Executive summary Shared attitudes and behaviours in health care: A core capabilities resource for disability health (the Resource) aims to support the best possible healthcare for individuals with disability by: articulating the expected attitudes and behaviours of the health care workforce building on the capacity of the current health care workforce improving continuity and collaboration across the range of health care settings increasing awareness of workforce requirements across the disability and health sectors supporting the development of new and functions providing defined attitudes and behaviours to inform the development of the future health care workforce. The Resource can be applied across the range of health care settings. This includes public, private and community managed/non-government services. Health care settings include tertiary, secondary and primary healthcare across Western Australia. The Resource was developed by the Disability Health Network’s Workforce Development Working Group in response to Recommendation 4 from the WA Health 3. It targets health care workers and disability support workers who work to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals with disability. The following guiding principles underpin the Resource and have been adopted from the WA Disability Health Framework: Improving the health care of people with disability 2015-25: person-centred responsive and flexible respect and dignity collaboration continuous improvement. The social model of disability was used as the foundation of the development of the Resource. This Resource has six sections which represent the overarching domains of activity common to the Western Australian health care workforce. It identifies areas of activity shared by the health care workforce in the delivery of treatment, care and support of individuals with disability. It
Skills and behaviours Ensure individuals with disability are included in decision making with support as appropriate. Encourage self-advocacy skills. Foster an environment of mutual respect and trust. Encourage and contribute to building a health system that values a whole of person approach to service planning and delivery. Respond to the range of personal, social, historic, economic, and environmental factors that influence health status. Utilise comprehensive assessment of the ongoing support needs of individuals with disability. Identify and facilitate access to services and resources that may benefit and support individuals with disability as appropriate. Resources 8 Domain 3 – Professional, ethical and legal approach Max, Operations Manager at Hospital B: “We use our Disability Access and Inclusion Plan committee to ensure that we can provide accessible services and information to the people who need to visit or be admitted to the hospital. It provides a good framework as well as having the backing of legislation. The Resource has been useful when we have planned workforce training” Angie, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon: “I make sure my reception staff book a longer appointment for May as I need extra time to ensure she and her father understand everything necessary to provide consent for her next surgery.” Lisa, Manager at Hospital A: “We reviewed our policies and identified areas where we could improve accessibility, for example we created a set of information sheets about our service using the “Easy English Writing Guide”, and where appropriate we included images and symbols.”
Other frameworks and policies that complement and support the Resource include: 4 5 15 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 )45 policies may exist within community and government organisations which also align with the Resource. Appendix 3 Web links Page Link information 1, 8 Health Workforce Australia’s National Common Health Capability Resource: shared activities and behaviours in the Australian health workforce 1, 9 National Mental Health Core Capabilities 4 Clinical Senate debate in June 2011 ‘Clinician – Do you see me?’ 7 2010 – 2020 National Disability Strategy 7 World Health Organisation Global Disability Action Plan 2014 – 2021 8 Disability Health Network Commitment to Inclusive Engagement 9, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 23, 26, 28, 35, 43, United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 10 National Standards for Disability Services 2013 14 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority (AHPRA) 16 What are Human Rights Fact Sheet