Through our work with consumers, we often hear how much you gain from connecting with one another and learning new skills. We also hear that you benefit from problem-solving the challenges you may be facing in finding your voice as a consumer and influencing change in healthcare organisations.

Over the next few months, HIC will be working with consumers to co-design a new Community of Practice to support you to enhance your knowledge and skills, and share experiences of engaging with healthcare organisations. This is made possible with funding from Safer Care Victoria.

What’s a Community of Practice?

  • A Community of Practice is a group of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.
  • Many communities of practice rely on coming together in physical or online collaborative environments to communicate, connect and conduct community activities.

Designing this Community of Practice

Although there is much still be determined, there are a few things we already know about the community of practice:

  • It will be open to Victorian-based health consumers
  • Over 2022/2023 there will be four half-day programs facilitated by Health Issues Centre for Community of Practice members
  • The Community of Practice will operate online, not face to face (at least for this financial year)

As a first step in the design process, we are casting the net far and wide to hear from consumers about what this Community of Practice might look like.

We’re keen to hear from consumers of all different backgrounds, with varying levels of experience in consumer roles within the Victorian health system to find out:

  • How this Community of Practice might benefit you
  • Your training and development needs
  • What you would like to see included in the program
  • How we could make this community of practice as accessible and inclusive as possible
  • Whether you would be interested in being part of a steering group to co-design the CoP

Next steps

1. Please complete this survey by Thursday 15 September 2022. It will likely take you between 10-15 minutes to complete.

2. We will then recruit a small group of consumers to join a steering committee who we will collaborate with to:

  • Review the survey responses
  • Create the Terms of Reference for the Community of Practice
  • Design an evaluation framework for the Community of Practice
  • Plan the four x half-day program schedule.

3. You will then be contacted again later in 2022 and be invited to join the Community of Practice if you wish to.

Start the survey

If you have any questions, please contact Katherine Burnard – Training, Development & Projects Officer at Katherine.burnard@hic.org.au