For Queenslanders living in rural and remote communities, access to primary and preventative healthcare services are all too often out of reach. With the support of approximately 150 contracted health providers, CheckUP is committed to improving health outcomes for people living in rural and remote locations, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, bringing healthcare closer to home.

Our latest video encapsulates the impact Outreach Health Services have on the people and communities that need them most. Our dedicated Outreach providers not only provide communities with ongoing, consistent face-to-face health services, but build relationships and ties with the people and communities they serve.

Hear from local community members, Outreach providers and local health facility staff as we collaborate to bring Healthcare closer to home.

We would like to thank the teams from CWAATSICH, Wakai Waian Healing, Institute for Urban Indigenous Health, Clements Medical and Women’s Health Circle for being part of our video.

The Outreach health services program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care as the jurisdictional fundholder in Queensland.

CheckUP awarded grant to support small businesses and sole traders in disability services sector

CheckUP is pleased to share that on Wednesday, 26 June, the Queensland Government announced we have been awarded grant funding to support small businesses and sole traders working in the disability services sector, particularly in thin markets and regional and remote areas.

This funding will enable CheckUP to build the capacity of the sector to support the delivery of high-quality services to Queenslanders with disability. CheckUP has an established presence in over 170 communities across Queensland including regional, rural, remote locations, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. At our core we are dedicated to supporting communities and reducing inequities by strategically collaborating at a regional and local level to lead improvements through a range of initiatives in capability building, workforce planning, health services and school-based programs.

Commenting on the new funding, CheckUP CEO Ann Maree Liddy said:

“We are grateful for this significant investment to support small disability providers in Queensland.

“We would like to acknowledge the important work that peak disability organisations have done and continue to do for the sector. We look forward to collaborating with these organisations to build a stronger, more resilient disability services sector together.

“Our widespread programs have supported the Queensland health and social assistance sectors to plan for, build and develop a capable and sustainable local workforce and we look forward to extending further support to the Queensland disability sector.

“We have an established footprint in many regional and remote Queensland communities through our current programs. This new project will have a particular focus on supporting disability sole traders and small businesses in regional and remote locations, and we will be building on our existing networks within these communities to support this work.”

The Queensland Government released the following through a media statement yesterday.

The Disability Peak and Representative Bodies–Sector Capacity and Capability grant will provide funding of $100,000 in 2023–24, and $400,000 in ongoing annual funding in 2024–28.

The investment supports the Queensland Government’s priorities under Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031, aiming to improve the lives of Australians with disability.

It will also assist in making Queensland’s over $2 billion annual investment in the National Disability Insurance Scheme more cost-effective by strengthening and improving the capacity and capability of the disability sector.

The announcement comes in the lead up to this week’s Disability Reform Ministerial Council meeting, which is the regular meeting of Commonwealth, state and territory disability ministers.

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Disability Services Charis Mullen:

“Every Queenslander deserves the same opportunities and access to the care they need, and that’s why this funding is so important.

“We know there are gaps in services, particularly in rural and remote areas, and this needs to be fixed.

“CheckUP already has strong existing networks across the state in the health area, including in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

“It means they are well positioned to help address issues in a range of locations.

“I look forward to seeing them advocate for and work with small businesses in the disability services sector so they can deliver the best possible services.”

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Employment and Small Business Lance McCallum:

“This is about doing what matters for Queensland – creating good jobs and employing the best people to deliver the best services for Queenslanders with a disability – no matter where they live in our great State.

“The Miles Labor Government is proud to back CheckUP who have a strong history of supporting the workforce in our health and disability sectors.

“As an Industry Workforce Advisor and an Industry Skills Advisor, CheckUP is actively helping businesses to find solutions to the employment challenges they face, and informing training priorities, to best meet sector needs.

“And through our successful Gateway to Industry Schools program, the not-for-profit is encouraging young Queenslanders to pursue inspiring careers in health – with 85 Health Gateway schools across Queensland this year.”

 ENDS

CheckUP hosted the inaugural #GoHealth Careers Expo at the Brisbane Royal International Convention Centre, with over 50 exhibitors and over 90 schools, the expo was a hive of activity with live demonstrations, mock health facilities, and information booths offering insights into school based traineeships and work experience opportunities.

Over 2000 students interested in a career in health made their way through the Exhibition, making industry connections and gaining insight into the health career pathways available to them. From registered training organisations to private hospitals, exhibitors covered the diverse career opportunities within the health sector. Some of the exhibitors included Heart of Australia with their Heart Truck, Queensland Ambulance Service, The Royal Flying Doctors Service and local universities from Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast.

As well as the exhibitor stalls there were also insightful presentations held throughout the day on the main stage. Nunukul Yuggera Aboriginal Dance Company opened the event with a special Welcome to Country, students also heard from doctor, lawyer and disability advocate Dinesh Palipana OAM, Shaz Gerchow from Jobs Queensland, Mater education and Deaf Connect who facilitated interactive Auslan activities throughout the day.

This event was a unique collaboration between Queensland Health, Health Gateway to Industry Schools Program and health organisations across Queensland, designed to connect students with industry leaders and open doors to exciting healthcare prospects.

This event would not have been possible without our event sponsors the Queensland Government, Connect ‘n’ Grow,  Seed Foundation Australia, AADA College, TAFE Queensland and ACRRM.

As a part of CheckUP’s Youth Industry Partnerships for Education and Employment (YIPEE) program, seven students from Heatley Collage completed work experience at St. Vincent’s Aged Care in Douglas, Townsville.

After completing their work experience, the students were extended offers of employment at the facility.

St. Vincent’s Aged Care arranged a celebratory event to introduce the students to their forthcoming roles and the residents they will be assisting. The students engaged with the residents, fostering a sense of community and inclusion, for both the students in their upcoming roles and the residents they will be assisting.

It is great to be able to collaborate with organisations like St. Vincent’s Aged Care Douglas, who are committed to providing a culturally safe and supportive environment for students.

Meet our team: Philippa Hawke

CheckUp’s Evaluation lead Philippa Hawke joined the team over 2 years ago. Dedicated to enhancing patient-centred care, Philippa develops tools and strategies for collecting robust patient feedback, like the recently developed cultural safety tool. Documenting the level of cultural safety experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, the tool encourages the creation of culturally appropriate delivery models.

Below Philippa shares more about herself and the vital role she plays in the CheckUP team.

Tell us a bit about what exciting projects you are currently working on?

Developing new tools and strategies to collect more patient feedback which increases the health system’s capacity to deliver patient-centred health care. We recently developed a tool to measure the cultural safety experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients receiving eye and ear surgery in remote locations. We were able to give this feedback directly to their service providers and support them to make service improvements.

How long have you worked in the health sector?

I’ve spent pretty much my whole career working in health, starting as a social worker in government community mental health, moving into health and community service management roles and ending up in counselling and child and family program evaluation.

My job prior to coming to CheckUP two and a half years ago was as Senior Researcher with a national not for profit organisation developing innovative ways to measure program effectiveness.

What does a typical day look like for you?

No two days are the same – one day I could be working on developing a new survey tool, the next flying to a remote QLD location to meet and yarn with patients receiving health services funded by CheckUP’s Outreach programs.

And then the day after that I could be presenting at a national health service conference, spreading the word about the value in asking patients for feedback and acting on their recommendations for service quality improvements.

What aspect of your role do you enjoy the most?

Every part of it! I love having the opportunity to visit some of the most beautiful and diverse landscapes we have here in Queensland. And I get to meet not only the patients who generously give their time to service improvement activities, but also the service providers who are so open to hearing patient feedback and do everything they can to implement the recommendations.

What is one of your favourite aspects about working at CheckUP?

Working in non-urban and outreach health service delivery regions has really opened my eyes to the incredible emotional intelligence, commitment and outside-the-box thinking required of anyone trying to improve rural and remote populations’ equitable access to health services.

What are you currently listening to at the moment?

Audiobooks and lots of them! They’ve replaced music in my car for the past year, and that says a lot!

In Cairns, a successful initiative has been changing the landscape of paediatric ear surgery since 2018. CheckUP’s Eye and Ear Surgical Support (EESS) program, in partnership with the Coral Sea Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) team, has introduced a privately funded ear surgery pathway for eligible children in the region, ensuring timely and comprehensive care for those in need.

Through the EESS program, eligible children aged 0-6 years who have attended the Aboriginal Corporation Primary Health Care Service in Mulungu or Hearing Australia’s Hearing Assessment Program – Early Ears (HAPEE) program, receive direct referrals to Dr. Suki Ahluwalia at Coral Sea ENT plus continued support throughout their surgical journeys.

The collaborative effort between the original referring Aboriginal Medical Service, Coral Sea ENT and Ramsay Surgical Centre has been instrumental in bridging gaps, providing culturally responsive support and enhancing patient outcomes.

Julie Bogner, a Clinical Nurse at Mulungu, reflects on the positive impact of this program, noting how families have benefited from timely and supported care, dispelling old misconceptions about ear health:

A successful outcome for a young patient

A recent success for the team was being able to assist a young patient with a history of reoccurring Otitis Media. Both the Ramsay Hospital and the Coral Sea ENT team advised CheckUP that a 9-month old patient had missed two scheduled surgery dates, and they had been unable to contact the patient’s carer due to an unrecorded house move. Thanks to the swift action and coordination between CheckUP’s EESS manager, Mulungu Aboriginal Corporation Primary Health Care Service and Mamu Health Service, they were able to make contact with the patient’s mother and provide further patient support for their next appointment. The patient expressed difficulty with arranging transport to their appointment but together Mamu and Coral Sea ENT were able to offer travel support for the patient. As a result, the child was able to attend the rescheduled appointment and received successful bilateral grommet surgery at the Ramsay Surgical Centre in Cairns.

This story highlights the importance of effective communication between teams and support structures in patient care. As we look towards the future, the commitment to provide collaborative support in Cairns continues to pave the way for improved healthcare outcomes, ensuring that every eligible child receives the care they deserve.

As part of CheckUP’s commitment to ensuring services meet patient needs in appropriate ways, a new patient feedback survey has been developed in collaboration with the project’s Steering Committee and Advisory Committee. Survey questions are tailored to measure the achievement of project objectives to prevent, early detect and treat skin cancers and to facilitate linkages and referral pathways for those patients found to have skin cancers.

In addition to measuring satisfaction with their treatment processes and their experience overall, the post-appointment survey also measures patients’ short-term outcomes including:

In addition, the survey gathers information from patients about existing barriers and alternative access options if SCED was not available to them.

Results from completed surveys will be analysed by CheckUP evaluators and non-identifying reports with accompanying recommendations returned to relevant service providers to support their quality improvement efforts.

Stay tuned to hear what patients have to say about this important and life-saving program over the next few years!

Jacqui Hawgood CheckUP’s, Surgical Support Manager for the Eye and Ear Surgical Support (EESS) program, discusses how program evaluation has not only shaped the coordination process of the program but has also benefitted the specialists, hospitals and Aboriginal health services involved in delivering care.

From a program implementation perspective, the use of Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) has emphasised the key elements that truly promote a culturally safe experience, resulting in:

The below key learnings acknowledged across the evaluated surgical pathways, have informed the delivery of surgery and have been built into the coordination process:

CheckUP are keen to work with all outreach providers interested in incorporating patient feedback into their practices’ quality improvement processes. CheckUP are currently collaborating with several providers and program fund holders keen to develop patient reported measures relevant to their specific environments and health service pathways.