Services for LGBTI, indigenous communities win national awards

A home care provider that helps LGBTI clients get the services they need and an organisation that seeks to return indigenous people to their traditional lands have been recognised with awards from the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency.

South Australian provider Enabling Confidence at Home has been recognised by the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency for its services for LGBTI clients.

ECH was among a list of seven aged care providers to receive a Better Practice Commendation Award at the agency’s Better Practice for the Future conference on Thursday.

Robyn Burton

The awards recognise efforts by providers to provide a customer focus through innovation in the context of new national quality standards.

ECH was awarded for its phone and face-to-face Connect service, which allows people from the LGBTI community to access services suited to their needs through a specialist team member.

Chief Executive David Panter said the program, led by ECH diversity manager Robyn Burton and co-designed by LGBTI people, reflected the organisation’s commitment to providing inclusive services.

“The service started in November last year and we now have four LGBTI Connect team members, who assist with inquiries and put people in touch with relevant ECH staff based on their needs,” Ms Burton said in a statement.

ECH’s efforts in the LGBTI field have also earned it a Rainbow Tick for services to the LGBTI community.

Meanwhile, WA operator Fresh Fields, took out a National Innovation and Excellence in Aged Care Award for its back to country program, which aims to return indigenous care recipients who may have been transferred to the city for medical care back to their traditional lands.

“Tonight’s recipients demonstrated no matter the size of your organisation, effective programs, projects and initiatives can be implement to achieve service excellence in aged care,” Quality Agency CEO Nick Ryan said.

Minister for aged care Ken Wyatt also congratulated the winners for their “leading edge and innovative practices that represent excellence in aged care”.

You can read more about ECH here find a full list of Better Practice Award winners here.

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Tags: Aged-care-quality-agency, Better-practice-awards-2018, ech, Fresh-Fields, indigenous, lgbti,

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