ACT Teaching Nursing Home Bid/Open forum - 22 September 2011

Attendance

Laurie Grealish (Chair) - University of Canberra
Jenny Symons - Banksia Village
Nikki VanDieman - Morshead Home
Deborah Booth - Calvary Retirement Community Canberra
Rachel Bacon - University of Canberra
Nikki Lucas - University of Canberra
Rachel Davey - University of Canberra
Karen Griel - Alzheimers Australia
Petrea Messent - Alzheimers Australia
Marg Thornton - Illawarra Retirement Trust
Heather Austin - ACT Health
Rhonda Maher - ACT Health
Russell McGowan - Health Care Consumers ACT
Kay Martens - Goodwin Aged Care
Jude Fishlock - Goodwin Aged Care
Kathy O’Dea - Salvation Army Aged Care Services
David Shiell - Calvary Retirement

Apologies

Diane Gibson - University of Canberra
David Jeffery - Anglicare
Keith Lyons - National Institute of Sports Studies
Darlene Cox - Health Care Consumers Association ACT
Jo Gibson - University of Canberra
Jane Allen - Alzheimers Australia
Kasia Bail - University of Canberra
Gabrielle Cooper - University of Canberra
Greg Kyle - University of Canberra
Mark Naunton - University of Canberra
Gylo Hercelinskyj - University of Canberra
Kate Maher - Calvary Health Care ACT
Luke Oborn - Illawarra Retirement Trust
Mary Cruickshank - University of Canberra
Carmel McQuellin - University of Canberra
Rosemary Oates - Anglicare NSW
John Howard - University of Canberra
Karen Swinbourne - Villaggio Sant’Antonio
Wendy Marshall - Baptist Community Services
Maggie Jamieson - Lifeline Australia

Opening

The meeting opened at 1.30pm, with a welcome from Laurie Grealish. Laurie outlined the Forum’s aims:

Develop a ‘fresh’ name for the Teaching Nursing Home Consortium model that we want to advance;
Finalise a draft terms of reference and governance model for the Teaching Nursing Home tender; and
Identify the processes required to support achievement of the vision and objectives of the Teaching Nursing Home.

Laurie provided a history of the project from November 2010, and acknowledged the work of the sub-committee of the March Forum, and the UC team, who helped to develop the papers for this meeting. The meeting has been set up into three parts to reflect the aims.

Title

Using the words from the productivity commission report, provided by Darlene Cox, small groups began to develop possible titles for the project. These are found in Table 1. In the last activity for the day, individuals voted on the titles and the ‘votes’ are in the column next to the name. Some groups developed a list of preferred words – these are in Table 2.

Table 1 Possible names

Innovative pathways to resident/person centred care - 7 votes
Innovative partnerships to older person centred care
Connected care
Health Professionals in Partnership (HPP)
Professionalising the workforce: Improving the care. An innovative approach to the care of support of older Australians
Enhanced skills for autonomous aged care support - 2 votes
Gateway to supported aged care education - 6 votes
Reform and co-contribution to student education
Increasing the capacity of the aged care workforce
Aged Communities Education Scheme (ACES) - 11 votes
Partnerships in aged care services, education and research 2012 and beyond
Aged care education pathways
Aged care education and research pathways
A new world of aged care services, education and research - 1 votes
New paradigms in aged care services, education and research partnerships - 2 votes

Table 2 Preferred Words

Quality, Choices, Health, Caring, Access, Respect, Autonomy, Capacity building, Supported, Workforce reform, Aged communities, Supported, Better, Person-centred care, Gateway, Positive, Living, Community, Individuality, Co-contribution, Opportunity

Governance

Laurie reviewed the vision and objectives developed by the sub-groups, the key elements of the operations, the principles and the structure.

Small group discussion was held around the following questions

Would your organisation support the vision/objectives? What would you change?
Are there other operations that a governing body might do?
Are there other governance principles you would include?
Are the four advisory groups suitable? Others?
Is the type of board membership suitable for proposed vision/objectives? Suggestions?
Other suggestions/ideas?

The groups reported back the following

Consumers represented in the vision and objectives. Use research and innovation to assist consumers and providers of aged care services to read their optimal capacity
The ability to represent back to AHPRA that aged care is moving OK, also the chief nurses
Consortium board overlaps with the four groups; service innovation should student representative and RN/EN doing the service.
Innovation service delivery – include or reference to partnership development as well as the work relationship. That partnership should include development into organizations across sectors – acute and non-acute
Definition of professionalizing – to support the development and consolidation of multidisciplinary/clinical skills, to support the development of education to professional classification…
ACT capital region & surrounds – be inclusive
Concern in a lot of these – where we felt education should be first
Partnerships include under the governance principles – opportunity to establish strong partnerships between sectors and facilities.
Recognize how progressing with the productivity commission – community will become more
Fluidity and transfer of knowledge and people
Education is invisible at the moment
Quality needs to be in the audit/risk group
The governance framework – list of principles could include a word other than leadership such as champion…
Collaboration and engagement in the list of principles
Board membership could provide an opportunity to use a health economist/ financial member – as a consultant; use consumer – is it the aged person/ care or both. Have the perspectives on the board but not necessarily that many members. Board members may have multiple perspectives – nine maximum.
Board structure the skills set is critical – 11 may be too big. Only three representatives out of 11. May not want to merge some skills together.
There needs to be some KPIs with an evaluation phase as part of the governance – how to determine its successful. The idea of action research as an emphasis rather than pure research.
Flexibility and transfer – articulation emphasized in the professionalizing/education group
Efficiency/ effectiveness is absence – productive is perhaps a better term.
Translation into policy; policy engagement
Strategic focus of the board
Communication and marketing coming off the consortium board

Communicating to do our work

Laurie presented on the principles identified to support a culture of collaboration, and provided some examples of communication for the consortium and the project teams.

The group then discussed the following questions

How would you/your organisation prefer to engage with the Teaching Nursing Home?
What other types of information would be helpful to your teams?
How would you prefer to be engaged regarding project development?
What other suggestions do you have for communicating to achieve objectives?

Responses from group discussions included

like the current engagement through the meetings – regular quarterly meetings like this, email communication
Wiki - need an email tutorial – using it in limited way
Tweeting the wiki site to others
Continue long term advisory group facilitate research projects, placements, participate in projects
Communicate through own websites – links
Early in the phases provide information to get the participating groups knowing
Like email communication – frequent one page updates preferred to newsletter
Like annual conference face to face use teleconferencing rather than face to face for distance
Professionalising work for Alzheimers Australia, supervision and placement with students, direct education into the community
Promoting information through other publications such as community expos, connecting broader community through events
Stall at Floriade
Academic ear so continuous rather than intermittent student placements – learning coexists with placement.
Make use of industry expertise
Leadership course currently running for students to attend and other local programs used by students
Expectations of learning outcomes of students – educators meeting is useful for managers, information from other allied health groups
Prefer active participation
Clear understanding of expectations and looking to engender partner agreements through MOUS and the like – knowing what is expected by uni, students
Clear rights and responsibilities statement
To know the go to person if something goes wrong.
Web portal where we could communicate – from members discussion board
What do we want to be communicated –
Portal idea – blog, facebook, twitter – share ideas
Group email address provided to everyone
Facility

Pragmatic and practical, expanding workforce number and skill
Opportunity through students to gain experience in various settings to smooth the interface between sectors
Most providers are members of peak bodies eg not for profit and for profit – good way to distribute information
Talk to each other informally, bring regional contacts in the sector
Ground in the day-to-day reality

Aged care service in directorate

Research partnership – build on good collaborative relationships
Interface issues could help out –policy procedure, follow through with the resident journey to see what happens and where the gaps are
Advanced care planning – focus on that in residential aged care
Provide a service on advice on clinical issues – active staff development units.
Practical education
Models of care and evaluation – lend small amount of aged care nurse practitioner
Help out with governance advice

Closing

Laurie made some closing remarks and it was agreed that:

Laurie will contact the group as soon as the tender bid is known; By March 2012, the group will be invited to work with UC on a conference to be held later in 2012; Heather suggested that the group may be able to meet as part of the Directorate’s conference during Floriade 2012 – Laurie to flag with Deb Davies.

The meeting closed at 4.15pm