Expanding on her presentation at the Brisbane Learning Session, Amber Bates, Lead of the Collaborative’s Lived Experience Collective, offers additional insights for hospitals and health services in their approach with partnering with consumers, keeping them engaged and feeling valued.
“Working together with consumers is a powerful way we can improve maternity care and reduce preterm birth. True co-design means more than inviting someone to a meeting to share their story. It is about building a genuine partnership, based on trust, respect and shared goals.
So, who are the right people to partner with? You might find them among women who have been supported through pregnancy by your service, past patients, or consumers already involved in advisory groups. Not for profit organisations with community connections and people who have provided feedback through compliments or complaints can also bring valuable insight.
Start with a respectful onboarding process. Write a clear job description, share an expression of interest and hold interviews. Be specific about the time commitment, and meeting schedule, and include whether pre-reading will be required. Make sure you offer honorarium payment for their time including any preparation and collect all paperwork at the beginning.
Be thoughtful about support needs. Do they require an interpreter or flexible meeting times? Would online options work better? Can you offer childcare? If they are new to this work, offer training like the free WAHTN Introduction to Consumer Involvement course and consider completing similar training yourself.
Strong communication builds trust. Assign a key contact person and share their phone number and. Share details for meetings early including parking and the meeting point. Get to know them outside of formal roles. A chat over coffee can make a big difference.
Co-design is about sharing power and being open to new directions and the voices of women, diverse, courageous and informed, are at the heart of this transformation
It is okay to feel uncomfortable at first. What matters most is being willing to listen and to learn together. Your consumer is part of your team. That is where the real change begins.”
Amber Bates
Lead, Every Week Counts Lived Experience Collective; Co-Founder Tiny Sparks WA
