Listening to our community

Q. You joined the Royal Flying Doctor Service as a Consumer Representative in July 2020 – how did you get involved? 

A. I actually applied for the role – it was advertised in a forum that I monitor. I was interviewed a couple of times and then appointed. I have never had the privilege of receiving a Flying Doctor service and I live in metropolitan Melbourne, however through my numerous other consumer roles, plus my general lived experience over the decades, I believe I can bring some useful and hopefully worthwhile skills and traits to the role.   

Q. Why did you decide to get involved in this type of work?  

A. The first time I was invited to join a committee as a consumer I thought it sounded like an interesting and possibly quite fun thing to do: discussing interesting topics, meeting intelligent people, having the chance to express my thoughts and opinion, all positives for me. I am involved in a number of other community activities which I also enjoy, and since I ceased working in 2014, I have found I really enjoy new experiences and interacting with different kinds of people. As a consumer, I am learning about a wide range of organisations and issues relating to a wide range of topics, while meeting people and making new friendships. Keeping the ageing brain active, in an enjoyable and worthwhile manner as a Consumer Representative, is great.        

Q. What does this work typically involve? 

A. We have a virtual meeting every two months and I sometimes attend a Clinical Governance Committee meeting, which is a sub-Committee of the Flying Doctor Victoria’s Board. Quite often we are asked to look at a flyer, brochure or some other kind of document, even a planned text message, to express our views and make changes we consider appropriate. I enjoy this editing part of the role also, as I have worked with the written word for much of my working life. 

Q. Can you give some examples of your input on a Flying Doctor resource and the important change(s) that was made to how the information was presented as a result? 

A. All the documents that I have been asked to look at I have made some suggested changes to, to a varying degree in each case. Not am I simply looking for possible grammatical errors, but it’s more about making all your written – and in the case of telephone recordings, spoken – material readily comprehensible to the wider community, in fact all prospective users of Flying Doctor services. Plain English and avoiding unnecessary duplication are two key considerations. Also, the actual layout of public-facing documents is important. They need to be visually appealing, recognisable as a Flying Doctor document, and easily read. One slightly unusual task we were asked to contribute to was a text message sent out to recent clients seeking their feedback. We considered both the actual wording of the message plus the day and time of day it would be sent out. This was part of the ongoing challenge to increase consumer feedback.      

Q. Why do you think this kind of role and work is increasingly important in today’s world? 

A. There is a growing trend to acknowledge and draw upon the importance of the consumer viewpoint in policy development and decision-making, which I fully support and agree with, and I am very pleased I am able to be part of this trend. It seems only natural and sensible, that when action is taken for particular segments of society, or the community as a whole, the needs, views and ideas of affected people are taken into account. This is the important thing: to make sure those who will be impacted on by decisions can have a say in what those decisions will be. Whilst I very much enjoy the role of a consumer representative, I also consider it of great importance, and necessity, to help ensure the consumer’s voice is heard and taken account of in policy-making and development.    

Q. Why is this kind of work important for health care providers such as the Flying Doctor? 

A. The Royal Flying Doctor Service is providing an essential community service. Any member of the community who might possibly need or want to make use of a Flying Doctor service needs to be informed of its existence and the availability of its wide range of services. As an example, before I became associated with the Flying Doctor my only impression was of it transporting sick or injured people in outback Australia. I didn’t even know it operated in Victoria. There is a lot to tell about the Flying Doctor in Victoria, and a lot of people within the state who need to be made aware of what it does and where it goes. Information about an organisation like the Flying Doctor, anywhere in Australia, is a very important part of the whole story of health services in Australia. As a Consumer Representative with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Victoria, I am playing just a small role in this whole process of getting the message across.   

Q. With more and more digital-centric services, what must service providers do to ensure their services and information is still accessible to everyone? 

A. The Flying Doctor in Victoria is well aware of the need to keep up to date with meeting public expectations about how people like and expect to receive their communications. As an example, a QR Code has been introduced at strategic locations to help encourage people to communicate by this increasingly common means. However, while using all the latest technology, it doesn’t matter what means is used to convey information, the key point is that the words used are clear and readily comprehensible. 

Q. Would you recommend being a Consumer Representative with the Flying Doctor to others? Why? 

A. I would recommend the role of Consumer Representative to anyone strongly interested in contributing to an organisation in the way expected of a consumer. It should be kept in mind as a consumer we are not there just to tick a box as proof you have consumers involved, but to actually make a useful and worthwhile contribution and hopefully a positive difference. My view is that no matter who other members of any group I am part of as a consumer may be, I am an equal, with the right to be listened to, but also the responsibility of ensuring I express a view and that it is heard. The Flying Doctor is strongly supportive of its Consumer Engagement Committee and hence the role of consumers. It is incumbent on me, in carrying out my role, to add to the ongoing process of educating about the importance of taking account of the consumer voice.