Scope has launched a new multi-million-dollar program to educate and train health professionals on how to effectively communicate with patients with communication disability during medical emergencies.
Known as Best Care for People with Communication Disability (Best Care), the initiative sees the release of a range of innovative communication tools, resources and training programs.
Collaborating with emergency healthcare partners
The launch marks the culmination of a five-year collaboration between Scope and its emergency healthcare partners: Ambulance Victoria, Latrobe Regional Health, St Vincent’s Health Melbourne, Two Way Street and South Australia Ambulance.
Ambulance Victoria sought Scope’s expertise after many paramedics expressed interest in learning new strategies when communicating with people with disability during emergencies.
The Best Care project directly addresses this, ensuring that healthcare professionals, from call-takers through to emergency room staff, have the tools they need to confidently and effectively communicate with patients with a communication disability.
Kate MacRae, CEO of Scope, said Best Care is an example of how creating more accessible environments can be achieved through meaningful collaboration.
“Collaborating with organisations in the healthcare sector is essential to creating a more accessible and inclusive environment,” Kate said.
“It can be a really frightening situation when a person with a disability is in a health emergency, and they are unable to communicate with the health team that are trying to help them. And we know it’s equally difficult for those health teams – who feel unable to provide the best level of care to their patients.
“Best Care is about creating a healthcare environment where people with communication disability can be heard, understood, and respected. These resources will not only help emergency workers communicate more effectively but will also provide patients with the confidence to express their needs clearly during what can be an overwhelming time.”
Danielle North, Ambulance Victoria Executive Director Regional Operations, said these resources will improve the quality of care provided for people with communication disability during medical emergencies.
“Ambulance Victoria has been a co-design partner with Scope for these new tools, so they’re made by paramedics, for paramedics,” Danielle said.
“It’s not uncommon for paramedics to attend a case involving someone with a communication disability or who has difficulty communicating effectively.
“These tools will eliminate the communication barriers with patients and empower our people to establish a preferred communication method, help them explain what happened, and communicate them through a typical paramedic assessment.”
What do the resources look like?
A suite of accessible education and training resources have been designed as part of the project to bridge communication gaps between people with communication disability and frontline emergency workers.
The resource pack includes:
The resources were co-designed with input from people with lived experience, ensuring their practicality and effectiveness in real-world healthcare settings.
In addition to building the capacity and confidence of healthcare professionals to deliver patient-centred care, Best Care also aims to empower patients with communication disability.
Celebrating the national launch of Best Care
Scope launched Best Care alongside its emergency healthcare partners at the Ambulance Victoria Capability Hub in Sunshine North last week.
With the project now launched, it is hoped that every emergency healthcare worker across Australia will undertake the training to ensure more accessible and inclusive care for people with disabilities.
The Best Care project has been made possible by a $1.9m National Disability Insurance Scheme’s Information, Linkages and Capacity Building Grant.
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