).

An Environmental Audit Tool was developed by the

National Ageing Research Institute (NARI) to guide

the improvements. Each of the Hume region’s

funded health services has used the audit to identify

and implement appropriate physical improvements.

These improvements have been completed, are

underway or linked to capital improvements.

Improving the physical environment has been linked

into Health services strategy and organisational

policy.

(Continued next page)

A Partnership Approach to Improved Care

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Change Champions & Associates invites you to contribute to this publication!

Are you or your organisation working on a new project or initiative? We’d love to hear about it!

Please send us a 1 page article highlighting the major aspects of the

initiative you are part of.

Email articles, suggestions and advertising enquiries to Diane Vatinel at: [email protected]

Person Centred Care has been incorporated into strategic

plans, position descriptions, orientation programs and

clinical practice guidelines.

Assessment and screening practices have been reviewed

and improved to identify risk of functional decline. Nursing

handover, referral and discharge planning practices have

been reviewed and improved.

The introduction of initiatives such as the Red Tray, Meal

Time Mates, and protected meal times aims to improve the

nutritional outcomes of patients requiring assistance at

mealtimes.

For patients with, or at risk of developing, delirium and

dementia, improved systems for assessment and screening

have been introduced as well as improvements in behaviour

management practice, the building of external gardens, and

the use of a wider range of diversional therapies.

A demonstration project to build capacity in delivering

person-centred continence care produced the document

‘Why Continence Matters- a Centre Promoting Health

Independence project for the West Hume’. This document

outlines models of care, resources and local findings to

provide service development opportunities to improve

access to specialist services and coordinated continuing

care, as well as provide a regional approach in the Hume

region for education, clinical consultation and governance.

The Toolkit has been embedded in practice in hospital

settings through awareness raising, education and training

with examples such as Best Care for Older People Expo

packages. My Name is Frank and Frank matters are two

poems written and performed by Colin Milligan Australian

Bush poet champion and produced and directed by Matt Gill

of Benalla Health. Matt has developed interactive training

packages for each toolkit domain; these include hyperlinks

back to the on-line toolkit. Health literacy programs for

consumers and the community, and foyer information

displays on reducing the risk of functional decline have

further raised awareness.

The areas identified in the toolkit have been used to

structure document and information management at Albury

Wodonga Health which is introducing the Bosnet software

system.

Since the Best Care for Older People everywhere initiative

was commenced in 2006 changes within the governance,

management and care systems have ensured the

embedding of sustainable change. Initiatives and outcomes

have been inspired, promoted and improved due to the

collaborative approach taken by Improving Care for Older

People Project officers and their executive sponsors who

have worked to share their knowledge and resources to

provide evidence based care for older hospitalised patients

across the Hume region.

For further information contact:

Lisa Pearson

Goulburn Valley Health

Phone: 03 58 323763

Email: [email protected]

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HEARTS in HEALTHCARE is an inspirational community of health professionals,

students, patient advocates, health leaders, and many others who are champions for compassionate

care. We believe bringing like-minded people together is the first step to re-humanizing healthcare

around the world.

Healthcare is in crisis, all around the world. Too many health professionals are feeling stressed, overworked,

tired, and heading for burnout. And the deteriorating working conditions are doing great harm to patient care

too. The sheer pace of work, the overwhelming workload, the staff shortages, and the increasing use of

technology, mean that too often the basic human needs of patients are neglected.

Yet research shows that whole-person, compassionate care is safer, more effective, achieves better outcomes,

reduces demand, satisfies patients, gives meaning to work, and costs less.

HEARTS in HEALTHCARE aims to put the care back in healthcare

And joining this community could be good for your health. We’ll be sharing the simple practices that make a

significant difference to your happiness and wellbeing.

Even better, we’ll enroll you in a major international research collaboration with Dr. Martin Seligman, the

founding father of positive psychology. You can opt to join a longitudinal study of the happiness and wellbeing

of those who bring their hearts to practice.

JOIN HEARTS IN HEALTHCARE

http://www.heartsinhealthcare.com/welcome

AIMS:

To encourage health workers to reconnect to the heart of their practice

Allow compassionate caring to rise above institutional rules and limitations

Promote and encourage whole-person care that serves the needs of patient and families

Explore together what is best in healthcare and inspire new communities of practice in

compassionate caring

Increase the happiness, well-being and resilience of all our members

Create the world’s most inspiring community of health professionals, students, patient

advocates and leaders, working together in a worldwide movement to transform healthcare

from within

http://www.heartsinhealthcare.com/welcome

11

ACT ! A professional

development program

(8 CPD points) for staff &

families who care for people

Ideal for all clinical staff and Managers

working in Aged Residential, primary

and community care, mental health,

emergency departments and after

hours medical facilities

W ho should come?

I S TA & A g e d C a re Tra i n i n g

W hat wi l l you lear n?

The Early Identification of the potential

for Aggressive Behaviour in people

with Dementia/delirium

How to reduce harm to yourself and

your team members

Communicating with people affected

by Dementia/delirium

How to keep yourself safe in everyday

situations i.e. Showering and dressing

people who may demonstrate

unpredictable behaviour

De-escalation and breakaway

techniques

26 Nov 2012 — QLD

27 Nov 2012 — SA

The skills you will acquire :

Accredited unit of competency from

the National Training Package

Provide Communication, De-escalation

and Breakaway Techniques

Reduced Risk of harm to your

employees

Consultation Techniques for

Occupational Violence

ISTA will train your

staff face to Face

www.changechampions.com.au

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We asked two of our

subscribers to read and

review Robin Youngson’s new

book Time to Care

...Here’s what they thought

Book Reviews

Review by: Catherine Lothian Clinical Nurse Educator

I found the book ‘A Time to Care’ by Robin Youngson to be fascinating, intriguing and enlightening. I have read the

book from cover to cover twice since I received it, I just couldn’t put it down. It is easy to understand and is filled with

personal accounts of the author’s journey through burnout, compassion and caring about himself and his patients. It

is a book where you find yourself reflecting on similar situations and how you handled yourself and others. Robin

backs up his claims with research and stories from people he has encountered. He describes healthcare as

dehumanised and then gets you to see healthcare from the patient’s side which in turn gives further cause for

personal reflection.

I am an Essentials of Care facilitator which is about teaching others to be person centred in their work. I wish I had

read this book years ago, as is describes how to care for yourself, your patients and your colleagues. As a facilitator I

need to ‘walk the talk’ and this is almost a text book full of how to do this, how to be kind, compassionate,

empathetic and mindful of patient’s needs. Being mindful is being aware of your surroundings, yourself and your

actions. You can choose to be happy and your happiness can be projected onto others. Once you have seen it for

yourself, you will reap the rewards.

In a world of chronic illness, aging populations, staff shortages and lack of resources ‘A Time to Care’ paves the way

allowing me to care firstly for myself and then my patients. Sometimes we forget the patient is a person when we get

caught up in our workload, but by investing time and kindness in our patients we actually save time and feel more

satisfied in our work.

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Review by: Leonie Curran Nurse Educator

This timely book is a call to all of us, as health professionals who chose our career because we

care, because we want to make a positive difference in the world, yet we’ve become stressed,

anxious, burnt out and just want to leave. We work in a health system that’s going broke and has

so many rules and regulations to improve patient safety, yet the care factor sometimes feels like

zero. There are unwritten rules within the health system that we must remain emotionally detached from our patients, if

we are to be objective in our management of the many who need attention daily. As health professionals we experience

internal tension between the ideal of healing, and the reality of patients we can’t save, or accidently harm, with too much to

do in too little time.

Dr. Robinson relates many stories from his practice as an anaesthetist, including a very moving story about an elderly

patient, Jessie who needed bowel surgery – she presented a huge surgical risk, but was determined to have the opera-

tion. This courageous and compassionate elderly woman, taught him some profound lessons: that we need to remove our

clinical defenses and share our humanity with our patients, to simply be a caring human being. Jessie clarified the

importance of caring being a two-way process: that when both health professional and patient care for each other, issues of

‘non-compliance’ or ‘difficult’ patients cease to exist. Another key lesson learnt: that ‘no matter how dire the circumstanc-

es, there is a place for sharing gentle humor, mischief, fun and a good belly laugh’, and that we can all choose our attitude:

‘If Jessie could choose humor, laughter and compassion in her awful circumstances, then what excuse do we have to be

grumpy or feel sorry for ourselves?’

Attitude is highly contagious, felt the moment you walk into a hospital, a ward, or a room. Our attitude to our workplace,

our colleagues, and our patients, can be resentful and intolerant, or we can choose to dispel negative thoughts and instead

greet, acknowledge and be caring of those we work with. By changing our own attitude, we can change, and very much

improve, our interactions with others.

There is much to learn within this book, with many practical strategies. For example, to notice the negative things we tell

ourselves, and to check the validity of our thoughts, to quieten the negative voice, and develop a more optimistic self

explanatory style. The ability to notice and regulate our thoughts will help manage our minds, and our subsequent

emotions and behaviours. We can become stuck in the emotions of the past, or worry about the future, or choose to be

fully present – healthcare offers deep opportunities to be present in our work, to be fully absorbed in our caring.

As a Nurse Educator, I’ve been trying to improve both myself, and my effectiveness, learning more about positive

psychology and mindfulness, and supporting initiatives such as TCAB (transforming care at the bedside), but I’ve felt worn

out, unable to be really effective in changing our workplace culture for the better, and seriously considering leaving the

profession. Dr. Youngson’s book has finally galvanized my thoughts and my attitude. I now feel a sense of peace, that by

focusing on my own interactions with others, I can and will make a positive difference, and that this difference may be

contagious toward building a happy and fulfilling workplace, enhancing wellbeing and resilience of our staff, our patients

and their families.

If you want to rediscover the reason why you became a health professional in the first place, read this book .

To purchase your copy of ‘TIME to CARE’ by Dr. Robin Youngson (MA MB ChB FANZCA), Purchase is available from:

www.time-to-care.com and on www.Amazon.com

http://www.time-to-care.com

http://www.amazon.com/

14

P int of View

Experiences of a Facilitator by Dawn Skidmore

Many people might agree that some of the most significant development opportunities in the careers

of successful leaders have been critical incidents or role changes that have “stretched” them intellec-

tually and emotionally. These are the situations that take us out of our comfort zone. This presents

challenges for facilitators since not all of these opportunities and incidents can be planned for – many

are unpredictable.

During my career to date I have facilitated many initiatives, projects and programs, involving individu-

als, groups and organisations and learned a few tips that others might find of interest. I should start

with what I mean by a “facilitator”. There are a variety of definitions including:

"An individual who enables groups and organizations to work more effectively; to collaborate and

achieve synergy. He or she is a 'content neutral' party who by not taking sides or expressing or advo-

cating a point of view during the meeting, can advocate for fair, open, and inclusive procedures to

accomplish the group's work"

"One who contributes structure and process to interactions so groups are able to function effectively

and make high-quality decisions. A helper and enabler whose goal is to support others as they

achieve exceptional performance

"The facilitator's job is to support everyone to do their best thinking and practice. To do this, the facili-

tator encourages full participation, promotes mutual understanding and cultivates shared responsibil-

ity. By supporting everyone to do their best thinking, a facilitator enables group members to search

for inclusive solutions and build sustainable agreements"

For me each of these definitions has something to offer. As a facilitator I have aimed to facilitate par-

ticipants in learning situations that are both planned and unplanned and have developed some

'golden rules”:

1 Ensure a thorough understanding of the requirements, outcomes and the brief itself for all involved.

This includes how the work is to be integrated into existing portfolios or development programs for

the participants. How essential is it that the skills, knowledge and capabilities gained are harnessed

and applied, and how quickly?

2 Developing effective four way relationships with the sponsor and his / her organisation as well as

participants is crucial. Facilitators need to be able to be credible with all and contract accordingly.

3 Developing an appropriate level of involvement in the project or work, that is the right balance of

hands – on / hands – off approaches.

15

Submit your Tricks of the Trade

It is often the surprising discoveries and personal experiences that make all the difference in change management, reform, redesign programs, etc. We invite you to submit a short article for our newsletter, sharing the personal experiences and unpredicted lessons that could never be found in a book.

All submissions should be emailed to [email protected]

Ensuring participants understand about the rationale, role, relevance and integration of the facilitated experience is

fundamental. When involved in complex and challenging work, participants may naturally get frustrated, nervous or

dissatisfied. I have found that some work challenges and development programs can elicit emotional responses –

especially if participants are stretched intellectually and emotionally. So it is essential that they understand why a

particular process is being adopted. And managing expectations of the sponsor and his / her organisation throughout the

process has also been key.

The level of involvement a facilitator needs to take can of course vary between different contracts and within a single

contract ,at different phases of the work. At times I have needed to get more involved to ensure participants do not miss

key opportunities and critical reflection. They might not see the relevance of an incident or occurrence because they are

focused on a task or their own role or because their learning to date has not enabled them to. The capacity for self

reflection is a core skill of leaders and senior managers and as a facilitator, ensuring this alongside delivery of the work

itself, is important.

In some assignments the pressure from participants to “help” or “rescue” them has been great. It can be tempting as a

facilitator to provide clues and prompts or to use one's own knowledge and wisdom. Being aware of this has been im-

portant in safeguarding against such collusion, which would potentially influence the outcomes and skills gained.

Facilitating others is both challenging and rewarding!

Dawn Skidmore

Principal Consultant

[email protected]

1. Facilitator's Toolkit NITSA Tools for Continuous Improvement 2. Michael Doyle, quoted in Kaner, S. with Lind, L., Toldi, C., Fisk, S. and Berger, D. Facilitator's Guide to Participatory

Decision-Making, (2007) Jossey-Bass p. xiii. 3. Bens I, 2000, Facilitating With Ease!: A Step-by-Step Guidebook with Customizable Worksheets on CD-ROM, (2000)

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NHS

The Accountable Lead Provider: Developing a powerful disruptive innovator to create integrated and accountable programmes of care

Paul Corrigan and Dr. Steve Laitner

There is broad agreement about the need to commission integrated care or as patients and their carers

would be more likely to call it “joined up care”. In this Casebook, Paul Corrigan and Dr Steve Laitner ex-

plore and develop the idea that commissioners could commission an Integrated and Accountable Pro-

gramme of Carefor a population of patients with particular needs. Such populations could be “the Frail

Elderly” or “Children with Complex Disabilities” or “People with (and at risk of) Respiratory Disease”.

http://www.rightcare.nhs.uk/downloads/Rightcare_Casebook_accountable_lead_provider_Aug2012.pdf

NHS How-to guides

How to: use shift systems and workforce planning to effectively reduce costs

This guide is part of a series of how to guides produced by NHS Employers to help promote good practice

and offer guidance on a range of workforce practices aimed at achieving workforce productivity efficien-

cies. Aimed at assisting organisations in reducing their expenditure on agency and locum staff, this guid-

ance provides advice to trusts on a range of effective ways to reduce costs through the use of workforce

planning, shift systems and maintenance of appropriate staffing levels.

http://www.nhsemployers.org/PlanningYourWorkforce/Flexible-workforce/AgencyWorkers/

ReducingAgencySpend/HowToGuides/Pages/Howtouseshiftsystems.aspx

Institute of Medicine of the National Academies

Informatics Needs and Challenges in Cancer Research - Workshop Summary

There is a particular need to integrate research and clinical data to facilitate personalized medicine ap-

proaches to cancer prevention and treatment – for example, tailoring treatment based on an individual

patient’s genetic makeup as well as that of the tumor – and to allow for more rapid learning from patient

experiences.

To further examine informatics needs and challenges for 21st century biomedical research, the IOM’s

National Cancer Policy Forum held a workshop February 27-28, 2012. The workshop was designed to raise

awareness of the critical and urgent importance of the challenges, gaps and opportunities in informatics;

to frame the issues surrounding the development of an integrated system of cancer informatics for accel-

eration of research; and to discuss solutions for transformation of the cancer informatics enterprise. This

document summarizes the workshop.

http://iom.edu/Reports/2012/Informatics-Needs-and-Challenges-in-Cancer-Resea rch.aspx?utm_medium=etmail&utm_source=Institute%20of%20Medicine&utm_campaign =07.16.12+Report+-+Cancer+Informatics&utm_content=New%20Reports&utm_term=Aca demic

http://www.rightcare.nhs.uk/downloads/Rightcare_Casebook_accountable_lead_provider_Aug2012.pdf

http://www.nhsemployers.org/PlanningYourWorkforce/Flexible-workforce/AgencyWorkers/ReducingAgencySpend/HowToGuides/Pages/Howtouseshiftsystems.aspx

http://www.nhsemployers.org/PlanningYourWorkforce/Flexible-workforce/AgencyWorkers/ReducingAgencySpend/HowToGuides/Pages/Howtouseshiftsystems.aspx

http://iom.edu/Reports/2012/Informatics-Needs-and-Challenges-in-Cancer-Resea




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SafeMedicationUse.ca

Take Steps to Prevent Mix-ups with Pets’ Medicines

Many consumers consider their pets to be part of the family. What they may not realize is that a mix-up

with a pet's medicine could harm a human family member! Recently, a consumer reported that an el-

derly relative had accidently taken the family dog's deworming pills, instead of a regularly prescribed

medicine, for several days.

http://www.safemedicationuse.ca/newsletter/newsletter_pet_medicine_mixup.html

Strategic Society UK

Who Uses Telecare? Andy Ross, James Lloyd

There has been growing interest in telecare during the last decade, as a way of enabling individuals

with care and support needs to remain independent for longer, and reduce the costs of their personal

care. However, policymakers have lacked quantitative social science evidence on who telecare users

are.

This research report analyses data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) for 2008 to

explore the characteristics of personal alarm and alerting device users in the older population. The

research explores dozens of factors including gender, age, income, receipt of formal and informal care,

health and disability, and housing.

Building on this descriptive analysis, the research also includes estimates of potential telecare users in

the older population, concluding that as many four million people could be potential users of telecare.

http://www.strategicsociety.org.uk/book/who-uses-telecare.html

NHS

The NHS Change Model

The model has been created to support the NHS to adopt a shared approach to leading change and

transformation. We hope to build this website further and add practical information, tools and support

over the coming months. Please tell us what you think to help us shape this model and the ongoing

future work using the knowledge share facility.

http://www.changemodel.nhs.uk/pg/cv_blog/0/network?cview=33331

http://www.safemedicationuse.ca/newsletter/newsletter_pet_medicine_mixup.html

http://www.strategicsociety.org.uk/book/who-uses-telecare.html

http://www.changemodel.nhs.uk/pg/cv_blog/0/network?cview=33331

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RESOURCES From Australia

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has finalised resources to assist health service

organisations to implement the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards, and also established

an Advice Centre to assist with queries about the Standards and the accreditation process. These initiatives are

described below.

1. SAFETY AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT GUIDES The Commission has developed Safety and Quality Improvement Guides (the Guides) for each of the 10 NSQHS Standards. These Guides are designed to assist health service organisations to align their quality improvement programs using the framework of the NSQHS Standards. The Guides are primarily intended for use by people who are responsible for a part or whole of a health service organisation.

2. ACCREDITATION WORKBOOKS Two Accreditation Workbooks, one each for hospitals and day procedure services, that focus on the processes of accreditation and:

outline the key steps in an accreditation process

provide examples of evidence that could be used to demonstrate the NSQHS Standards have been met.

The Workbooks are designed for use by individuals in health service organisations who are responsible for coordinating accreditation processes. These resources are available to download from the Commission’s website at http://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/accreditation/nsqhss/safety-and-quality-improvement-guides-and-accreditation-workbooks/

SQUARE

Square – Suicide, Questions, Answers and Resources – is an educational

resource for primary health care and community specialists and any

individuals working with people who are at risk of suicide.

http://square.org.au/

http://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/accreditation/nsqhss/safety-and-quality-improvement-guides-and-accreditation-workbooks/

http://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/accreditation/nsqhss/safety-and-quality-improvement-guides-and-accreditation-workbooks/

http://square.org.au/

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Hourly Rates

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working in isolated regions or just working in isolation those with little previous experience sufferers of imposter syndrome (i.e. feeling way out of your

depth or certain that you lack of skills will shortly be discovered) Telephone coaching service available in or out of hours. Face to face coaching also available by appointment. Ph: 02-9692 0533 or email [email protected] for more info.

Confidential Coaching Service for Emerging Managers With Experienced Certified Executive Coach

P: (02) 9692 0533

E: [email protected]

W: www.changechampions.com.au


Documents

Change Champions & Associates Newsletter NOVEMBER 2012