A new Consumer Council for Waikato District Health Board

Adapted in accordance with Section 69 of the Copyright Act 1994 by the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind, for the sole use of persons who have a print disability.

Produced 2017 by Accessible Format Production, Blind Foundation, Auckland, New Zealand.

This edition is a transcription of the following print edition:

A new Consumer Council for Waikato District Health Board

Transcriber's notes

If reading this volume on a portable braille device, note that this e-text is unproofed by touch.

Page 1

"Mehemea ka moemoeā ahau

Ko au anake

Mehemea ka moemoeā e tātou, Ka taea e tātou"

"If I am to dream

I dream alone

If we all dream together

Then we will achieve"

Te Puea Herangi

Waikato District Health Board (DHB) is looking for 14 people who are passionate about people having great health services to be part of our new Consumer Council.

This group will help the DHB make sure its services are as good as they can be and meet the needs of people in our communities. In other words, keep People at heart–Te iwi Ngakaunui, which encompasses the DHBs values. It's an opportunity for the voices and experiences of people who use DHB services to really help shape what we do and how we do it.

The Consumer Council will provide advice to the Board and senior management on:

The Consumer Council will promote and oversee consumer involvement in the planning and delivery of Waikato DHB services.

We are looking for 14 members who have lots of different skills, qualities, experience and networks. In particular we'd like people who:

As a DHB we need to improve the health outcomes for all, and especially for:

So we'd particularly like to hear from these people.

We are also keen to involve members from a wide range of backgrounds. We'd like to include:

All members will bring their own experiences to the Consumer Council—they will not be representatives of any specific organisation or community.

In other DHBs Consumer Councils have helped health services change fundamentally by providing a consumer perspective, coming up with new ideas and working in partnership with the DHB. They have also specifically:

Page 2

Qualities, skills and experiences needed

We would love to hear from people with some or all of the following qualities and skills:

Please note that we do not expect every person to have all of the above knowledge, skills and experience. We appreciate that some of these are learnt through experience and support and mentoring can be made available.

Role descriptions for members are available on the website or you can request paper forms from the contact details below.

How members will be selected

If you are interested in becoming a member, you must complete an Expression of Interest (EOI) form. All EOIs will be considered by a small panel consisting of DHB staff, a Board member and consumers/members of the community.

An interim Chair for the Consumer Council will be appointed first of all. Following the appointment of the Chair, members will be appointed.

Expression of Interest forms are available on the Waikato DHB website or you can request paper forms from the contact details below. Information is available in accessible formats on our website. If you need help completing the form please get in touch with Wendy or Alison.

Completed forms should be returned by the dates indicated below (see key dates section).

Consumer Council members will be selected on the basis of their qualities, skills and experiences as outlined in their EOI using defined criteria. Interviews will be arranged at the discretion of the panel. The selection panel will make recommendations to the CEO for appointment to the Consumer Council.

In some rural areas, a specific panel will consider EOI from people living in their area. Expressions of Interest from people living in a rural area which is managing selection of a local member will be considered by both the local panel and the overarching panel. This means that where a person is not selected by the local rural panel, they may still be selected by the overarching panel.

Key dates

EOI process opens: Monday 18 September

EOI closing date: Sunday 15 October

Interviews for Consumer Council Members: To be confirmed

Page 3

Successful and unsuccessful candidates notified: To be confirmed

Members appointed: To be confirmed

First meeting of the Consumer Council: To be confirmed

Questions?

Please contact Wendy Entwistle—021-839-441 or Alison Barnett—027-406-0559, or email consumercouncil@waikatodhb.health.nz

End of A New Consumer Council for Waikato District Health Board