Digital Mental Health Standards - Partnering with Consumers

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Partnering with Consumers Standard

Digital mental health service providers develop, implement and maintain systems to partner with service users and their support people. These partnerships relate to the planning, design, delivery, measurement, review and evaluation of digital mental health services. The workforce uses these systems to partner with service users and their support people.

Intention of this standard

To create services in which there are mutually valuable outcomes by having:

Service users and their support people as partners in planning, design, delivery, measurement, review and evaluation of digital mental health services
Service users as partners in their own care, and with their support people, in line with the model of care and to the extent that they choose.

Click on the arrows below to view the actions in each criterion. This is one of three standards in the NSQDMH Standards.

Criteria

Partnering with service users in their own care

Systems that are based on partnering with service users in their own care, and with their support people, are used to facilitate the delivery of care. Service users are partners in their own care, with their support people, in line with the model of care and to the extent that they choose.

Item	Action
Healthcare rights and informed consent	2.01 The service provider uses a charter of rights that is: Consistent with the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights Easily accessible to service users and their support people.
	2.02 The service provider has informed consent processes that comply with legislation and best practice.
	2.03 The service provider has processes for supported decision-making, and to identify and work with a substitute decision-maker if a service user does not have the capacity to make decisions for themselves.
Planning care	2.04 The service provider has processes to partner with service users and where relevant, their support people to make decisions about their current and future care.

Health and digital literacy

The service provider takes account of the health and digital literacy of service users and their support people and ensures that communication occurs in a way that supports effective partnerships.

Item	Action
Communication that supports effective partnerships	2.05 The service provider uses communication mechanisms tailored to the diversity of service users and their support people.
2.06 The service provider communicates information to service users and where relevant, their support people: In a way that meets their needs That is easy to understand and use.

Item

Action

Communication that supports effective partnerships

2.05 The service provider uses communication mechanisms tailored to the diversity of service users and their support people.

2.06 The service provider communicates information to service users and where relevant, their support people:

In a way that meets their needs
That is easy to understand and use.

Partnering with service users in design and governance

The service provider partners with service users and their support people in the design and governance of digital mental health services.

Item	Action
Partnerships in governance, planning, design, measurement and evaluation	2.07 The service provider: Partners with consumers, carers and families from the intended service user groups in the governance, planning, design, measurement and evaluation of the services Has processes to involve a mix of people that are reflective of the diversity of service users and their support people.
	2.08 The service provider provides orientation, support and education to service users, consumers, carers, families and support people who are partners in the governance, planning, design, measurement and evaluation of the service.
	2.09 The service provider partners with service users and their support people to incorporate their views and experiences into training and education for the workforce.
Usability	2.10 The service provider has processes to assess and optimise the usability of each service including: Function Cultural safety Service user feedback, experience and satisfaction Service user outcomes Access.
Accessibility	2.11 The service provider partners with service users and their support people to: Minimise barriers to accessing services associated with the hardware, software, data requirements and platform of the services, or the language, location, age, culture and ability of the service users and their support people Ensure services are compatible with commonly used assistive technologies Meet relevant standards for web page or web application Regularly review access to services and take action to improve access by service users and their support people.

Download the NSQDMH Standards

National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health Standards

2020

Publication, report or update

The National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health (NSQDMH) Standards aim to improve the quality of digital mental health service provision, and to protect service users and their support people from harm.

Explanatory notes

Partnerships with consumers, carers and families in health care are integral to the development, implementation and evaluation of health policies, programs and services. Service providers should ensure that these partnerships underpin the delivery of their digital mental health services.

Effective partnerships exist when people are treated with dignity and respect, information is shared with them, and participation and collaboration in healthcare processes are encouraged and supported to the extent that people choose.⁸

Delivering care that is based on partnerships provides many benefits for service users and their support people, and service provider organisations. Effective partnerships, a positive experience for service users, and high-quality health care and improved safety are linked.

Achieving effective partnerships when health care is delivered by digital means can occur at three levels⁹:

At the individual level, partnership with the service user is demonstrated through the delivery of respectful care and the provision of information relevant to their care. Service users and, where appropriate, their support people should be encouraged and assisted to participate in their own care and self-management, and engaged in making decisions and planning care, to the extent that they choose. This form of partnership is not reliant on the service user engaging with any specific individual in the service, rather it is evidenced in the way the service engages with the service user.
At the level of a digital mental health service, partnerships relate to the participation of service users, consumers, carers, families and support people in the planning, design, monitoring and evaluation of the digital mental health service and any changes in the service. Engaging with service users and their support people in the design of digital mental health services is essential to maximise the usability and accessibility of the service.
At the level of the service provider, partnerships relate to the involvement of service users, consumers, carers, families and support people in overall governance, policy and planning. This level overlaps with the previous level in that a service provider may offer various digital mental health services. Service users, consumers, carers, families and support people may be members of key committees for the service provider, in areas such as clinical governance, technical governance, and service design, and where relevant also in areas such as education, ethics and research.

The processes involved with these partnerships will vary according to the type of digital mental health service and its model of care.

Organisational leadership and support are essential to nurture partnerships at all three levels. Supporting effective consumer, carer and service user partnerships may mean supporting multiple mechanisms of engagement and modalities. Meaningful methods of engagement range from representation on committees and boards, to contributions at focus groups, to feedback received. Engagement may occur face-to-face or via digital means, including social media. Taking the diversity of service users and their support people into account is also necessary to achieve the best results.

References

8. Institute for Patient and Family-Centered Care. Advancing the practice of patient- and family-centered care in primary care and other ambulatory settings: how to get started. Bethesda (MD): IPFCC, 2008.
9. Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Patient-Centred Care: Improving quality and safety through partnerships with patients and consumers. Sydney: Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, 2011.

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Partnering with consumers