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HealthWest community

orientation manual

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Important contact information

HealthWest Partnership

Level 1, 37 Albert Street

Footscray VICTORIA 3011

Phone: (03) 9396 9500 (via the Carers Victoria Reception)

Website: www.healthwest.org.au

Your contact person at HealthWest:

<Insert your contact information>

NAME

ROLE

CONTACT DETAILS

If you have any questions or concerns, you can also talk to:

<Insert contact information for contact’s line manager>

NAME

ROLE

CONTACT DETAILS

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Welcome to HealthWest!

Our Vision: All of our communities: healthy, vibrant and connected.

This orientation manual will provide you with some basic information to help

you work with HealthWest. If you want more information, you can go to the

HealthWest website www.healthwest.org.au. Or just ask the person conducting

your orientation!

We hope you enjoy working with HealthWest. We look forward to working

together to achieve Our Vision for the West.

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Table of Contents

Important contact information .................................................................... 1

Welcome to HealthWest! ............................................................................ 2

Orientation checklist ................................................................................. 4

About HealthWest ..................................................................................... 5

Community Participation at HealthWest ....................................................... 6

Health and Safety ..................................................................................... 7

What can you expect while working with HealthWest? ................................... 8

A clear role description ........................................................................... 8

Support ................................................................................................ 8

Communication ...................................................................................... 8

Keeping you informed ............................................................................. 8

To speak up .......................................................................................... 8

Respect ................................................................................................ 9

Confidential information .......................................................................... 9

Commitment ......................................................................................... 9

Payment ............................................................................................... 9

Reimbursement of costs ......................................................................... 9

Removing a community participant .......................................................... 9

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Orientation checklist

During your orientation, you should discuss all these topics.

Topics to cover Tick when done

✓ Introduction to HealthWest

About your project and role

Health and Safety

What you can expect while working with HealthWest

Community Participation at HealthWest

- Western Community Network

- Community Participation Policy

Reimbursement for your time and other expenses

- Discuss your preferences with a staff member

Communication

- Discuss your preferences with a staff member

Important contact details

- For you to contact HealthWest

- For us to contact you

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About HealthWest

We are a Primary Care Partnership (PCP) and we work to achieve real

improvements in health and wellbeing for everyone in Melbourne’s west.

HealthWest works in five

local government areas:

• Melton

• Wyndham

• Brimbank

• Hobsons Bay

• Maribyrnong

Find out more about the HealthWest local government areas on our website:

http://healthwest.org.au/about-us/healthwest-catchment/

Our members

HealthWest has a diverse range of member organisations, including:

• health care providers

• community organisations

• local councils

See a list of HealthWest’s member organisations on our website:

http://healthwest.org.au/membership/our-members/

HealthWest and Carers Victoria

HealthWest is administered by Carers Victoria. This means that Carers Victoria

is responsible for some things at HealthWest, like making community payments.

All this means for you is that sometimes the information or paperwork we give

you might say Carers Victoria instead of HealthWest.

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Community Participation at HealthWest

Community participation is a priority for HealthWest. We want to make sure our

communities have their say in our organisation and all our work.

Ways that community members can get involved include:

• Having input into planning and decision making at HealthWest.

• Being part of projects around a specific topic (ie diabetes, gender equity).

• Running health-related activities in your local community.

• Coming to meetings and forums.

• Helping us make information and resources more user-friendly.

You can read more about how HealthWest is supporting community

participation in our Community Participation in Health position statement:

http://healthwest.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Position-Statement-

Community-Participation-in-Health-Aug-2015.pdf

To stay informed about chances to get involved, sign up to the Western

Community Network: http://healthwest.org.au/community-corner/western-

community-network/

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Health and Safety

Your health and safety are important! HealthWest is committed to keeping you

safe and healthy while you work with us.

Insurance cover

You are covered by HealthWest’s insurance when working with HealthWest, as

long as you are doing activities that have been agreed on with HealthWest.

You are not covered by our insurance while travelling to or from meetings and

activities.

Keep yourself and others safe and healthy!

You are also responsible to keep yourself and other people safe and healthy;

Follow basic safety procedures…

• don’t lift heavy things by yourself

• don’t climb on unstable ladders or equipment

• Don’t do something that looks unsafe

Speak up…

• If you have any concerns about your works tasks or surroundings.

• If you see something that might be dangerous or unhealthy.

Know your surroundings…

• Ask about emergency procedures and evacuation routes for the place you

are working.

• Look for potential hazards, like something you might trip over.

Look after yourself…

• If you feel unwell, you are allowed to cancel meetings or activities that

you might have on. Just let your HealthWest contact person know.

• If you feel unsafe, stop what you are doing.

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What can you expect while working with HealthWest?

A clear role description

HealthWest will provide information about your role, including:

• What tasks you need to do as part of your role.

• Important contact details for HealthWest staff.

Support

HealthWest will support you to perform your role. This might include:

• Orientation.

• Feedback on what you’re doing.

• Briefings before and debriefs after meetings or activities.

• Training.

Communication

HealthWest will aim to communicate with you clearly and in good time. We want

to use methods that are suitable for you. This might be: telephone, text

message, email or post…

Talk to your project manager about this now!

Keeping you informed

We will make sure you know about information that might affect your work,

such as:

• Policies and procedures at HealthWest

• Changes to your project plans or activities

• Government decisions or policies that might affect you

To speak up

If you have something to say, speak up! If you have a problem, tell someone!

Talk to your HealthWest contact person if:

• You have any questions about your role.

• You can’t come to a planned meeting or do a task.

• You are being asked to do things that you are uncomfortable doing.

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Respect

You should be listened to and treated with respect by everyone you work with.

You should also listen to others and treat them with respect.

Confidential information

You may deal with confidential information. In this case, do not share the

information with anyone else.

Commitment

You should commit to the project or role you are doing, and do your best in

your role. While you are working with HealthWest, you should also commit to

representing HealthWest positively.

Payment

Some community participants will be reimbursed for their time, depending on

their role. If you are being paid, you should discuss your preferred payment

option with your HealthWest contact person.

You can be paid by either:

• Voucher (e.g. Coles Myer)

• Electronic Bank Transfer - money is payed into your bank account

See the HealthWest Community Participation Policy for more information.

Reimbursement of costs

You will be reimbursed for all money spent on behalf of HealthWest Partnership.

An example of this is food or materials bought for a meeting or workshop.

Talk to your HealthWest contact person before you spend any money!

Removing a community participant

HealthWest will remove a community participant from their role if they need to.

If this happens, they will always be honest and explain their reasons.

Reasons for this might include:

• Changes to HealthWest priorities, staffing or projects.

• Changes to project plans, activities or funding.

• Community participant not performing activities that they agreed to do