Message from the CEO – 2 June 2020

With all the change that has occurred, there is a slow emergence of ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ occurring particularly as isolation rules relax, and the impact of COVID is reduced.

The questions now emerging are… will we ever go back to ‘normal’ and what will ‘normal’ look like… As the economic recovery process starts to take shape, we can begin to look at what are some of the lessons learnt.

In the areas of community care there are several innovations that has the potential to become and remain mainstream service delivery. Most notably Is the effective and efficient use of technology. We have witnessed the ability for clients and service providers to develop and maintain continuity of care via online and telephone mediums. This has been especially effective when referrals from Hospital based settings to community care required prompt and personalised care.

We have noticed services to be more responsive as online interaction is accepted in the initial stages of service delivery. Additionally, we are seeing client of across all ages to be more familiar and accepting of these interactions via the online platforms.

We have also witnessed the emergence (and significant uptake) of video call meetings and webinars as a way of directly engaging with our staff, teams and collaborate across services, in ways that allowed greater participation and flexibility.

I am hoping that we may never go back to “normal”, because if we do, we have missed an opportunity to really enhance community care coordination. As to what may be the new normal? I would like to think that the normalisation of technology will enhance the ability to provide personalised care.

As we became more attuned to clients’ needs, language and cultural background and geographical location, we can better match services, allowing access to specialised staff engaging with clients anywhere in the country. All this, in an interactive and affordable manner…. Imagine that?