Community and consumer engagement

• We maximise Ambulance Victoria’s connection with the Victorian community through a range of innovative and targeted programs and campaigns.
• We design and deliver engagement and education programs across metropolitan Melbourne and regional and rural Victoria to build community resilience and improve health outcomes for all Victorians.
• We establish and maintain positive relationships with key stakeholders and partners to enhance the understanding of AV’s role in the community.

The Community and Consumer Engagement Plan 2023-2028 aims to enable the provision of fair and easy access to ambulance and healthcare services, to build healthy and resilient communities, and to continuously improve our service in partnership with Victorians.

This plan complements AV’s strategic focus on connection, enabling us to strengthen our relationships with each other, our patients, our partners and across our healthcare system.

Read our the Community and Consumer Engagement Plan online presentation

Community and Consumer Engagement Plan 2023–2028

We believe:

• People deserve health care that is responsive, easy to access and meets their needs.
• Communities thrive when people know when and how to seek help.
• Services work best when they are shaped by the people who use them and the partners who deliver them.

Our purpose is to provide fair and easy access to ambulance and healthcare services, to build healthy and resilient communities, and to continuously improve our service in partnership with Victorians.

We will focus on 4 strategic pillars

Health education

A shared understanding connects communities.

We will educate people:

• about how to access information to look after their health and get the care they need.
• to help them find the right healthcare service for their needs.
• in a way that is appropriate for our diverse communities.

Service co-design

For our community, with our community.

We will:

• consult with people to design and deliver our healthcare services.
• design services that meet the needs of diverse groups, including rural communities and people who speak languages other than English.
• respond to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
• listen to community feedback so we can continuously improve our services.

Organisational capability

Engagement is at the heart of what we do.

We will:

• develop our employees’ skills and knowledge to engage effectively with our communities.
• measure the outcomes of our engagement activities.
• use what we learn to improve our services.
• continuously improve the way we engage.

Collaborative partnerships

Together, we go further.

We will:

• work with people, organisations and communities to improve health outcomes.
• build partnerships based on trust, respect, integrity, and fairness.
• continuously improve and strengthen our partnerships, making them more effective.

We will strengthen our pillars with:

Effective leadership

Our leaders will:

• create a culture that supports and encourages engagement.
• commit to building relationships through engagement and be open to feedback.
• measure and report on our engagement activities.

Communicating impact

We will:

• measure and report on our engagement with the community.
• share our achievements and celebrate them.
• have staff motivated to drive community engagement.

Sustainable delivery

We will:

• allocate appropriate resources to our engagement activities.
• improve our processes, tools and systems.

Skilled employees

We will:

• train our employees to design, deliver and measure engagement activities to deliver results.
• train our employees to deliver safe, effective and professional engagement.

Data and innovation

We will:

• collect data from our engagement activities.
• evaluate the data we collect.
• improve our programs and services based on learnings.

We commit to being:

Genuine

We are open and honest in all our work with other service providers, and the people and communities we serve. We value open communication and knowledge-sharing, so everyone can participate.

Inclusive

We actively seek input from the people and communities we serve, irrespective of language, culture, age or disability.

Responsive

We consult with our service providers and the people and communities we serve. We will understand how and when to best engage. We set and manage expectations throughout the process.

Purposeful

When we engage, we will have a clear understanding of what we want to achieve. We will plan how to communicate and engage with people, partners and communities. This will help us to manage expectations and build trust.

Respectful

We acknowledge and respect the expertise, diverse perspectives and varying needs of the people and communities we serve. We ensure that engagement is a two-way process. We welcome alternative views.

Our key outcomes

Health education

• Improved health outcomes.
• Community resilience.
• Access to health information for all.

Service co-design

• Services shaped by the people and communities who use them.
• Easy-to-access healthcare based on individual need.

Organisational capability

• Staff are capable, skilled and confident in engagement.
• Engagement is integrated, supported, responsive and sustainable.
• Engagement is informed by evidence.
• Improve healthcare service design, delivery and governance based on our learnings.

Collaborative partnerships

• Identify the partnerships that will assist us to improve health outcomes.
• Effective partnerships that provide impact.