Te tohu hononga ā-kiritaki kounga
Consumer and whānau engagement quality and safety marker
A framework to measure what successful consumer, whānau and community engagement looks like and how it improves the quality and safety of services.
The Te Tāhū Hauora Health Quality & Safety Commission consumer and whānau engagement programme (He Hoa Tiaki | Partners in Care) focuses on improving consumer, whānau and community engagement as an established pillar of health quality and safety. It supports the health sector to engage with consumers to ensure these perspectives are privileged and reflected in the planning, design, delivery and evaluation of health services.
The consumer and whānau engagement quality and safety marker (QSM) highlights examples of how health care organisations are engaging with consumers, whānau and communities in the design, delivery and evaluation of the Aotearoa New Zealand health system. It demonstrates how organisations are giving effect to the code of expectations for health entities’ engagement with consumers and whānau.
Please click here to view the consumer and whānau engagement QSM.
The consumer and whānau engagement QSM framework is available in three formats: accessible web pages, print-ready PDF (A3, 2pp) (225KB) or MS Word format (A4, 12 pp) (40KB). The framework is designed to help providers measure their progress towards achieving the QSM.
For 2023/24 and 2024/25, the following process applies:
- Support a local group of staff and consumers to assess your organisation’s engagement with whānau, consumers and the community.
- Submit a score twice a year using the QSM framework as a guide. Upload evidence to illustrate the rating.
To submit a self-assessment for your organisation, visit the data submission page.
Complete your submissions by 29 March 2024, 30 September 2024 and 31 March 2025. If you have any technical queries, contact: qsm@hqsc.govt.nz.
Consumer engagement quality and safety marker
The goal of this QSM is to highlight examples of how health care organisations engage with consumers, whānau and communities in the design, delivery and evaluation of the Aotearoa New Zealand health system.
The SURE (supporting, understanding, responding and evaluating) framework underpins this QSM. It focuses on four areas:
- Supporting: What is in place to support consumer engagement?
- Understanding: How do organisations make sense of what consumers tell them?
- Responding: What has been done to respond to what consumers have said?
- Evaluating: What has been the impact of these interventions?
By completing the form above, you are contributing to the ‘SURE’ framework.
Groups can rate organisations in three domains:
Engagement: The environment created to support consumer and whānau engagement | Te tūhononga: Ko te taiao kua hangaia hei tautoko i te tūhononga hapori
Responsiveness: Responding to and acting on what consumers and whānau are saying and having the right information at the right time for consumers and whānau accessing services | Te noho urupare: Ko te urupare, ko te mahi i ngā kōrero a ngā kiritaki mō te ratonga me te whai i te mōhiohio tika i te wā e tika ana mō ngā kiritaki e uru ana ki ngā ratonga
Experience: The systems in place to capture consumer and whānau experience and act upon the results | Wheako: Ko ngā pūnaha kua whakaritea hei mau i te wheako kiritaki me te whakatinana i ngā mahi i runga i ngā hua.
Each domain has four possible ratings:
- Minimal | Te itinga iho
- Consultation | Te akoako
- Involvement | Te whai wāhi
- Partnership and shared leadership | Te mahi tahi me te kaiārahitanga ngātahi
Download a detailed description for each rating (132KB, pdf).
To support your rating, there is an opportunity to comment on why a rating was chosen, and upload examples to support this rating. It is important to note that these will be available publicly.
Existing data (including demographic data) from the adult inpatient experience survey and primary care experience survey will be included with the consumer engagement QSM.
The final rating is less important than understanding how the organisation has performed so it can improve.
The consumer and whānau engagement QSM reference group that developed, maintain and monitor this framework developed the following principles.
- Authentic partnerships between consumers and providers underpin all interactions.
- Suitably prepared consumers are resourced and supported to engage in all processes.
- People understand that the driver for the marker is improvement of consumer engagement and equity.
- Ethically sound values guide engagement.
- Processes are open and transparent.
- The articles of Te Tiriti underpin all aspects of this framework.
Te Tāhū Hauora Health Quality & Safety Commission’s understanding of the articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and how these are applied to our work are described below.
Kāwanatanga – partnering and shared decision-making
Our work is informed and shaped equally by tangata whenua and tangata Te Tiriti worldviews and perspectives.
Tino rangatiratanga – self-determination
We recognise the importance of tangata whenua authority and autonomy. We support tangata whenua-led processes, actions and decision making through sharing power and resources.
Ōritetanga – equity for tangata whenua
We undertake specific actions to ensure equitable outcomes for tangata whenua, and we recognise that these actions can also support equitable outcomes for other groups.
Wairuatanga – upholding values, belief systems and worldviews
Tangata whenua worldviews, values and belief systems are prioritised in our work.
This QSM was developed in partnership with a QSM reference group and Te Tāhū Hauora. It was piloted in four sites: Counties Manukau Health, Te Whatu Ora Waitematā, Te Whatu Ora Waikato and Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury.
Please contact qsm@hqsc.govt.nz for further support.
You can provide up to five examples as supporting documentation for each rating. Uploads are stored locally and limited to 60 MB each. For more information, contact: qsm@hqsc.govt.nz.
You can also use the ‘free text’ option to describe your reasons for the rating.
Co-design
Co-design is an important part of a process to identify a challenge or opportunity to engage people, consumers, whānau, family and staff; to capture their experiences and ideas; to organise the learning to create new understanding and insight from the perspective of the care and emotional journey; to stay together in partnership to review learning and ideas; to plan and implement improvements; and, finally, to review the difference made (adapted from Dr Lynne Maher, Principal Co-design Counties Manukau, presentation, 2020).
Co-design is often used as an umbrella term for participatory, co-creation and open design processes. Key components of a co-design process should involve users and staff in designing solutions, and design decisions should only be made once feedback has been gathered (Ko Awatea 2022).
Consumer
The term ‘consumer’ refers to anyone who has used, is currently using or is likely to use a health service. This includes but is not limited to individuals, community members, whānau and family, carers, patients and tangata whaiora. ‘Consumer’ includes voices of Māori, Pacific peoples, people living with disabilities, migrants, refugees, rainbow communities and people living in rural areas. The term resonates with some people more than others. It is important that people and communities use the language they feel most comfortable with and whichever term resonates with them.
Equity
In Aotearoa New Zealand, people have differences in health that are avoidable, unfair and unjust. Equity recognises that different people with different levels of advantage require different approaches and resources to get equitable health outcomes.
This definition of equity comes from Manatū Hauora Ministry of Health and was signed off by the-then Director General of Health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, in March 2019.
References
Ko Awatea. 2022. Co Design. URL: koawatea.countiesmanukau.health.nz/co-design (accessed 18 April 2022).
What is the goal of this QSM?
The goal of this QSM is to highlight examples of how health care organisations engage with consumers, whānau and communities in the design, delivery and evaluation of the Aotearoa New Zealand health system.
What is the framework behind the consumer and whānau engagement QSM?
The SURE (supporting, understanding, responding and evaluating) framework underpins this QSM. It focuses on four areas:
- Supporting: What is in place to support consumer engagement?
- Understanding: How do organisations make sense of what consumers tell them?
- Responding: What has been done to respond to what consumers have said?
- Evaluating: What has been the impact of these interventions?
By completing the form above, you are contributing to the ‘SURE’ framework.
Groups can rate organisations in three domains:
Engagement: The environment created to support consumer and whānau engagement | Te tūhononga: Ko te taiao kua hangaia hei tautoko i te tūhononga hapori
Responsiveness: Responding to and acting on what consumers and whānau are saying and having the right information at the right time for consumers and whānau accessing services | Te noho urupare: Ko te urupare, ko te mahi i ngā kōrero a ngā kiritaki mō te ratonga me te whai i te mōhiohio tika i te wā e tika ana mō ngā kiritaki e uru ana ki ngā ratonga
Experience: The systems in place to capture consumer and whānau experience and act upon the results | Wheako: Ko ngā pūnaha kua whakaritea hei mau i te wheako kiritaki me te whakatinana i ngā mahi i runga i ngā hua.
How do we assess how the organisation is performing?
Each domain has four possible ratings:
- Minimal | Te itinga iho
- Consultation | Te akoako
- Involvement | Te whai wāhi
- Partnership and shared leadership | Te mahi tahi me te kaiārahitanga ngātahi
Download a detailed description for each rating (132KB, pdf).
To support your rating, there is an opportunity to comment on why a rating was chosen, and upload examples to support this rating. It is important to note that these will be available publicly.
Existing data (including demographic data) from the adult inpatient experience survey and primary care experience survey will be included with the consumer engagement QSM.
The final rating is less important than understanding how the organisation has performed so it can improve.
What are the principles behind this QSM?
The consumer and whānau engagement QSM reference group that developed, maintain and monitor this framework developed the following principles.
- Authentic partnerships between consumers and providers underpin all interactions.
- Suitably prepared consumers are resourced and supported to engage in all processes.
- People understand that the driver for the marker is improvement of consumer engagement and equity.
- Ethically sound values guide engagement.
- Processes are open and transparent.
- The articles of Te Tiriti underpin all aspects of this framework.
Te Tāhū Hauora Health Quality & Safety Commission’s understanding of the articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and how these are applied to our work are described below.
Kāwanatanga – partnering and shared decision-making
Our work is informed and shaped equally by tangata whenua and tangata Te Tiriti worldviews and perspectives.
Tino rangatiratanga – self-determination
We recognise the importance of tangata whenua authority and autonomy. We support tangata whenua-led processes, actions and decision making through sharing power and resources.
Ōritetanga – equity for tangata whenua
We undertake specific actions to ensure equitable outcomes for tangata whenua, and we recognise that these actions can also support equitable outcomes for other groups.
Wairuatanga – upholding values, belief systems and worldviews
Tangata whenua worldviews, values and belief systems are prioritised in our work.
Who developed this QSM and how can I access support?
This QSM was developed in partnership with a QSM reference group and Te Tāhū Hauora. It was piloted in four sites: Counties Manukau Health, Te Whatu Ora Waitematā, Te Whatu Ora Waikato and Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury.
Please contact qsm@hqsc.govt.nz for further support.
How much supporting documentation do we provide for each domain?
You can provide up to five examples as supporting documentation for each rating. Uploads are stored locally and limited to 60 MB each. For more information, contact: qsm@hqsc.govt.nz.
You can also use the ‘free text’ option to describe your reasons for the rating.
Definitions of a consumer, co-design and equity
Co-design
Co-design is an important part of a process to identify a challenge or opportunity to engage people, consumers, whānau, family and staff; to capture their experiences and ideas; to organise the learning to create new understanding and insight from the perspective of the care and emotional journey; to stay together in partnership to review learning and ideas; to plan and implement improvements; and, finally, to review the difference made (adapted from Dr Lynne Maher, Principal Co-design Counties Manukau, presentation, 2020).
Co-design is often used as an umbrella term for participatory, co-creation and open design processes. Key components of a co-design process should involve users and staff in designing solutions, and design decisions should only be made once feedback has been gathered (Ko Awatea 2022).
Consumer
The term ‘consumer’ refers to anyone who has used, is currently using or is likely to use a health service. This includes but is not limited to individuals, community members, whānau and family, carers, patients and tangata whaiora. ‘Consumer’ includes voices of Māori, Pacific peoples, people living with disabilities, migrants, refugees, rainbow communities and people living in rural areas. The term resonates with some people more than others. It is important that people and communities use the language they feel most comfortable with and whichever term resonates with them.
Equity
In Aotearoa New Zealand, people have differences in health that are avoidable, unfair and unjust. Equity recognises that different people with different levels of advantage require different approaches and resources to get equitable health outcomes.
This definition of equity comes from Manatū Hauora Ministry of Health and was signed off by the-then Director General of Health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, in March 2019.
References
Ko Awatea. 2022. Co Design. URL: koawatea.countiesmanukau.health.nz/co-design (accessed 18 April 2022).
Published: 26 Oct 2021
Modified: 9 Feb 2024
