IPPG worked with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission to identify how the Commission can more efficiently and effectively produce and communicate information with the aged care home services sector. IPPG developed a detailed report as well as a framework and strategy for implementation.
The challenge
In 2021, the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety handed down its final report, recommending radical and urgent reform of the sector. This agenda meant that several new initiatives would have an impact on providers of aged care in the home. To ensure that providers and consumers understood these initiatives and their impact, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (the Commission) sought to understand the ways in which providers and consumers receive and use information so that communication content and education modules could be tailored to maximise impact.
The Commission contracted IPPG to carry out in-depth qualitative research to determine the most effective traditional and digital communication channels, as well as the quality and type of content, language and tone, and visual style that the Commission could apply to improve its communication and engagement with aged care home service providers and their consumers.
What we did
With the Commission, IPPG co-designed a three-pronged interlinked research approach. This consisted of:
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An in-depth review of the Commissions current communications and channels
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A desktop review of comparable sectors engagement and communications tools, to identify international good practice
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A comprehensive engagement program using a mixed methodology approach; consulting with a representative cross-section of service provider managers and staff, peak bodies, advocacy organisations and groups of consumers, their families and carers.
In addition, IPPG also hosted a purpose-built Hive engagement website to provide additional opportunities for feedback.
Between December 2021 and the end of February 2022, IPPG gathered feedback from 735 individuals from across Australia using a combination of targeted and open engagement techniques. We received input from 521 individuals through three online survey instruments and 193 individuals through one-on-one phone interviews and online focus groups. We ran two co-design workshops with Commission staff and held weekly feedback sessions.
Outcome
IPPG delivered a detailed report which identified a number of findings across areas including: current commission communications, current and future communications with end-users, feedback and other Commission priority areas. IPPG also developed an overarching framework and strategy for communicating with the home services sector and identified 8 priorities and principles.
