At ECH, we appreciate what you have to say and enjoy listening to you, whether we meet with you in person, read your comments online, or collect your thoughts via one of our research surveys. We also listen through several dedicated platforms, including the Consumer Advisory Body, Quality Improvement Committee, and Resident Advisory Group. Through these forums, consumers representing our community share their ideas and feedback. All of this helps us shape the quality of the accommodation and services we provide.
The Consumer Advisory Body (CAB) comprises up to 20 members representing clients, carers, and their families. The body meets six times a year to discuss ideas for continuous improvement based on their lived experience. This year, they provided feedback on several projects, including a new communication and phone system and scheduling improvements. Their input helped drive a recent decrease in call wait times, a positive change acknowledged by ECH. One member, Sue Wainwright, also participates in ECH’s Diversity Reference Group.
Chair of the CAB, Helen Walker, former Director of General Nursing at Cabrini Health and Deputy Presiding Officer of South Australia’s Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board, emphasises, “Any forum that enables the consumer voice is a very good one and a very important one.”
Darryl Cotter, ECH’s Head of Home and Community Services and Chair of the Quality Improvement Committee, shares this perspective. He says, “It’s extremely worthwhile having people who receive our services participate in discussions because they offer valuable ideas based on their own experiences.”
The Quality Improvement Committee includes two consumer representatives and several ECH clinicians. It meets to discuss matters focused on excellence in clinical practices, risk assessment, and incident evaluation to inform continual improvements in our services.
The Resident Advisory Group usually includes 21 residents as well as ECH team members. It meets to represent the voices of people living in our retirement communities. Deanne Bock, an ECH resident and group member, shares, “I wanted to understand how things operate and to provide input on how changes impact residents.”
Fellow resident and group member, Carmel Fuller, adds, “My role allows me to provide feedback from other residents in my village, and I’m proud that our collective input has made the ECH app more user-friendly for everyone.”
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to speak with us this year. Your ideas and shared experiences have been invaluable.
