Enabling high quality, sustainable and accessible services: A framework for rural private therapists.Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Australian Government

Barton, Rebecca

Dew, Angela

Ragen, Jo

English

Sydney eScholarship

THE POTENTIAL: RURAL PRIVATE THERAPISTS                 In 2012, 63 private allied health professionals in Western New South Wales completed an online survey as part of the Wobbly Hub and Double Spokes (WH&DS) research program. Analysis of this survey highlighted the potential of the rural private therapy workforce to deliver services under DisabilityCare Australia.Private therapists are autonomous and flexible service providers, which supports the development of long term collaborative relationships with service users and their communities. The nature of this relationship has great potential in meeting the needs of people in rural areas in a changing disability sector.Funded by FaHCSIA, the aim of the Rural Private Therapy Project was to  develop a framework to assist rural private therapists to provide ongoing, high quality and accessible therapy to rural disability service users.Enabling high quality, sustainable and accessible services: A framework for rural private therapists  Wobbly Hub and Double Spokes  Dr Angela Dew, Rebecca Barton and Jo Ragen  THE WOBBLY HUB AND DOUBLE SPOKES PROJECT:DELIVERING PRIVATE THERAPY IN       RURAL AUSTRALIA FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCESProduced by the Faculty of Health Sciences, the University of Sydney, July 2013. The Faculty of Health Sciences reserves the right to make alterations to any information contained within this publication without notice. ABN  15 211 513 CRICOS 00026A 11/6282THE FRAMEWORK  FramingContextual features, such as a rural context and policy, frame and shape the therapy process. Rural context encompasses socio-cultural and socio-economic factors, with therapists, services users and community members needing an understanding of how this impacts their work and life.‘Rural proofing’ disability policy ensures rural communities are not disadvantaged because their circumstances are different from their metropolitan counterparts.EngagingService users, therapists, communities and the disability sector engage in a therapy pathway involving shared responsibility and collaborative approaches.  Preparedness of the therapist, service user and the community ensures high quality, sustainable and accessible services can be provided. The pathway, central to planning, prioritising and engaging in therapy activities through DisabilityCare Australia, facilitates enhanced capacity.EnablingThe capacity of service users, therapists and the community is enabled through the therapy pathway drawing on and building networks, resources and processes. These are influenced by four drivers: time, cost, opportunity and motivation and are integral to enabling capacity.RECOMMENDATIONS1: Network Solutions: Collaborative Digital HubDevelop a collaborative digital hub to provide a “one-stop-information-shop” for therapists, service users and their communities.  2: Resource Solutions: Collaborative CommunityConduct community resource audits to enhance therapist and service user knowledge about and use of local community resources. 3: Process Solutions: Streamlined SystemsDevelop streamlined systems including clear policies and procedures, ‘rural proofed’ policy and support for alternative service delivery models.FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCEST +61 2 9351 9050F +61 2 9351 9128E Angela.Dew@sydney.edu.auW sydney.edu.au/health-sciences/research/wobbly-hub“The framework recognises that the service provision to the individual and the service delivery model employed by therapist are interdependent, and the outcomes influenced by the factors identified [in the framework]. The individual is a part of the community and the benefits of developing the capacity of the community cannot be underestimated in meeting individual goals.”Online feedback participant

Delivering private therapy in rural Australia

https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/2123/9233/4/WOBBLY_HUB_DS_Private_Therapy_Rural_Australia_PB.pdf

Delivering private therapy in rural Australia

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